Counter-Strike 2 – when you try to launch the game, you get an error 1114.
The reason for this error is your Windows version build, and the solution is to update your Windows installation. Currently, Counter-Strike 2 requires Windows 10 build 22H2 or Windows 11 build 22H2. According to Microsoft’s website, these are the most recent builds of Windows. If your Windows build is earlier than that, the game will not run.
There are a few ways to check your Windows build. You can run the “winver” command, open your computer’s Properties, or go to the About page in Windows settings. There are also other ways to find out the version number of your Windows build. If you encounter this error, your Windows build is probably lower than 22H2—for example, 1803—and you need to update Windows to the latest build.
You can update through the standard Windows Update in Windows settings. It is safe to do this even on non-legit copies of Windows, and you will likely keep your activation. Even if you lose activation after the update, it is easy to restore. However, while these updates are possible, the best way to change a Windows build number is to freshly install the correct build by booting a Windows installation media, which you can download directly from Microsoft’s website. This is the only way to update Windows build if you are running Windows LTS (Long-Term Servicing). The biggest difference with this version of Windows is that it does not update the build—it’s a feature of LTS. The only way to update an LTS version of Windows is to get the installation media, boot from it, and install the new version of Windows over the old one.
You may try to keep your files; however, I strongly advise against that since, in this case, the freshly installed Windows will not be truly fresh. The only way to fix the 1114 error as of now is to update your Windows installation. Is it worth the hassle, or should you wait for Valve to release an update that allows the game to run on earlier Windows builds? I have no idea. But if you want to play Counter-Strike 2 now, you need to be on Windows build 22H2—that’s the only way to play the game for now.
If you want to continue using Windows 10 LTS, which is understandable, my viewers have confirmed that Counter-Strike 2 runs perfectly on Windows 10 LTS 2021 (build 21H2). However, you will still need to update Windows LTS using a USB drive. This likely applies not only to LTS but also to standard Windows editions like Home and Pro.
To summarize, as long as you are on Windows 10 build 21H2 or higher, Counter-Strike 2 should work perfectly.