Blogs
on January 20, 2026
Here's how the full feature technically works. In CS:GO , players are able to either earn loot boxes through gameplay or buy them from other players. However, these loot boxes can only be opened by paying for a key. The new feature is called the X-Ray Scanner and allows players to place one loot box into it to reveal the item inside. However, and here's the trick, once an item has been scanned by the X-Ray Scanner, players will have "claim" the item buy purchasing a key to unlock it before being able to look inside another loot
At time of writing, no duration has been provided for S1mple's ban. As with all Twitch bans, visiting the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive streamer's page currently displays the message "Sorry. Unless you've got a time machine, that content is unavailab
Counter-Strike 2 strategy|https://counterstrike2zone.com/: Global Offensive is one of the most competitive games in the world, as the first-person multiplayer shooter relies on fast reflexes and solid team tactics in order to win. Players have continued to improve their skills in competitive matches as the game has supported ranked matches for a dec
There is no guarantee, however, that YouTube would be more forgiving of controversial content. The infamous online commentator Leafy was permanently banned on both YouTube and Twitch for hate speech in September. While S1mple's violations do not appear to be as flagrant as Leafy's, repeated offenses are likely to be treated more seriously than a first-time
A highly ambitious Counter-Strike: Global Offensive mod aiming to bring back the "classic feeling" of Counter-Strike 1.6 has hit a major roadblock. After spending nearly eight years in limbo, the Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive mod for CS:GO seems to have been blocked by Valve, leaving both its developers and fans disappoin
The lack of feedback was described as a "worse form of a Cease and Desist," and the Classic Offensive team stands frustrated over the sudden halt. Adding to their grievances, the CS:GO mod's developers shared that many Valve employees were aware of the project but provided no indication that their work would ultimately face rejection. Keeping this in mind, the Classic Offensive team felt "required" to inform any modding teams working on Valve-related projects to reconsider their release strategies should they plan to rely solely on Steam as their primary distribution platf
In any case, even though the Finnish newspaper's de_voyna map was launched in line with World Press Freedom Day to reach the millions of Russians playing Counter-Strike , it's worth noting that Valve wasn't consulted prior to the community-made map going online. So it will be interesting to see how long the downloadable map will remain online, should the company take any act
In order to further contain CS:GO 's French marketplace, perhaps to avoid market manipulation through the use of X-Ray Scanners, Valve is making one additional change. Loot boxes can no longer be purchased from the Steam Community Market in France. All CS:GO players in the country will have to earn their own loot boxes. Though, naturally, Valve will still allow those players to sell their loot boxes to those in other countr
One community-made Counter-Strike: Global Offensive map is seemingly offering Russians an alternative view of the war in Ukraine. While Valve's Counter-Strike has been among the most popular live-service titles to date, the game is currently seeing a notable uptick in interest thanks to the recent reveal that Counter-Strike 2 is officially in the works . Now, it appears one community is looking to leverage this popularity to shed light on the situation in Ukra
While this means that the second major event of 2023 has been canceled, the extended waiting period is expected to allow Valve to fine-tune the new game and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for players and fans al
As if that isn't frustrating enough, Valve has apparently "preloaded" the X-Ray Scanner with an item already. Meaning that players will have to purchase this item, regardless of whether they want it, in order to use the X-Ray Scanner on a loot box. The X-Ray Scanner may appear to be beneficial to players, but ultimately is just another effort at encouraging players to begin purchasing microtransactions . There's little reason to believe it's significantly beneficial over
Even though S1mple draws impressive viewership numbers, no Twitch celebrity is above the law of the platform's community guidelines. Twitch famously banned the streaming mega-star, Dr. Disrespect , after controversial violations. That said, S1mple seems bothered more by the hypocrisy in his most recent ban, offering an explanation on Twit
Oleksandr ‘S1mple’ Kostyliev, arguably one of the best CS:GO players in the world, was banned on October 30 for saying a Russian slur. The leading player of Natus Vincere's CS:GO squad, S1mple has been banned for aggressive behavior and the use of slurs before, as recently as July 30. Some fans are concerned that S1mple's fourth strike-out will put him at risk of incurring a permanent