When playing Counter-Strike, you’re stuck with the same weaponry every game, so how do players still enjoy the game after thousands of hours? The answer is simple: it’s the amazing maps that Valve has added to the game! Players immerse themselves in intense gameplay on the well-structured Counter-Strike maps available in the game. To ensure players do not get bored, Valve often rotates the map pool, encouraging players to play new maps. In this article, we’ll go over all the maps in Counter-Strike 2, including the game modes you can play them on.
All Competitive CS2 Maps
The primary game mode players queue for in Counter-Strike is its Competitive mode. In Counter-Strike 2, there are nine maps available for players in a ranked queue.
Active Duty Map Pool
At all times, Valve includes seven maps in the Active Duty Map Pool, which is essentially the set of maps used in Premier mode and professional play.
Every few years, Valve rotates a map into the Active Duty Map Pool and removes another one, ensuring players are not bored of playing the same maps over and over again. Just recently, Dust II was brought back in, while Overpass was removed.
Ancient
Ancient was added to the game in December 2020, making it one of the more recent additions to the Counter-Strike map pool. The map is based on the Counter-Strike 1.6 map Aztec, with many upgrades, especially visual changes.
With the release of Counter-Strike 2, Ancient received numerous touchstone updates, where the lighting and graphics on the map were significantly improved, giving players an aesthetically-pleasing experience.
When Ancient was first introduced to the game, it was considered the most CT-sided map in the map pool. However, Valve made several adjustments to make Ancient more even.
Anubis
Following Ancient, Anubis is the most recent addition to the Counter-Strike Competitive Map Pool. It is a community-made map that was named after one of the most important Gods in Egyptian history. That being said, it’s obvious to say that the map takes place in Egypt.
Since many Counter-Strike players don’t like learning new maps, Anubis is the least popular map in the Active Duty Pool and has a terribly low pick rate in Premier Mode. Most players would ban the map in the veto stage and never play on it.
In professional play, Anubis is notoriously known for being an incredibly T-sided map. Many would consider three rounds on a Counter-Terrorist half successful, but that’s only when you’re competing at the highest level.
Dust II
The most iconic map in Counter-Strike history, Dust II, had recently been moved back into the Active Duty Map Pool after six long years. It was rotated out in February 2017, and recently brought back in April 2024.
Dust II is the successor to one of the oldest Counter-Strike maps, Dust. The map takes place in Morocco and contains the well-known wooden doors at Mid and A Long. However, Valve has made a handful of adjustments to the map, such as adding a wall on top of Suicide to prevent easy sniper kills.
Despite a long absence from professional play, Dust II remains the most popular map in Counter-Strike, and fans are happy to see it back in action.
Inferno
Another classic Counter-Strike map is Inferno, introduced to Counter-Strike 1.1 in June 1999! The map is older than most active CS2 players and has received a lot of changes throughout its years of service.
Inferno is one of the few Competitive maps to receive an entire rework, as Valve strikingly improved the entire map’s visuals, giving players a mesmerizing experience. It is known to be the most utility-heavy map, as molotovs and HE grenades are crucial to winning on Inferno.
Interestingly enough, Inferno was never really rotated out, allowing professionals to create a list of highlight reels on this map.
Mirage
Mirage is easily the second-most popular map in the Counter-Strike community. Every CS2 player, new or old, knows all the callouts on this map. Like Dust II, Mirage is also based in Morocco.
The map was added to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in June 2013 and has never been taken out of the Active Duty Map Pool since. Despite being included for over a decade, Valve has never tweaked Mirage, proving the map is already a masterpiece. Though Mirage has been around for so long, the majority of players still do not know how to smoke Window from T Spawn…
Nuke
Nuke is unlike any other map due to its unique design. In this map, the two bomb sites are directly on top of each other, leaving new players confused every time they play this map. The map’s concept is set on a power plant featuring famous positions such as Silo.
For the longest time, Nuke has been incredibly CT-sided, as Terrorists are forced to rush in through tight corridors or take unfavorable long-ranged duels by going through the outside area.
Nuke also received a massive visual rework, as the old power plant has been upgraded to a modern and appealing design.
Vertigo
Vertigo is another map that leaves newbies confused. The map takes place on the top floors of a massive skyscraper. Players will have to go past ramps and ladders to access the full map, and can fall off to their deaths.
The map has been around in Counter-Strike for a while, but remained unpopular due to its complexity. However, Valve essentially forced players to try the map by rotating it into the Active Duty Map Pool. To this day, many members of the community want to see it gone, but Valve still keeps it in play.
Reserve Group Map Pool
In Counter-Strike 2, there are two maps in the Reserve Group. Overpass had its spot taken by Dust II, while Office remains the only Hostage Rescue map in Competitive mode.
Overpass
This map is the location of the infamous Boostmeister incident, when Fnatic’s star player, olofmeister, abused a boost spot while playing on Counter-Strike’s biggest stage. Other than the olof boost, Overpass is one of the longest-standing maps in the Active Duty Pool until it said goodbye in 2024.
The map is based in Germany, featuring playgrounds, fountains, and a CT-sided experience. There were massive debates on which Counter-Strike map favored the defense the most, with the candidates being Nuke and Overpass.
However, AWPers love this map, as it forces players to take many long-ranged engagements, favoring anyone with a sniper rifle. Overpass has been given the nickname as the “AWP Haven.”
Office
As mentioned earlier, Office differs from the other Competitive maps as it is the sole map featuring the Hostage Rescue game mode. Its comrades have been removed from Counter-Strike 2.
Office remains unpopular, as 99% of players prefer playing Bomb Defusal maps, so queuing for a game on this map will take more than 10 minutes. Despite its apparent unpopularity, Valve still takes care of the map, giving it touchstone updates that enhance its visuals.
Many players queue for a game on Office to have some fun and release stress after a tilting losing streak.
All Wingman CS2 Maps
Wingman is one of Counter-Strike 2’s ranked game modes where teams engage in 2v2 action. This mode features four maps from the Competitive Map Pool but has been shrunk to take place on one bomb site only.
Inferno
In Wingman mode, players can only access the A bomb site on Inferno.
Vertigo
In Wingman mode, players can only access the A bomb site on Vertigo.
Nuke
In Wingman mode, players can only access the B bomb site on Nuke.
Overpass
In Wingman mode, players can only access the B bomb site on Overpass.
All Arms Race CS2 Maps
The final two maps in the Counter-Strike 2 map pool are only used for the Arms Race game mode.
Baggage
The map Baggage takes place in a fictional German airport. The map first made its appearance in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Shoots
Shoots is based on a location somewhere in Vietnam. The Terrorist faction is featured as pirates, which should give you a good idea of what the map is like.