Valve has dropped a new Counter-Strike 2 update. Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know about the StarLadder Budapest 2025 Major Hub, the brand-new Sticker Slab item, and several fixes that refine the CS2 experience.
The StarLadder Budapest Major Hub Is Live
As for every major, you can buy a Viewer Pass to get access to an upgradable Budapest 2025 Coin. With an active pass, you can upgrade your coin by completing Pick’Em Challenges and earn extra souvenir packages along the way.
Plus, your name will appear on the Active Pass Leaderboard, allowing you to compare your Pick’Em performance with your friends.
Valve introduces the “Sticker Slab”
The most exciting part of the update is probably the Sticker Slab. This charm costs 0,45€ and lets you seal any sticker and attach it to your weapon. If you ever want the sticker back, you can crack open the slab to return the sealed sticker to your inventory. After you cracked it the slab will be discarded. It’s a neat addition for collectors and those who like to customize their loadout without permanently committing a sticker.
Additionally, you can no longer trade or sell newly purchased Name Tags and StatTrak™ Swap Tools on the Steam Community Market.
Miscellaneous Updates
The update also brings several visual and quality-of-life improvements. Bullet decals now stay visible from greater distances, making battle damage easier to see during and after fights. Glove models and animations in the inventory and user interface have been upgraded to use Animgraph2, creating a smoother and more consistent look that matches the in-game first-person view.
In addition, the pulsing light on the C4 view model is now active, adding a subtle but satisfying visual detail. Valve has also refreshed the color schemes for items in the Steam Community Market and Web Inventory, so item quality tiers are now easier to recognize at a glance. Finally, the update includes a round of performance optimizations to make the game run even more smoothly overall.
