Counter-Strike 2, a free-to-play shooter, topped the Steam sales ranking in Japan as of July 2026 and recently received a Season 5 update that changed a 25-year-old explosion mechanic.
Counter-Strike 2 reclaimed the top spot on the Steam sales ranking for Japan as of July 6, 2026, according to ASCII.jp's weekly chart. The free-to-play shooter beat out Apex Legends and Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond to take first place. The game's ongoing popularity set the stage for a notable gameplay change in its Season 5 update.
Valve's Season 5 update altered the C4 explosion mechanic that has been part of the series for over 25 years. The blast no longer penetrates walls; instead, it attenuates around corners, allowing players to survive by hiding behind obstacles at a distance. The health bar now shows remaining health after an explosion. The change follows a March update that modified reloading to discard magazines.
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Valve's Season 5 update for Counter-Strike 2 alters the C4 explosion mechanic that has been in the series for over 25 years. The blast no longer penetrates walls; instead, it attenuates around corners, allowing players to survive by hiding behind obstacles at a distance. The health bar now shows remaining health after an explosion. The change follows a March update that modified reloading to discard magazines.
Valve's Counter-Strike 2 reclaimed the top spot on the Steam sales ranking for Japan as of July 6, 2026, according to ASCII.jp's weekly chart. The free-to-play shooter took first place ahead of EA's Apex Legends in second and Cygames' Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond in third. Bandai Namco Entertainment's new Sword Art Online action RPG Echoes of Aincrad debuted at seventh place ahead of its Steam release on July 10. The game launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on July 9, with a standard edition priced at 8,910 yen. To promote the title, Bandai Namco is running a Clearance Group Recruitment Campaign through July 17, inviting streamers to play on Very Hard difficulty with Death Game Mode enabled. Participants receive a NerveGear streaming kit and have their names inscribed on a Monument of Life page. Separately, Sony Interactive Entertainment aired a two-part talk show on July 7 and 8 featuring SAO game general producer Takasuke Futami and Echoes of Aincrad production manager Yasuhiro Yawata, who demonstrated character creation and early story content.