Latest news with #Counter-Strike2
Hindustan Times
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Top 5 popular free multiplayer shooter games you can play in 2025
Multiplayer shooter games remain a major part of PC gaming in 2025. These games offer various experiences, from fast-paced combat to strategic teamwork, without requiring players to pay real money. Whether competing in team battles or cooperating with friends, real player interactions make these games engaging. Check out these top free multiplayer shooter games in India like Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, Marvel Rivals and more today.(Pexels) Here's a list of the five best free-to-play shooters that are shaping the gaming landscape today. Each title brings different gameplay styles, ranging from tactical gunfights to hero-based battles and cooperative modes. Let's have a look. Delta Force The Delta Force series has made a comeback as a free-to-play game focused on large-scale player-versus-player battles. Matches support up to 64 players. Beyond its well-known single-player campaigns, the multiplayer modes have drawn attention, especially the 'Escape from Tarkov'-style mode, where players collect valuable items called Mandelbricks and try to escape. Developer Team Jade has applied lessons from current shooters to balance weapons, operators, and loadouts. They emphasise that Delta Force will avoid pay-to-win mechanics. Also read: Gaming mouse maker infected users with malware for weeks, then quietly replaced files without warning Valorant Valorant offers a 5v5 hero shooter experience that mixes tactical shooting with character abilities. The game combines classic gunplay with team coordination through unique agents, making it popular in both casual and competitive play. Also read: Mafia: The Old Country releasing on 8 August, 2025: Here's everything you need to know Marvel Rivals Launched in late 2024, Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 third-person shooter featuring Marvel characters. All heroes are available at launch, and the game supports cross-platform play. Its maps include destructible environments, allowing players to alter the battlefield during matches. Regular updates and a free hero roster have helped grow its player base to over 40 million. Counter-Strike 2 Valve updated Counter-Strike with a new engine, Source 2, and enhanced network performance. This free game offers precise shooting mechanics and deep competitive gameplay, maintaining its place as a top tactical shooter. Also read: Apple Arcade to add UNO: Arcade edition, What the Car? and more in June game lineup Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Treyarch leads Black Ops 6, bringing two multiplayer modes: traditional fast-paced combat and the Zombies mode. The multiplayer includes new movement mechanics and varied maps. Zombies mode returns to a round-based format with added customisation options like Zombie Augments, ammo mods, and field upgrades, which help increase the challenge for players.
Mint
21-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Small-cap stock under ₹50 hits upper circuit for 24 days in a row; rises 536% in one year
Small-cap company Colab Platforms has experienced a bullish trend for 24 consecutive days, hitting a 2% upper circuit in a volatile market. Colab Cloud is a technology-oriented firm operating in the field of Information Technology and associated services. It engages in the operations of computer hardware and software processing, as well as trading in stocks and securities. Colab Platforms share price today opened at ₹ 47.58 apiece on the BSE. The stock has provided year-to-date returns of 207.96%, and in the last year, it has increased by 536.10%, while over the past month, the stock has risen by 60.15%. Last month, the stock made headlines as Colab Platforms announced its entry into the rapidly expanding esports sector, according to company's filing. This new initiative aims to create a competitive gaming ecosystem tailored for both casual and professional gamers, stated Puneet Singh, Managing Director of Colab Platforms. The company is developing a player-centered competitive gaming platform aimed at India's digital-first generation, he explained. The platform will include low-barrier, high-frequency competitive formats, tournaments led by creators, and proprietary game servers—starting with Counter-Strike 2 and later diversifying into AAA and mobile games, he mentioned. Esports has swiftly transformed from an obscure subculture to a billion-dollar global industry. In 2024, the global esports market exceeded USD 1.7 billion, with projections indicating it will surpass USD 6 billion by 2030, Singh noted. Further, the company launched a ₹ 250 million Accelerator Program to drive sports-tech innovation in India. According to Trendlyne data, Colab Platforms has experienced two stock splits and has issued bonus shares once since it was listed on the BSE. The most recent announcement regarding a stock split for Colab Platforms occurred on May 21, 2025, with a ratio of 2:1, while the last announcement for bonus shares was made on March 19, 2024, at a ratio of 1:1. As of May 29, 2025, for Q4 FY24-25, Colab Platforms reported revenue of ₹ 20.49 crore, a net profit of ₹ 0.95 crore, and an EBITD of ₹ 1.25 crore. Colab Platforms declared an interim dividend of 0.5%, amounting to ₹ 0.01, on April 24, 2025.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Who is dima_wallhacks? CS2 streamer gets hit by Valve Anti-Cheat mid-Twitch stream; match canceled live
