Esports tournament organiser ESL has announced that all future matches of the ESL Pro Tour will use the latest Counter-Strike 2 patch released on January 21st, 2026.
Starting with the remaining matches of the IEM Rio 2026 Global Qualifier, all future online and LAN tournaments forming part of the CS2 circuit will feature an updated version of Anubis.
Announced on January 22nd, the change will see teams competing on the new Anubis layout in addition to adjusted jumping mechanics and more powerful versions of the MP7 and the MP5-SD submachine guns.
The update to Valve’s first-person shooter title arrived following the opening day of the qualifier for IEM Rio, which saw Fnatic and BC.Game eliminated in the opening round. Of the 16 teams competing, two will earn a place at the main event taking place in April.
Alongside impacting online tournaments, the change also influences Tier 1 tournaments hosted by the organiser. The first to be impacted is IEM Kraków, taking placefrom January 28th to February 8th.
ESL is the first high-profile tournament organiser to use the update in official tournaments. Fellow tournament organiser BLAST has revealed it will use the beta of the previous update during the second week of its BLAST Bounty tournament, meaning the new version of Anubis won’t feature.
ESL Pro Tour In 2026
The ESL Pro Tour remains one of Counter-Strike’s longest-standing tournament circuits. The 2026 season begins with IEM Kraków, which features the world’s top 24 teams competing for a $1m (~£744,463) prize pool.
This year’s season includes Season 23 and 24 of ESL Pro League, along with additional IEM events taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Atlanta, China, and Cologne. The Cologne event will play host to the 24th Major event in June.
ESL’s packed tournament calendar reaffirms its place as one of Counter-Strike’s biggest organisers. With it moving to the new patch at the earliest possible opportunity, it will be interesting to see how teams and players react in a short time frame.
