When you get a notification from the CS2 devs on April 1st, it’s usually wise to be skeptical. This time, though, it seems the joke’s not on us.

Valve has rolled out a new beta build that upgrade’s the game’s animation system to Animgraph 2. According to our overlords, this change “reduces CPU and networking costs associated with animation”. If you recall, this is the next step in a transition that began last July, when first-person animations were moved over to the new system.

The latest update shifts the focus to third-person animations.The most noticeable improvements comes in the movement department: smoother transitions on stairs, cleaner counter-strafing, and overall more fluid motion. You can now also see animations when other players pull out their knives, which is a nice touch.

Oh, and there’s the obligatory random addition in the brand-new C4 pullout sound. Because why the f-ck not?

We’re not going to pretend to be tech nerds obsessing over whether an update squeezes out an extra frame from our toasters or not. What matters is a smooth, consistent experience, one that simply feels good to play. And based on early feedback, it looks like Valve has taken a (much-needed) step in that direction.

If you happen to fall into that category, there are benchmarks out there to dive into, but the general consensus points to performance improvements in the 10-15% range. That’s a win in our books.

Of course, these changes aren’t live just yet, as they’re currently being tested in the beta branch before the full rollout. For now, we’ll have to wait for them to be finalized and make their way onto the live servers.

If you’re too curious to wait, you can always check how to access the beta branch and try it out for yourself.