Valve ships CS2 performance pass: rendering boosts, fps_max locked in-server, and a string of polish fixes

August 15, 2025 — Valve has deployed a broader Counter-Strike 2 patch focused on engine and UI smoothness rather than meta changes. Headliners include “rendering performance improvements across most maps”, the ability to change resolution/aspect ratio in fullscreen-windowed, and a rules change that prevents altering fps_max while connected to a server. 

On the gameplay/UX side, Valve addressed edge cases around re-deploy timing (weapons firing sooner than intended after a re-deploy) and continued tidying up first-person presentation after the late-July animation overhaul. The July 30 notes specifically list bug fixes to first-person animations and sounds, corrected nametag/StatTrak positions, AWP material fixes, and a speculative fix for a rare holstered-weapon attachment glitch. 

A follow-up August 1 hotfix tackled several feel issues: you can no longer inspect a grenade after priming, viewmodel lag works correctly again, Molotov/incendiary/smoke audio-visual events were realigned, and a bug that caused bhop penalty to keep stacking without jump input was fixed. 

Community and press trackers echo the performance theme, highlighting the rendering optimizations and the in-server fps_max lock as the most consequential quality-of-life shifts for everyday play and event servers alike. 

Context: long-standing “MJ peek” remains history

As chatter resurfaced old clips, it’s worth noting the infamous “Michael Jackson/Smooth Criminal” peek — a short-lived animation exploit from 2023 — was patched in October 2023 and hasn’t reappeared in recent updates. 

What it means: This is a pipeline/feel update: better frames and cleaner first-person states, minor guardrails on client commands (fps_max) during matches, and fixes that remove small inconsistencies players notice every round. Expect negligible balance impact — but smoother play and fewer animation/UI oddities on live servers.