CS2 update, November 5, 2026: Retakes improvements and API

• Bomb defusal in Retakes mode will now instantly finish when there is sufficient time remaining in the round and no active utility remains to prevent the defuse.
• Reduced freeze time and round restart delay in Retakes mode.
• Pinging pet chickens during freeze time will request a trick from them.
• Pet chicken names are no longer displayed when customized item text game option is set to hidden.\
• Instance.Precache now accepts entities to precache
• Added new top level export Entities
• Added Entities.Spawn
• Added Instance.OnBotControl
• Added CSPlayerController.IsControllingBot
• Added CSPlayerController.GetControlledBotPawn
• Added CSPlayerPawn.Reset
• Moved Instance.ConnectOutput to Entities and changed it to accept a config object
• Moved Instance.DisconnectOutput to Entities
• Renamed Instance.EntFireAtName to Entities.FireInput
• Renamed Instance.FindEntitiesByName to Entities.FindByName
• Renamed Instance.FindEntitiesByClass to Entities.FindByClass
• Renamed Instance.EntFireAtTarget to Entity.FireInput
• Moved and renamed methods are still available in their original location, deprecated
• Deprecated Instance.FindEntityByName and FindEntityByClass
• Calling a method on an invalid (removed) Entity now reports that the Entity is invalid
• ConnectOutput now logs a warning when the target has no output with that name

The update affects Retakes mode with several gameplay improvements. Bomb defusal now completes instantly if there is sufficient round time remaining and no active utility blocking the defuse. Freeze time and round restart delay have been reduced, speeding up the round pace. Fun pet chicken interactions were added - you can now ping chickens during freeze time to request tricks from them. The display of chicken names has also been fixed when customized item text is set to hidden.

For community server owners and administrators, the main changes are in the scripting API for custom maps. Valve significantly reorganized entity handling methods: several functions moved from Instance to the new Entities module, and some methods were renamed for consistency. Old methods remain available but are marked as deprecated. New functions were added for working with bots and entities, including the ability to spawn entities via Entities.Spawn and control bots. Server administrators should check their own plugins and map scripts for usage of outdated API calls.

The Retakes changes directly impact gameplay in that mode, making rounds more dynamic and clearer for players. API improvements will benefit map developers and plugin creators for servers, allowing them to write more flexible and reliable solutions for custom game modes.