CS2 November 2026 Updates: Retakes Changes, Silent Reload Toggle and Fixes

Counter-Strike 2 shipped three updates between October 28 and November 11, 2026, and the headline is a faster Retakes mode. If you queue Retakes to warm up, the pace just changed, and there is a new option for silent reloads.

• November 11: animation, Retakes bot pathing, DX11 rendering hang and stability fixes

• November 5: Retakes defuse and freeze time changes, pet chicken tricks

• October 28: Silent Reload Mode Hold or Toggle option, AMD black liquid fix

Retakes changes (November 5)

Bomb defusal in Retakes now finishes instantly when there is enough time left in the round and no active utility remains to stop the defuse. Freeze time and the round restart delay are also reduced. That means rounds are quicker, so clear utility first instead of tapping the kit on a clock.

Valve also fixed a bot pathing issue in Retakes on November 11.

Silent Reload Mode (October 28)

You can now switch Silent Reload Mode between Hold and Toggle. With Toggle, once the silent reload starts you can release the reload button. Tapping reload again cancels it and goes back to a fast reload. Valve also fixed cases where the first sound of a reload was audible even when a silent reload was requested.

Pet chickens and small fixes

Pinging a pet chicken during freeze time asks it for a trick, and chicken names no longer show when the customized item text option is hidden. The November 11 update fixed popping when switching weapons and reloading at extreme angles, a rendering hang on DX11, and improved AVX and AVX512 instruction set detection. The October 28 update fixed liquid rendering black on AMD video cards.

Map scripting

The November 5 notes also move and rename several map scripting methods, for example Instance.ConnectOutput moved to Entities, and the old locations still work but are deprecated. This matters mostly for map makers.

What to do with this

Use Retakes as a quick aim and utility warm up. When you want real rank progress, a coach helps. See CS2 coaching and CS2 rank boosting. If you own skins, our CS2 item value calculator shows what they could fetch. Read our guide to how much your CS2 skins are worth before you sell, and see how much a CS2 account is worth.

FAQ

What changed in CS2 Retakes?

Defusal can finish instantly when time remains and no utility is active, and freeze time and restart delay are shorter.

How do I use the silent reload toggle?

Set Silent Reload Mode to Toggle. Once the reload starts, release the key, and tap reload again to cancel.

Did Valve fix the AMD black liquid bug?

Yes, in the October 28 update.

Do pet chickens do tricks now?

Pinging a pet chicken during freeze time requests a trick.

Where are the official notes?

On the Counter-Strike updates page.