Operation Riptide, with its agent skins and golden AK-47s, was released in November 2021, but it feels like it was much longer ago. Many CSGO fans feel that a new operation is overdue, and the timeline for releases supports this idea. Here's why we think a new CSGO operation is coming in early 2023, and what new features it might bring to the tactical shooter.
Looking back at the release dates of previous operations, it becomes clear that Valve likes to take a break of around eight months between releases to make room for esports events and balance tuning. The release dates of all the operations in CSGO history are listed below:
- Operation Riptide – September 21, 2021
- Operation Broken Fang – December 3, 2020
- Operation Shattered Web – November 18, 2019
- Operation Hydra – May 23, 2017
- Operation Wildfire – February 17, 2016
- Operation Bloodhound – May 26, 2015
- Operation Vanguard – November 11, 2014
- Operation Breakout – July 1, 2014
- Operation Phoenix – February 20, 2014
- Operation Bravo – September 19, 2013
- Operation Payback – April 25, 2013
For the most recent three operations, they have typically been released about a year apart from each other. However, there has been a much longer break between Operation Riptide and the next operation. It has been over 15 months since Riptide was released, making the current break the longest between operations since Hydra and Shattered Web. This long break suggests that Valve is working on something big.
Valve usually teases the release of a new operation shortly before it becomes available in the main client. However, CSGO's developers usually drop hints well in advance of the event going live. For example, CSGO posted a now-deleted post with a single wave emoji on September 13, 2021, just over a week before the launch of Operation Riptide. If Valve does give any mysterious hints, it's likely that an operation will be released within the next two weeks.
What will be included in a new 2023 CSGO operation? A 2023 operation is likely to bring even more new features than previous events due to the longer production timeline, but most fans are probably most interested in the new skins.
A new batch of operation-exclusive cosmetics is almost certain to be included in any major new content update. The most likely scenario is that Valve will finish the refreshed skin lines for vintage maps. Overpass and Ancient are ripe for a new skin line, as are Cache and Cobblestone if Valve wants to draw inspiration from older maps. It is also likely to include a new batch of agent skins, as operations have become the primary way that new player models are introduced to the game.
New community maps are also a staple of new CSGO operations, and it's unlikely that Valve will break this tradition in 2023. It's impossible to speculate on which maps will be chosen, but with Anubis being added to the official map pool, the stakes will be higher than ever.
Lastly, a new operation is likely to include a battle pass and more missions to go with it. Operation Riptide's star system was popular with CSGO fans, and the new content provides a new way to play the game with plenty of incentives. The system is likely to be revised, possibly with a focus on the rotating Danger Zone map pool. Regardless of what Valve decides to include, a new operation in 2023 will be welcomed with open arms.```
