Summary
A highly ambitiousCounter-Strike: Global Offensivemod aiming to bring back the “classic feeling” ofCounter-Strike 1.6has hit a major roadblock. After spending nearly eight years in limbo, the Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive mod forCS:GOseems to have been blocked by Valve, leaving both its developers and fans disappointed.
AlthoughCS:GO(nowCS2) is widely regarded as one of the best multiplayer first-person shooters on PC, many of its fans yearn for the series' early days, which inadvertently gave rise to the team behind the Counter-Strike: Classic Offensive mod. Having commenced development in 2016, Classic Offensive seeks to recreate the nostalgic feel of Counter-Strike 1.6, complete with classic weapons, physics, audio effects, etc., all within the modern rendition of Valve’s Source engine used forCS:GO. The project has existed on ModDB for several years, with regular progress updates and support from theCS:GOmodding community. Classic Offensive even made it throughValve’s Steam Greenlight programin 2017.
Unfortunately, progress onClassic Offensive’s Steam release has reached a complete standstill. To explain the situation, the team behind theCS:GOmodrecently posted a statement on Twitter, revealing that despite years of effort and compliance with Valve’s legal guidelines over the usage of theCounter-StrikeIP, Classic Offensive never saw the light of day on Steam. Moreover, the team’s communication with Valve apparently ceased in late 2020, and the situation escalated when Classic Offensive was submitted for a build review on July 05, 2025. After weeks of silence, the team received an automated message from Valve declaring that the Steamworks app for Classic Offensive had been retired without explanation.
Valve Reportedly Rejects Classic Offensive Mod for CS:GO in Final Stages of Steam Approval
The lack of feedback was described as a “worse form of a Cease and Desist,” and the Classic Offensive team stands frustrated over the sudden halt. Adding to their grievances, theCS:GOmod’s developers shared that many Valve employees were aware of the project but provided no indication that their work would ultimately face rejection. Keeping this in mind, the Classic Offensive team felt “required” to inform anymodding teams working on Valve-related projectsto reconsider their release strategies should they plan to rely solely on Steam as their primary distribution platform.
Thankfully, all hope is not lost for Classic Offensive, as the team behind it will try to get back in touch with Valve and “even companies related toCounter-Strike” to get some positive traction for theCS:GOmod. Valve’s apparent reluctance to support Classic Offensive is odd, considering it has alwayswelcomed fan-made projects based onHalf-Life,Portal, and many of the company’s other IPs. One can only hope Valve and the Classic Offensive team can soon resolve their differences, and the nostalgicCS:GOmod eventually sees a proper Steam release.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
WHERE TO PLAY
For over two decades, Counter-Strike has offered an elite competitive experience, one shaped by millions of players from across the globe. And now the next chapter in the CS story is about to begin. This is Counter-Strike 2.A free upgrade to CS:GO, Counter-Strike 2 marks the largest technical leap in Counter-Strike’s history. Built on the Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike 2 is modernized with realistic physically-based rendering, state of the art networking, and upgraded Community Workshop tools.