(Image via @dima_wallhacks) The Counter-Strike 2 world got its latest viral moment when Twitch streamer dima_wallhacks was flagged by Valve's Anti-Cheat (VAC) system, live during a match. Viewers tuned in expecting another long grind to the top rank. What they got instead? A live ban alert, a confused streamer, and a whole lot of internet chatter. Valve drops the banhammer mid-match as dima celebrates round win On the evening of July 20, 2025, CS2 content creator dima_wallhacks was deep into a Twitch broadcast, chasing a rank-up as usual with a squad of teammates. The match was flowing smoothly. His team had just snagged a round win. The vibes? Immaculate. But just seconds later, everything froze, and a full-screen pop-up appeared: 'VAC has detected irregular gameplay and has canceled the match. The player who was flagged by VAC and their party have received a cooldown.' It wasn't just dramatic. It was visible to every single person watching live. Was it dima or the teammate? Twitch chat explodes in confusion Immediately, chat went wild. Viewers clipped the moment, and X lit up. Dima himself seemed stunned. On stream, you could hear him reacting in real time: 'You got VAC live?! Nah, bro… Cheap a** hacks, or what?! He got flagged for that ?!' Though dima_wallhacks wasn't the one cheating, the VAC system reportedly flagged one of his teammates. Because they were in a party queue, the entire squad was hit with a 24-hour cooldown from competitive matchmaking. Who is dima_wallhacks, and why is this such a big deal? If you're new to the scene: dima_wallhacks is a known name in the CS2 streaming community, formerly grinding Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and now fully pivoted to Valve's newest iteration. His streams often run marathon-style, six hours or more, where he tackles rank challenges, solo queues, and community dares. dima_wallhacks got a VAC Live on his first Premier game today because one of his teammates were chea His broadcasts are filled with chaotic energy, high kill counts, and a fair bit of tilt. So when VAC interrupted his climb live, the irony wasn't lost on anyone, especially with a name like dima_wallhacks. VAC'd on stream: How the internet reacted By the next morning, 'VAC Live' was trending in CS2 circles. Dima's clip was posted with captions like 'caught 4K,' 'name checks out,' and 'cheaters never prosper, unless they stream.' Some defended the streamer, saying he's just guilty by association, while others argued that streamers need to vet their squads more carefully. As for Dima? He promised he'd be 'back tomorrow' after the cooldown ends, hopefully with less irregular gameplay this time. What's next? For now, dima_wallhacks will have to sit out a day from CS2 matchmaking, or at least competitive mode. Whether he'll use the time to meme it up or investigate which of his teammates tripped the VAC wire remains to be seen. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Business Insider
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
Ukraine pulls out of World Esports Championships after Belarus gets green light
The European Esports Championship 2025 will be held in Pristina, Kosovo, from July 9 to July 13. Ukraine will boycott the 2025 World Esports Championships in Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (women's), and PUBG Mobile due to Belarus' participation. The Ukrainian Counter-Strike 2 team will compete, as Belarus did not qualify for this discipline. Ukraine will walk away from three big competitions at the World Esports Championships 2025 following Belarus' approval to compete. The Ukrainian Esports Federation said no to Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang women's matches, and PUBG Mobile tournaments. The International Esports Federation permitted Belarus to compete with its national flag. Ukrainian officials didn't like this decision one bit. They said they felt bad about pulling out but had to stick to their beliefs about what's right and wrong in sports. Ukraine only pulled out, while Belarus made it through the qualifications. Their Counter-Strike 2 squad gets to play because Belarus didn't qualify for that game. This shows Ukraine picked its battles carefully instead of walking away from everything. Ukraine's Team Still Competes in One Game The Ukrainian organization TNL will send its Counter-Strike 2 players to represent the country. These players won every single qualifier they entered, which puts Ukraine in a strong spot for at least one championship. This mess shows how hard it gets when politics meets competitive gaming. International gaming groups have to figure out how to keep things fair while dealing with real-world