CS:GO's next Paris Major will be its last

CS:GO Eleague Major Atlanta 2017 trophy
(Image credit: Kevin C. Cox (Getty Images))

The announcement of Counter-Strike 2 earlier this week marked the beginning of a whole new era for what is perhaps the most storied shooter in videogame history. It will also mark the end of an era, as Valve announced today that the upcoming Paris Major 2023 will be the last Major Championship event ever played on that version of the game.

The Majors are mostly-annual CS:GO championship events, held in locales around the world and with big money prizes up for grabs. The previous championship event, the Rio Major 2022, had a $1.25 million prize pool, and the Paris Major will offer the same. Like the game itself, the Majors remain massively popular despite its age: It's been running since 2013 and still sells out major arenas, and is broadcast around the world in multiple languages.

But having finally decided that it's time to move on from CS:GO, Valve is wasting no time in moving things along. "The Paris Major will be the final CS:GO Major," it tweeted today. "The following Major will be in March 2024 and the first in Counter-Strike 2."

That's a full year from now, which by rights should be enough time to squash bugs and sand down the rough edges of the incoming sequel. And if not, well, that can be fun too, at least from the perspective of a spectator who has nothing invested and isn't competing for a big truckload of money.

Counter-Strike 2 is only in closed beta at this point, and Valve is being pretty selective about who gets in. But even at this early stage, there's an expectation that it will not just carry on CS:GO's legacy, but surpass it: As streamer Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek advised when CS2 was announced, "Quit Valorant, it's done. It's fucking over." It's probably not quite over for Valorant and its millions of players, but Counter-Strike 2 is sure to have a major impact on the competitive shooter scene.

The Paris Major 2023—the last CS:GO Major ever—takes place at the Accor Arena from May 8 and runs to May 21.

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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