Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is once again marred with turmoil as a new and potentially game-altering bug takes center stage at the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023: European RMR Open Qualifiers. Following the recent upheaval surrounding exploited team-switch menus, the invisible player bug emerges as the latest addition to the array of technical issues that continue to haunt both matchmaking and tournaments within the CS2 landscape.

On the 14th of January, Kory “SEMPHIS” Friesen, a former CS:GO pro now serving as the coach for North American powerhouse Nouns Esports, brought attention to a specific bug on Nuke that cost his team a crucial round in the Major RMR qualifiers. Through a screenshot shared on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), SEMPHIS revealed a perplexing scenario—his teammate positioned in CT Hell, eyes fixed towards the outer T red box, yet no opponent manifested. Despite the T-side player's actual presence, the rendering bug in CS2 opted not to display them at all, leaving the CT oblivious to the looming threat.

Taking the spotlight on January 14, a community member showcased the bug in action, providing evidence of its replicability. The enigma deepens as the cause of the bug remains shrouded in mystery, though a video by dataminer ThourCS2 on Twitter hints at a potential connection to anomalies in AWP zoom perception. Notably, the video unveiling the bug surfaced in November 2023—almost three months prior to the qualifiers—and Valve is yet to offer a resolution.

The ongoing Major RMR qualifiers have encountered a slew of challenges, primarily in the realms of technical glitches and allegations of cheating. In a recent incident, a team faced accusations of cheating by exploiting a team-switch menu screen, unintentionally divulging crucial information capable of altering the course of a round or an entire match.

Coupled with the persistent challenges that CS2 faces as Valve diligently works to rectify the game's myriad bugs and glitches, the future appears uncertain for the preeminent FPS. The community fervently hopes that Valve takes swift action to quell these issues, preventing their ominous shadow from looming over the upcoming RMRs—or worse, the Major itself.