CS2 News
CS2 esports, skin market, and case opening news · Republished with permission from SkinPulse
BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 1 Preview: $1M Prize Pool, 8 Teams, Fort Worth Stage — Post-karrigan FaZe and FalleN's First Tour Event
BLAST Rivals 2026 Season 1 begins April 29 at Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, with 8 teams competing for $1M. Storylines: post-karrigan FaZe with Twistzz as IGL, Fa…
PGL Astana 2026 Preview: $1.6M Prize Pool, 16 Teams, Barys Arena Hosts Spring's Biggest Non-Major
PGL Astana 2026 runs May 7-17 at the Barys Arena, Kazakhstan with a $1.6M prize pool — the biggest non-Major event of the spring. 16 invited teams, all-BO3 Swi…
karrigan Officially Signs With Falcons: FaZe Era Ends, NiKo Reunion After 7+ Years Confirmed
Team Falcons officially announced karrigan's signing on April 20, ending his 5-year FaZe Clan tenure that included a Major win, Intel Grand Slam, and 8 tier-1 …
IEM Cologne Major 2026 Preview: 7 Weeks Out, Vitality Dynasty vs Falcons+karrigan vs FalleN Farewell Tour
With IEM Rio in the books, the CS2 calendar pivots to the IEM Cologne Major (June 2-21, $1.25M prize pool). Vitality enter as heavy favorites after their histo…
Vitality Win IEM Rio 2026 — Historic Back-to-Back ESL Grand Slam, $1.125M Weekend, ropz Becomes First 3-Time Grand Slam Winner
Team Vitality swept Spirit 3-0 in the IEM Rio 2026 grand final (16-13 OT, 13-10, 13-5) to claim their fourth trophy of 2026 and become the first team in CS his…
MOUZ Pull the Trigger: Brollan and Jimpphat Benched, jL on Loan, 17-Year-Old xelex Promoted
MOUZ benched Brollan and Jimpphat after three consecutive missed playoffs, promoting 17-year-old xelex from MOUZ NXT and signing jL on loan from NAVI. Brollan …
IEM Rio 2026 Semifinals: Spirit Crush Falcons 2-0, Vitality Silence Brazilian Crowd to Beat FURIA
Both IEM Rio 2026 semifinals ended in 2-0 sweeps. Spirit dominated Falcons 13-7, 13-4 behind magixx (19k) and zont1x (18k). Vitality overcame the emotional Far…
IEM Rio 2026 Semifinal Preview: Falcons vs Spirit, Vitality vs FURIA in FalleN's First Match After Retirement
IEM Rio 2026 semifinals on Saturday: Falcons vs Spirit, then Vitality vs FURIA in what will be FalleN's first match after announcing his retirement. Storylines…
IEM Rio 2026 Quarterfinals: Vitality Crush NAVI 2-0 Behind ZywOo's 2.53 Rating, Spirit Sweep MOUZ on tN1R Carry
Both IEM Rio 2026 quarterfinals ended in 2-0 sweeps on April 17. Vitality reasserted themselves by crushing NAVI behind a 2.53-rated ZywOo performance, while S…
FalleN Announces 2026 Retirement in Emotional IEM Rio Speech — 23-Year Counter-Strike Career Ends December
Brazilian CS legend Gabriel 'FalleN' Toledo announced his retirement at the end of 2026 in an emotional speech on stage at the Farmasi Arena during IEM Rio 202…
ESL Places Unprecedented $100K Bounty on Team Vitality at IEM Rio 2026 Grand Final
ESL has placed a $100,000 bounty on Team Vitality at IEM Rio 2026 — any team that defeats them in the grand final receives the bonus on top of the standard win…
IEM Rio 2026 Playoff Bracket Locked: Falcons and FURIA Get Semifinal Byes — Full Schedule and Predictions
The IEM Rio 2026 playoff bracket is set after three days of group stage action. Falcons and FURIA earned semifinal byes; Vitality, Spirit, NAVI, and MOUZ play …
karrigan to Falcons Confirmed: HLTV Sources Verify Biggest CS2 Transfer of 2026 — NiKo Reunion After 7 Years
Finn 'karrigan' Andersen will join Team Falcons after IEM Rio 2026, replacing kyxsan. The move ends his FaZe Clan tenure and reunites him with NiKo for the fir…
Falcons Snap Vitality's 18-Series and 24-Map Win Streaks at IEM Rio 2026 — Upset 2-1 in Overtime on Nuke
Team Falcons ended Vitality's 18-series and 24-map winning streaks with a 2-1 upset in the IEM Rio 2026 Group A upper bracket final. NiKo's clutches forced Nuk…
CS2 Skin Market Q1 2026 Recovery Report: Steam Turnover Back to $5M/Day, Knives Up 245% from Crash Low
The CS2 skin market has recovered strongly from the October 2025 trade-up crash. Daily Steam Marketplace turnover is back to $5.2M, knives are up 245% from low…
CS2 Emote System Leaked in Game Files After Animgraph 2 Update — First Major Cosmetic Category Beyond Skins
Community dataminers have uncovered a full set of player emote animations — wave, clapping, victory dance, finger wag, victory pose — in the CS2 game files shi…
IEM Rio 2026 Day 1 Recap: Vitality Cruise, NAVI Post 13-0, G2 and MOUZ Reverse Sweeps
IEM Rio 2026 opened with Vitality dispatching RED Canids 2-0, NAVI crushing B8 with a historic 13-0 on map one, and both G2 and MOUZ completing reverse sweeps.…
IEM Rio 2026 Preview: 16 Teams, $300K Prize Pool — Vitality, NAVI, and MOUZ Return to Action
IEM Rio 2026 starts April 13 with 16 teams competing for $300,000. Vitality chase a fourth straight title, NAVI and MOUZ return from rest, and three Brazilian …