CSGO stutter update seems to bring more issues for players

March’s recent Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) update, designed to address increasing stuttering issues over the last few months, has triggered new in-game problems. While some say the patch has completely removed previous issues, several players are reporting new problems that have rendered the game unplayable for them.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another

In the official CSGO update thread, users have reported a plethora of game issues. Interestingly, the problems are prevalent in computer builds across the hardware spectrum.

Reflective surfaces

One of the most-reported bugs relates to reflective surfaces and shader presets. Users report highly reflective surfaces throughout the game that weren’t as shiny before the update. Furthermore, all shader and graphic settings automatically set to “High,” overriding the user’s chosen preferences. Objects and items in the game appear locked into the high quality, despite being switched to a lower setting. Reddit user “gpcgmr” compared their game before and after opting into the beta.

The image above shows “Very Low” game and shader quality before the March 26/March 27 update. Next, gpcgmr compares the graphics after the update. Note there is virtually no difference between the low (left side) and high (right side) settings.

The forced settings cause frame drops for all computers, but especially those with lower-end builds. Some users report “a dip of 100-200” frames.

Extended object models

Less prominent than the shader bug is object models extending so far out that they obstruct the player’s FOV. Players affected by this CSGO bug say their view model or surrounding objects appear to “tear” across the screen. The image below is an example of what happens when a user experiences the bug in-game.

Developers say this particular issue “seems to be prevalent with a range of Intel-integrated GPUs.”

CSGO color artifacting

Color artifacts occur because of a system glitch while rendering a frame. Artifacting may be caused by errors within the GPU’s hardware not rendering the scene effectively. The fact the issue wasn’t present for some users before the update suggests the build is utilizing the GPU in a new way. Artifacting may be a sign of corrupt driver files or faulty/stressed/dying hardware.

Valve developers have paid close attention to the feedback thread. They’re seen replying to users, thanking them for their feedback. However, there’s no timeline or official notice from the team in regards to how they attempt to deal with these CSGO issues. Hopefully, the community will see build adjustments within the upcoming weeks.