conflicts. Belarus let Russian troops use its territory for military operations. This fact shapes how Ukraine thinks about competing alongside Belarus teams. Ukrainian sports groups have said no to events that include countries backing military moves against Ukraine. Ukraine has done this before in other sports. Judo athletes from Ukraine skipped their world championships when Belarus got permission to compete under their flag starting in June 2025. The International Judo Federation caught heat for letting this happen. Ukrainian sports bosses follow the rules from their Ministry of Youth and Sports. These rules say Ukrainian athletes can't compete when enemy nations show up with their flags. This applies to all sports, not just video games. The European Esports Championship will be held in Pristina from the 9th to the 13th of July. About 180 players will compete in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and other popular games. This tournament decides who gets spots at the world championship. Kosovo's government and their Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports are backing the event in their capital city. National teams will fight for qualification spots and bragging rights in their region. Professional gaming keeps getting bigger worldwide. The International Esports Federation works with more than 140 national groups. They want governments to recognize esports the same way they do traditional sports. This situation puts international gaming organizations in a tough spot. They need to balance keeping competitions open to everyone while dealing with pressure from countries that have political problems with each other. Ukraine's choice shows how world events affect who shows up to compete in video game tournaments.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Time of India
Faster than light? Japan breaks internet speed record — download all of Netflix in just 1 second
Japan has just pulled off something out of a sci-fi movie. The fastest internet speed in the world is 1.02 petabits per second , which researchers in Japan have reached. That's fast enough to download whole libraries of music, movies, and games in no time at all. This breakthrough, which uses existing fiber optic technology , could change how people share data around the world, how they use cloud computing, and how they use artificial intelligence. You can stream millions of 8K videos at once and download every game on Steam in a split second. That is the speed of the fastest internet in the world , located in Japan, as per a report by Business Today. Japan demonstrated the future last month. Imagine being able to download all of Netflix's content faster than it takes to launch the app, and it's going to translate into a reality. ALSO READ: Desperate for a Nobel Peace Prize? Donald Trump's dream faces these brutal committee rules Live Events By sending data at an astounding 1.02 petabits per second in June 2025, researchers at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) subtly broke the world record for internet speed. 1,020,000 gigabits per second, that is. How did Japan achieve it? It was more than a lab trick. NICT transmitted data using standard-sized fiber optic cables, the same type that is used globally, but with four cores and more than 50 distinct light wavelengths. Even more amazing is the fact that they were able to sustain this crazy speed for 51.7 kilometers, which makes it practical for infrastructure in the real world. What can this speed actually do? This type of internet speed could enable instantaneous global AI processing, connecting data centers across continents as if they were on the same local network, given the demands of cloud computing, generative AI, autonomous vehicles, and real-time translation tools, which all require massive data throughput, as quoted in a report by Business Today. You can download all of the games available on Steam in just a moment. You could theoretically download every game ever made, from Counter-Strike 2 to Baldur's Gate 3, in less than 10 seconds with Japan's new internet speed. Ten million 8K ultra-HD videos could be streamed at once at that speed. This would equate to offering a free, high-quality movie stream to every individual in Tokyo and New York City. This also implies that you could download 1,27,500 years of music in a second, and backup all of Wikipedia's content 10,000 times in a second. Will home users get this speed soon? Unfortunately, not anytime soon. Terabit speeds have not yet been attained by consumer internet. However, governments, data center operators, and telecom behemoths are taking notice. Japan's recent success could serve as a model for 6G networks, national broadband backbones, and the next generation of underwater cables. FAQs How fast is 1.02 petabits per second? It's fast enough to download every game on Steam or stream 10 million 8K videos simultaneously. Can we have this type of internet at home? Not yet. This speed is years away for consumers, but it may soon power undersea cables and national networks. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
