Valve keeps sanding CS2’s rough edges: animation overhaul followed by polish pass — and a reminder that the “Michael Jackson” peek is long gone

August 13, 2025 — Valve has rolled out a late-July/early-August string of quality-of-life CS2 updates that tidy up first-person presentation and small gameplay quirks. The July 30 release notes headline “various bug fixes and changes to first-person animations and sounds,” plus corrections to nametag/StatTrak positions and “various fixes for AWP materials.” Minor UI and rare visual issues (e.g., holstered weapons appearing attached to the active gun) were also addressed, alongside small fixes on Inferno and Overpass. 

The animation clean-up follows a substantial July 29 patch in which Valve reworked all first-person animations (deploy, fire, reload, inspect) as part of a transition to the AnimGraph2 system; the same update delivered broader map tweaks (Train/Overpass/Inferno) and movement/damage-prediction adjustments. HLTV called it a “map and animation changes” update, and Valve’s own notes referenced the engine-side animation migration. 

A further August 1 hotfix set tackled smaller gameplay oddities: preventing grenade inspect after priming, restoring viewmodel lag, correcting Molotov particles/timing and incendiary/smoke sounds, and fixing an edge case where bunny-hop penalty kept stacking without jump input. 

About that “Michael Jackson” peek

Clips of the infamous forward-leaning “Smooth Criminal”/“Michael Jackson” peek resurfaced in community chatter around these polish updates, but the exploit itself was fixed in October 2023 within days of appearing. Contemporary coverage from HLTV, PC Gamer, and Dust2 confirmed Valve’s rapid patch at the time. Today’s patches are preventative polish, not a re-fix of that bug. 

Why these changes matter

• Cleaner viewmodels & audio: Reauthored first-person animations and synced sounds reduce visual/audio desyncs that can affect timing-sensitive plays (shoulder peeks, quick-scopes).

• UI legibility: Proper StatTrak/nametag placement avoids clutter during clutches and spectating.

• Weapon readability: AWP material fixes minimize unintended visibility quirks.

• Edge-case gameplay fixes: The Aug 1 patch clears up grenade, bhop-penalty and viewmodel issues that could subtly affect rounds.

Bottom line: After a major animation pass in late July, Valve’s quick follow-ups are keeping CS2’s presentation and feel in lockstep. And for the record, the community’s favorite meme bug is still history—what you’re seeing now is steady polish, not a return of the “MJ peek.”