TL;DR
- CSGO’s December 9 update introduced winter-themed elements including snowballs and festive chickens
- The competitive bomb skin was removed, signaling Valve’s shift toward more inclusive design choices
- All six 2020 service medals were revealed, requiring multiple level 40 resets to obtain the highest rank
- Snowball mechanics provide tactical advantages with vision obstruction and minor damage effects
- Players should anticipate holiday-themed Shattered Web missions and potential winter map variants
The arrival of December in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive transforms the battlefield into a winter wonderland, where snowball exchanges often outnumber tactical grenade throws during the festive season.
Valve deployed their annual holiday content package on December 9, delivering the expected seasonal enhancements with several notable modifications from previous years.
Map environments feature chickens sporting holiday knitwear, snowfall animations in the main interface, and strategic snowball stockpiles across casual gameplay modes including Arms Race, Flying Scoutsman, and Demolition matches.
Snowballs serve as tactical tools that inflict minimal health damage while temporarily obscuring enemy vision—creating brief but valuable combat advantages.
Developers successfully addressed the notorious “snowball exploit” discovered months earlier. This vulnerability permitted players to acquire snowballs in ranked matchmaking through console commands, which Valve promptly resolved after discovery.
No more holiday bomb skin in CSGO
A significant departure from previous seasonal events involves the bomb’s appearance in competitive matches. Whereas last year’s explosive device featured gift wrapping with “CTs” labeling, the current iteration maintains standard visuals. This alteration potentially reflects Valve’s evolving perspective on appropriate theming within a counter-terrorism simulation context.
The decision aligns with broader initiatives toward inclusive gaming experiences. Removing potentially insensitive holiday theming from lethal devices demonstrates thoughtful design consideration, though Valve could potentially introduce alternative cosmetic options through specialized cases.
Previous winter events included seasonal variations of established maps like Militia. While no new winterized environments debuted with this update, players should remain optimistic about potential December map releases.
CSGO patch reveals all six 2020 Service Medals
Annual service medal progression remains available for players achieving profile level 40. These distinctive icons display beside usernames on scoreboards and public profiles, functioning similarly to prestige systems in other shooters but with exclusive CSGO mechanics.
The medal system operates comparably to Call of Duty’s prestige framework, though CSGO exclusively resets profile levels while preserving other progression elements. For dedicated enthusiasts, pursuing these accolades represents a core aspect of their engagement with the game.
Visual hierarchy progresses from silver star (rank one) to crimson edition (rank six). Attaining the highest tier demands six complete progression cycles to level 40—a substantial time investment requiring strategic gameplay.
Community members should prepare for potential holiday-themed Shattered Web operational assignments approaching Christmas. While Valve hasn’t explicitly confirmed seasonal missions, historical patterns suggest snowball-related objectives might feature prominently during December events.
Successful snowball implementation requires understanding their optimal use scenarios. These seasonal projectiles excel as distraction tools during site executions or retakes, providing temporary visual cover similar to flashbang effects but with different tactical applications.
Advanced players can leverage snowballs for fake throws to bait enemy reactions or combine them with smoke grenades for layered area denial strategies. Mastery of these temporary mechanics can provide competitive edges during limited-time events.
Action Checklist
- Practice snowball throwing mechanics in casual modes to master their vision-obscuring effects
- Develop snowball integration strategies for temporary tactical advantages
- Plan service medal progression with calculated XP farming sessions
- Monitor for winter map variants and holiday mission releases throughout December
No reproduction without permission：Games Guides Website » 2020 Service Medal revealed as winter patch comes to CSGO CSGO's 2020 winter update brings festive changes, service medal reveals, and tactical snowball mechanics