“This update completely destroyed the spray:” CS2 pros react to latest patch

Leonardo Biazzi Published September 18, 2025

Even though Valve aimed to improve the “subtick shooting consistency” in CS2’s September 16 update, it turns out that the developers made the game worse, according to pros.

Subtick, the CS2 feature that replaced CS:GO’s tickrate, has been criticized by pros in the past two years for its inconsistency when it comes to movement and shooting — two of the game’s pillars.

Now, as CS2’s second anniversary looms, pros seem done waiting for improvements.

XANTARES, NiKo, and ropz comment on the latest CS2 update

For XANTARES, Valve has completely ruined shooting. Credit: Michal Konkol | © BLAST

Several CS2 pros criticized the game the day after Valve rolled out the so-called improvements to subtick, and İsmailсan “XANTARES” Dörtkardeş went as far as to say that the update destroyed the spray, which is a crucial shooting mechanic.

“This update completely destroyed the spray—CS feels broken and ridiculous now,” XANTARES, one of the best CS2 players in the world, wrote on X.

“And the funny thing is, we’ll have to play in the tournament with this new update,” XANTARES added, referring to the playoffs of the $1.25 million FISSURE Playground 2.

If the majority of players attending the FISSURE Playground 2 playoffs deem that the patch has broken CS2, the tournament organizer may use the old patch throughout the remainder of the tournament. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Nikola “NiKo” Kovač also criticized Valve, albeit without providing details.

How can they make game feel even worse every fucking time.

Robin “ropz” Kool, was the most subtle of all three, merely posting a meme showcasing that the world would be in a better place if CS2 players had 128-tick servers like in CS:GO.

Credit: © ropz

What can Valve do?

Now, it’s up to Valve to decide what they do with this feedback. Though the developer has noticeably ignored the pros at times, it’s in their best interest to ensure the game is in a good state, especially with the second anniversary round around the corner on September 27.

One thing that Valve could do is give up on subtick and implement 128-tick servers. The pros feel that CS:GO ran very smoothly, in comparison to CS2. But, for that, Valve would have to admit that they were wrong in the first place.

Either way, it’s unlikely that CS2 will be in a good state in time for the FISSURE Playground 2 playoffs, as they’re set to kick off on September 19.

Feature image credit: Stephanie Lindgren | © BLAST