Valve has surprised the Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) community with a pre-release Beta Depots update (version 1.41.1.3-rc1), now available for testing. In the update, there’s a change that could significantly impact how players handle bomb defuses, especially in clutch situations.

The update is still in a pre-release stage, and the changes/fixes within are being tested by the developer. There’s a chance that the change, where the viewmodel weapon is now slightly lowered while defusing the bomb, might never go live in CS2. If Valve decides to push the update to the live version, there are some gameplay ramifications to get used to.

Impact Of The CS2 Bomb Defusal Changes

In the test version, defusing the bomb will now prevent you from scoping in, cycling your scope, or having your weapon up in a firing position. The viewmodel lowers your gun when you tap on the bomb, resulting in a 150ms delay before you can shoot.

The pre-release build (1.41.1.3-rc1) patch notes read:

“Defusing C4 will now lower the viewmodel weapon, prevent scoping, and delay firing the weapon by 150ms after exiting the defuse.”

In practice, the changes could significantly impact defusal plays, where a player taps the bomb to “fake” a defuse to bait out an enemy. Further, AWPers left in a clutch situation won’t be able to use the scope sound while defusing to bewilder enemies.

The 150ms change might not seem significant to some, but seeing it in practice makes it clear that it is substantial.

Jacky “Jacky” Powers showed the difference between the pre-release build and the live version.

Quick overview of the C4 defuse changes 👇 pic.twitter.com/fUk8COdnRb

— Jacky (@Jackyesports) October 14, 2025

The pre-release build also includes UI and map scripting fixes/changes, as well as possible performance improvements, thanks to a reworked bullet penetration simulation to reduce CPU usage. The CS2 engine code is also updated to the latest version of Source 2.

How To Join CS2 Beta Depots

If you want to check out the changes for yourself, you can opt into the CS2 Beta Depots with ease.

Here’s what to do:

1. Launch Steam and update if necessary.
2. Navigate to your Steam Library.
3. Right-click on Counter-Strike 2 and select Properties.
4. Select the Betas tab.
5. Under Beta Participation, select the specific update you would like to opt into.
6. Launch CS2 to play the game with the beta changes.

To opt out of CS2 Beta Depots and return to the live version, follow the same process but select “None” in the drop-down menu under the Betas tab.

The build in question is “1.41.1.3-rc1,” where you can test the bomb defusing gameplay changes. It is not compatible with live matchmaking. At the time of writing, there’s no indication precisely when the update will be released for the live version of CS2, if at all.