Source code for a March 2019 build of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has supposedly leaked online. Valve has yet to comment on the files to confirm their legitimacy, but assuming they’re legitimate, it’s the latest build of Counter-Strike ever to be leaked online. A previous leak in 2020 provided a limited engine depot of a 2017 version shared to third-party developers and partners.

It has been nearly three years since Counter-Strike 2 was released to directly replace CS:GO and usher in a new era of the popular tactical FPS title. The introduction of CS2 upgraded the game to Valve’s latest Source 2 version, while CS:GO operated on Source. However, CS:GO is still available to download on the Steam store, despite being unlisted, now relying on community servers.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive source code leaked online

The origin of this leak has not been confirmed, though the initial reaction is that it “Looks legit”. The files are currently available to download on archive.org. It didn’t take long for Valve to confirm the 2020 leak as real, so we’re waiting for a similar response this time around. The 2020 leak also included Team Fortress 2 code, but we’re just seeing CS:GO this time around.

The new leaked March 2019 build also reportedly contains Danger Zone – the battle royale game mode which is no longer present in Counter-Strike 2 as an official mode. The prior 2017 version leak was from a time when the mode was incomplete; it was internally referred to as ‘survival’ and released to the public as Danger Zone in December 2018.

It’s worth pointing out that Global Offensive still has a decent player base (per SteamDB) via community servers, after the game was made available again on Steam earlier this year. At the time of writing, there are around 5,000 daily players, which is actually more than Counter-Strike: Source gets these days, assuming numbers aren’t being inflated by bot accounts.

We’ll have to wait and see if modders can actually do anything with the leaked code, though news of a leak may trigger fears of potential exploits, cheating, or other malicious activity.

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Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.