Premier Season Four has officially kicked off in Counter-Strike 2, and it arrives with a sweeping update that reshapes Anubis, tweaks the submachine gun meta, refreshes community maps, and introduces new cosmetic content through the weekly care package and armory.
The Fourth Season: https://t.co/IsTnd9btyH
— CS2 (@CounterStrike) January 21, 2026
The update, which went live on January 21, marks the start of a new Premier season while delivering gameplay, audio, and engine improvements that will be felt across Competitive, Casual, and Wingman modes.
Premier Season Four Gets Underway
With the new season now live, players can begin grinding toward the Season Four Premier Medal. As with previous seasons, medal colour reflects the highest CS Rating achieved, while progress bars track total Premier wins, one bar per 25 wins up to a maximum of five.
To earn a medal, players must have an account in good standing, secure at least 25 Premier match wins, and maintain an active CS Rating at the end of the season.
Season Four also sees Anubis return to the Active Duty map pool, while Train has been removed.
Anubis Returns With Significant Layout Adjustments
Anubis has rejoined Active Duty after a brief absence, and it has not come back unchanged. Valve has made several notable layout updates aimed at opening new utility options and improving mid-round engagements.
The bridge drop has been moved closer to Mid Doors, while the orientation of the Mid Doors themselves has been reversed. The drop into Canal is now positioned directly in front of the doors, changing timing and visibility in one of the map’s most contested areas.
At Bombsite B, a hole has been added between the E-box and the back of site, allowing players to throw grenades through the opening. Bombsite A has also been adjusted, with crates moved up onto the walkway steps to provide Counter-Terrorists with additional cover. Scaffolding has been added to the A site pillar, further altering post-plant and retake dynamics.
These changes are expected to create new grenade lineups and fresh approaches as teams adapt to the updated version of Anubis.
MP7 And MP5-SD Receive Long-Awaited Buffs
The update also delivers small but meaningful buffs to the MP7 and MP5-SD. Both weapons now deal slightly more damage, have reduced damage fall-off, and cost $100 less, dropping their price to $1,400.
The PP-Bizon has also received a $100 price reduction, making it more accessible in low-economy rounds. Together, these adjustments could shift early-round and force-buy strategies, especially on close-quarters maps.
Jumping Mechanics Updated With Subtick Precision
Movement has seen a technical overhaul, with landing time now calculated using subtick precision. Jumping and landing no longer affect stamina, and the landing speed penalty is now based purely on landing time.
Any jump input within the sv_bhop_time_window centred on landing time will count as a successful bunnyhop, provided it is not blocked by the jump spam penalty. For those who prefer the old feel, legacy jump behaviour can still be enabled on private servers.
Competitive Rank Adjustments And Map Guide Improvements
Competitive matchmaking has received backend changes, with per-map rank values adjusted. Existing per-map Skill Groups have been expired and will reappear once players earn the required number of wins.
Map Guides can now be loaded in online Casual and Retakes matches via the ESC menu, making it easier for players to learn utility and positioning mid-game.
Community Maps Refresh Across Modes
Several community maps have rotated out, including Golden, Palacio, Agency, and Rooftop. In their place, Warden, Stronghold, and Alpine have been added to Competitive, Casual, and Deathmatch modes.
Wingman players gain access to Poseidon and Sanctum, two visually distinctive maps that bring new layouts and pacing to the two-versus-two format.
Weekly Care Package Adds Two New Skin Collections
Two brand-new weapon collections have been added to the weekly care package drop pool. The Harlequin collection features bold, colourful designs, while Achroma offers a clean palette of white and grey skins.
At the same time, four older collections have been removed from the drop list, including Safehouse, Dust 2, the 2018 Nuke Collection, and the 2018 Inferno Collection.
AK-47 Aphrodite Joins The Armory
The Armory has also received a new Limited Edition item, the AK-47 | Aphrodite. Featuring mother-of-pearl accents and an amber patina, the skin varies by wear and pattern, making each drop visually unique.
Audio, Visual, And Engine Improvements
Audio latency has been reduced, knife draw and inspect sounds now offer higher fidelity, and overlapping weapon and utility sounds have been cleaned up. Knife impact sounds are now unique depending on attack type and direction, accurately reflecting damage differences.
Ambient sounds no longer restart when transitioning between zones, and visual fidelity has been increased across a wide range of base weapons, including the AK-47, AWP, Deagle, MP7, USP-S, and more.
The update also fixes a range of bugs, from deathcam issues to missing blood decals, and improves Source 2 engine stability with an engine code update to the latest version.
What This Means Going Forward
With Premier Season Four now underway, these changes arrive at a crucial time as teams prepare for upcoming events such as the closed qualifiers for IEM Rio 2026. Players will get their first look at how the revised Anubis plays at the highest level, while the MP7 and MP5-SD buffs could quietly reshape the submachine gun meta.
Valve has also continued to tease the potential return of Cache, responding to Natus Vincere with a brief but telling message that the map is still “cooking”.
It’s cooking.
— CS2 (@CounterStrike) January 21, 2026
For now, Season Four is live, Anubis is back, and Counter-Strike 2’s competitive landscape has once again shifted.