Our bold CS2 predictions for 2026

With all of 2026 ahead of us, we’re entering the third full year of CS2’s lifespan. It’s set to be a big year for the game, both with expected in-game updates and in the competitive scene. I thought it would be fun to make some CS2 predictions for 2026, to try to gauge where the game and its esports scene will be in 12 months’ time. I’ll return to these predictions this time next year to see how I fared!

s1mple will retire in 2026

I’m starting out bold here. It appears that BC.Game are attempting to put together a roster worthy of the CS:GOAT’s talents for 2026, but at the tail end of 2025, s1mple seemed more interested in Dota 2 than Counter-Strike 2.

It’s clear that he has never quite been enamored with CS2 as he was CS:GO, and he’s shown that he still has the ability to compete on BC.Game and his short stint on FaZe prior. But right now, s1mple has nothing left to prove to anyone.

Personally, if BC.Game don’t hit the ground running in a big way, I wouldn’t be surprised to see s1mple step away from Counter-Strike again in 2026. This time, for good.

Cobblestone will return

My next CS2 prediction for 2026 is that Cobblestone will come back, albeit with a significant rework. At this point, it’s no secret that we’re getting Cache in 2026, so putting that here doesn’t quite feel like a bold prediction. But Cobblestone? That feels unlikely, but I’ve got a feeling.

This feeling stems from the fact that CS2 leaks have suggested that a snowy variant of Cobblestone has been in the works for a while now. I think we’ll see it released in the latter half of the year, at long last.

However, I don’t think it’ll be the Cobblestone we know and love from CS:GO. The map’s layout simply didn’t work for the modern meta, and wouldn’t be much better now. I reckon it’ll arrive with significant layout changes, with the only real similarity being that it’s set in a castle and is called Cobblestone.

Spirit will go trophyless

Throughout 2025, Spirit picked up an IEM Cologne win, as well as PGL Astana and two BLAST Bounty titles. Not bad, but certainly not where they should be given the talent at their disposal. In donk, they have a true superstar, but it feels as though his achievements have been hampered by the struggles of his teammates.

By bringing back magixx and zont1x for zweih and chopper, it feels as though Spirit are better on paper. But they’re taking a big risk in giving magixx his first stint as IGL, and it could backfire considerably.

My hot take is that Spirit could go trophyless throughout 2026. All it would take is the firepower of donk to falter in key moments, and they’d be looking at an empty slate this year.

Valve will phase out new CS2 cases completely

Earlier this year, Valve released Sealed Terminals in CS2, a new way for players to open skins in-game by purchasing them directly from the developer. It placed an entire skin collection in these Sealed Terminals, leading many to think that Valve is phasing out cases for good.

Pressure from certain countries’ gambling laws makes me think this speculation could be true. Lootboxes are becoming more and more regulated, and CS2 is no doubt a massive participant in that.

Of all my CS2 predictions, this one feels the most likely in 2026. I reckon we’ll see zero new CS2 cases this year, and two new Sealed Terminals. Valve won’t announce it officially, but if we see no new cases in 2026, it’ll become clear what’s actually happening here.