Valve has released a small but resonant update for Counter-Strike 2 that immediately sparked a storm of reactions from players. Alongside cosmetic additions tied to the Austin Major 2025, one new feature captured everyone’s attention: built-in voice chat in the lobby and during the map pick/ban phase in Premier mode. The update instantly became a source of memes, nostalgia, and even concerns about toxicity.
What’s in the update?
According to the official patch notes, Valve introduced the following changes:
[AUSTIN 2025 MAJOR]
- The Champions Autographs Capsule is now available for purchase, featuring autographs of Team Vitality players — the winners of the Major.
- Highlight Souvenir Packages can now be acquired for the playoff matches.
[MISC]
- Added lobby voice chat and voice chat during Premier Pick/Ban phase.
- Fixed command flow issues with point_servercommand entities.
- Fixed community maps not reloading correctly with the restart command.
- Buy binds are now disabled during the halftime freeze phase.
- Fixed scoreboard column text formatting for Japanese.
Although the list of changes is short, it was the map pick voice chat that sparked the loudest discussion in the community.
Community reaction: “It’s 2015 again”
Players on Reddit, Twitter, and Discord instantly began sharing their experiences — both recent and nostalgic from the CS:GO era, when cross-team voice chat in the lobby was common.
Most reactions were sarcastic or nostalgic. One of the top Reddit comments simply screamed:
WHY YOU BANNING MIRAGE BLYAT
Others joked about the usual chaos in such chats: screaming children, endless “REEEEEEEs,” and highly inappropriate language. But it wasn’t all jokes — some criticism quickly followed.
- Players recalled that in old-school CS:GO, open voice chat often turned into a toxic environment, with frequent racial slurs and abuse.
- One user even wrote: “I loved people yelling the N-word for the entire pregame and halftime” — while clearly sarcastic, the comment highlights the potential dangers of this system.
At the same time, many users came to the feature’s defense, with comments like:
- “There was real power in this — when you were losing a half and someone trashed you, it fueled your comeback.”
- “Bringing back voice-chaos is legendary. Just give an opt-out for casuals and it’s perfect.”
Risks and the future of the feature
Valve hasn’t clarified whether voice chat will remain exclusive to the Pick/Ban phase or if it will expand to other stages like halftime or post-match. Clearly, this feature has potential both for fun and for abuse. For now, the feature is active only in Premier mode, but the lack of filters or voice restrictions has already raised concern among many players.
Valve has taken a small step that stirred a wave of nostalgia, memes, and unease. Voice chat during map picks is a return to CS:GO’s “golden era” — but in the context of 2025, where toxicity, hate speech, and bullying culture trigger far more serious responses than they did a decade ago.
