Cache (Counter-Strike)
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Counter-Strike 2 ''Counter-Strike 2'' is a 2023 free-to-play Tactical shooter, tactical first-person shooter video game, game developed and published by Valve Corporation, Valve. It is the fifth entry in the ''Counter-Strike'' series, developed as an updated v ...
'', and its predecessor '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'', are
first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...
games developed by
Valve Corporation Valve Corporation, also known as Valve Software, is an American video game developer, video game publisher, publisher, and digital distribution company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. It is the developer of the software distribution pl ...
in the ''Counter-Strike'' series. The franchise has a very large competitive scene, which has received large media coverage. As a result, the games' multiplayer
maps A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...
have longstanding legacies within the series, with some becoming significant to the first-person shooter genre as a whole. Traditional gameplay of ''Counter-Strike'' features two teams, the Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, fighting for control of a map while trying to fulfill their respective objectives. In ''Counter-Strike'' esports, the goal of the Terrorist team is to either kill all Counter-Terrorists or plant and detonate a bomb at a bomb site within the map, and the goal of the Counter-Terrorist team is to prevent the bomb plant, kill all Terrorists, or defuse the bomb. This article serves as a list of maps featured in ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' and ''Counter-Strike 2'' that have established notability in the first-person shooter genre or in the games' competitive scenes.


Competitive maps

Different game modes have separate map pools, but Valve designates a group of seven as the "Active Duty" pool. Such maps are considered the most balanced and competitive by Valve and were used in nearly all competitive ''Counter-Strike'' esports tournaments, as well as the Premier
matchmaking Matchmaking is the process of pairing two or more people together, usually for the purpose of marriage, in which case the intermediary or matchmaker is also known as a marriage broker. Matchmaking may be done as a profession for a fee or it may ...
mode. The group of seven are chosen from a wider set of maps, with some community-created maps and some designed by Valve. The list of Active Duty maps changes occasionally, generally by replacing one map at a time. Maps such as Dust II have been added, removed, and added back again. As of January 2025, the seven Active Duty maps in ''Counter-Strike 2'' are Ancient, Anubis, Dust II, Inferno,
Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...
, Nuke and Train.


Ancient

Ancient (de_ancient) was introduced to the game in a December 2020 update as part of "Operation Broken Fang". The map takes place in an archeological site, likely in
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, and was created as a homage to a previous ''Counter-Strike'' map titled de_aztec. The map has received consistent changes and upgrades since its introduction. The map has consistently appeared in competitive tournaments since its introduction and it is among the most played competitive maps alongside
Mirage A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', mean ...
and Inferno. The map is part of the Active Duty map pool.


Anubis

Anubis (de_anubis) is a community-created map introduced in a March 2020 update at the end of "Operation Shattered Web". The map is set in
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. The map was noted for being buggy upon release, but has been updated over time. In November 2022, Valve contacted the creators of the map, Roald van der Scheur, "Jakuza", and "jd_40", and offered to buy out the rights to it, an unusual occurrence. Upon their acceptance, it replaced Dust II in the competitive map pool in November 2022, becoming the final competitive change before the release of ''Counter-Strike 2.'' The map went from the least popular competitive map to a popular choice during the 2023 Paris Major. The map is part of the Active Duty map pool.


Cache

Cache (de_cache) is a map first made for '' Counter-Strike: Source'' in 2004, and was introduced to the ''Global Offensive's'' main competitive map pool in "Operation Breakout" in 2014. It, along with Anubis, have been the only community-made maps to be featured in the Active Duty map pool. It was removed from the game in March 2019 and replaced by Vertigo, before being updated as a standalone map outside of competitive play later that year. According to ''
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'', Cache has been compared to Inferno and Dust II, as one of the most well designed maps in the ''Counter-Strike'' series. The map was used in a study from
Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...
for a full analysis on level design in competitive video games. A remake of the original Cache is a very popular demand for ''Counter-Strike 2'' competitive map pool. Following its overhaul for ''
Counter-Strike 2 ''Counter-Strike 2'' is a 2023 free-to-play Tactical shooter, tactical first-person shooter video game, game developed and published by Valve Corporation, Valve. It is the fifth entry in the ''Counter-Strike'' series, developed as an updated v ...
'', Valve reportedly purchased the map from its creator FMPONE on May 24, 2025.


Dust II


Inferno


Mirage


Nuke


Overpass

Overpass (de_overpass) was the first competitive map intentionally designed for ''Global Offensive'', and was released in a December 2013 update alongside an updated version of Cobblestone. The map features a roadway bridging over and open canal, adjacent to a public park. The map has an increased emphasis on long-ranged combat. Overpass was updated in April 2014. The map was one of the most balanced in the game upon release, and has become a very important competitive map. Overpass was added into the Active Duty map pool in 2014 in ''Global Offensive'', and this was carried over into the start of ''Counter-Strike 2''. In April 2024, Overpass was removed from CS2's active duty pool in order to make room for Dust II's return, which led to mixed reactions from players and members of the pro scene.


Train

Train (de_train) is a map which was first created for the original ''
Counter-Strike ''Counter-Strike'' (''CS'') is a series of multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video games, in which opposing teams attempt to complete various objectives. The series began on Windows in 1999 with the release of the first game, '' Counte ...
'' in a 1999 update and was remade for ''Global Offensive'' in a December 2014 update. It is set in a trainyard and train station featuring many ladders, high platforms, long angles, and tight corridors. It was removed from the competitive map pool in May of 2021 and replaced by Ancient. Train was added back to the competitive map pool in January of 2025, replacing Vertigo.


Vertigo

Vertigo (de_vertigo) is a map added to the original ''Counter-Strike'' in 2001, added to ''Global Offensive'' in an October 2012 update and added to the competitive map pool in May 2019, replacing the popular map Cache. The map is situated on the top of a skyscraper in an unnamed city. Vertigo has become relatively unpopular due to its awkward design. While the map was part of the Active Duty map pool, it was a popular choice for removal from ''Counter-Strike 2''. In January of 2025, Vertigo was removed from the Active Duty map pool (in preparation for the 2025 BLAST Austin Major) and replaced by Train.


Other maps


Canals

Canals (de_canals) was added to the game in a March 2017 update. The map takes place in a city inspired by
Venice, Italy Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are linked by 438 bridge ...
. It was the first new official ''Counter-Strike'' map since the addition of Overpass in 2013. Canals varies from traditional ''Counter-Strike'' level design, and gives the Terrorists a crescent-shaped starting area that is relatively cramped, but gives the Counter-Terrorists a large open area. The map also features additional routes that allow players to go under parts of the map to stealthily arrive to the bomb sites. Canals was added to the Reserve map pool, placing it outside of traditional competitive play and the map has not seen play in any of the ''Counter-Strike'' majors. The map has been criticized for having an unorthodox layout that has been considered heavily unbalanced in favor of the Terrorists.


References

{{Counter-Strike series