CS2 Update — November 26, 2025: Source 2 Engine Refresh, New GPU Drivers, and Budapest Major Fixes

Valve quietly shipped a new Counter-Strike 2 update on November 26, 2025, focusing on engine improvements, updated GPU driver recommendations, and final tweaks for the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. The patch weighs in at ~90 MB and contains no official gameplay changes.

Key Highlights of the Update

1. Source 2 Engine Updated

Data from SteamDB and community trackers confirms that Valve once again updated CS2’s engine code to the latest Source 2 version.
This follows the larger engine refresh in October, which optimized CPU load, particle effects, and sound handling.

2. New Recommended GPU Drivers

Valve updated CS2’s internal recommendations to:

NVIDIA: 581.80

AMD: 23.11.1

The NVIDIA version drew mixed reactions on Reddit, where users noted the driver “has performance issues” and referenced Nvidia’s newer 581.94 hotfix. Still, the updated values signal which builds Valve validated against current CS2 performance.

3. Budapest Major 2025 Viewer Pass Fix

The patch includes a fix for the Viewer Pass activation window, following earlier issues with coin visibility and activation during the launch of the Budapest Major Hub.

4. Localization Updates

Hungarian, Romanian, Swedish, and Ukrainian language files received updates — aligning with the CS2 audience surrounding the Budapest Major.

Related Developments

Recent November updates introduced:

Budapest Major Hub & Viewer Pass

Sticker Slabs, a new cosmetic item type

Fixes to TrueView spectator mode and improved demo playback

Additionally, dataminer Gabe Follower recently discovered new Cobblestone textures, hinting at long-term map work by Valve.