Cache Callouts & Map Guide
The community-made classic set in the shadow of Chernobyl, back in the Active Duty pool for the first time since 2019. A clean three-lane layout where mid control and disciplined rifling decide everything.
Cache Overview & History
Cache was created by community mappers Shawn "FMPONE" Snelling and Sal "Volcano" Garozzo, set in an industrial zone near the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Pripyat, Ukraine. It became a competitive staple from 2014, when it entered CS:GO's Active Duty pool, and held that spot until March 2019, when Valve rotated it out in favour of Vertigo. A 2019 visual remake divided the community, and the map spent years on the sidelines.
Its comeback is one of CS2's biggest map stories: FMPONE revealed a rebuilt Cache in 2025, Valve acquired the map, added it to CS2 in April 2026, and then promoted it to the Active Duty pool in the July 8, 2026 Season 5 update — replacing Overpass and ending a seven-year absence from top-level competition.
The layout is beloved for its clarity: three parallel lanes (A Main, Mid, B Main) with clean connectors — Squeaky and Highway into A, Vents and Checkers into B, and the Boost/Mid complex gluing it together. Sightlines are honest, utility requirements are moderate, and the map has long been considered one of the most balanced in Counter-Strike.
Pro Competitive Stats
On Cache, CTs win 50.7% of rounds — a balanced map at the pro level. Aggregated from 96 tracked matches across 6 teams.
The stronger side takes roughly 52.5% of rounds when sides are near-even. See all CS2 maps compared →
All Callouts (50 positions)
CT Side (28)
A Site
The A bombsite between Quad, Forklift, and the Main entrance — open, with deep box cover.
NBK
The corner pocket between the Squeaky door and Quad, another pro-named hiding spot.
Quad
The stack of four boxes at the back of A site — the site's main cover and post-plant anchor.
A Default
The standard A plant location, protected by the site boxes and visible from Main post-plants.
Forklift
The forklift on the A site — front-site cover during entries and retakes.
Balcony
The raised metal platform above Forklift overlooking the site.
Cubby
The nook below Boost pressing against A Main — a close-range surprise position.
Elektro
The area between Truck, A site, and Highway on the CT side of A.
Truck (CT)
The truck between Elektro and CT Halls — cover on the CT approach to A.
Highway
The narrow rise connecting mid to the A site — the CT rotation lane and a strong AWP angle.
CT Connector
The room linking mid to CT Halls and CT spawn — the defence's central rotation hub.
B Site
The raised B bombsite, entered from B Main and Checkers with Heaven watching from above.
B Ramp
The ramp climbing onto the B plant platform.
Pit
The dip beside the ramp on B site — low cover for anchors and post-plants.
B Default
The standard B plant spot behind the front boxes, coverable from B Main.
New Boxes
The tall grey boxes on the B Halls side of the site.
Spray (Back Site)
The area behind the boxes at the back of B site.
Close Left
The tight left corner entering B from Hell — checked on every retake.
Headshot
The lower Hell/Heaven-side spot on B giving a head-height angle over the site.
Checkers
The checkered-floor room connecting Vents and B Main — the pivot of every B-side fight.
Back Checkers
The space behind the boxes at the rear of Checkers.
Heaven
The wooden platform above B site reached from CT Halls — the strongest defensive angle on B.
Rafters
The raised metal walkway that Heaven leads onto, overlooking the site.
Blue
The area under Rafters by the blue wall on B site.
Hell
The ground-level area beneath Heaven — the lower half of the CT retake pincer onto B.
Tree
The platform by the large tree at the back of Hell.
CT Halls
The large connector between Truck and Hell — the CT superhighway between A, mid, and B.
CT Spawn
Counter-Terrorist spawn on the east edge behind CT Halls and Connector.
T Side (16)
T Spawn
Terrorist spawn on the west edge, with routes to A Long, Garage/Mid, and B Halls.
T Truck
The truck between T spawn and A Long — an early-round reference point and boost spot.
T Boxes
The box cluster between T spawn and B Halls.
Garage
The large building between T spawn and mid — the T-side key to mid control.
T Red
The red shipping container inside Garage, climbable for angles into mid.
A Long
The lane from T spawn/Garage toward Squeaky and A Main.
A Main
The wide main entrance into A site from the T side of the map.
Lockers
The locker section of A Main visible from the site — cleared before every Main push.
Squeaky
The room with the blue squeaky door opening onto A site — the second A entrance; its sound telegraphs entries.
Shroud (Boost Boxes)
The corner boxes between Squeaky and A Main, named after the famous player — a sneaky T hold on site hits.
B Main
The area between B Halls, Checkers, and the site — the primary B entrance.
B Main Boxes
The boxes near the Checkers entrance where CTs hide to surprise B pushes.
B Halls
The interior corridor between T spawn, Dumpster, and B Main — the T staging area for B.
Dumpster
The room connecting Garage to B Halls — the link between the mid and B lanes.
Sun Room
The room with the sun mural off B Halls, with a window used for utility onto B site.
Toxic
The yellow barrel corner at the back of Sun Room.
Mid Control (6)
Mid
The central lane connecting Garage, Connector, and Highway — the axis the whole map turns on.
White Box
The white crate on the Highway side of mid — the classic CT AWP position.
Sand Bags
The sandbags between Connector and Mid Roof — CT-side cover in the mid fight.
Mid Roof
The rooftop between Vents and Sandbags overlooking the mid lane.
Boost
The T-side rooftop reachable only via teammate boost — the famous pick spot over mid.
Vents
The vent system connecting mid to Checkers — the split route into B once mid is controlled.
How to Play Cache T-Side
T-side Cache runs through mid. A standard default sends two players toward Garage/Mid, one to A Main via Squeaky's exterior, and two to B Halls. Garage control is the round's first prize: it grants smoke-and-peek access to White Box and Boost, threatens Vents, and forces the CT mid player to burn utility every round.
A hits pair the Main entrance with Squeaky: smoke Highway and Truck/CT, molotov Quad and the Squeaky exit, and enter both doors at once. Post-plant, Ts hold from Quad, the Boost boxes, and one player back in Main — the site's deep box cover makes retakes expensive for CTs coming off Highway and Heaven.
B hits climb through B Halls into the site via B Main, with Vents as the split route once mid is controlled. Smoke Heaven and CT/Hell, flash over the entrance, and clear Checkers-side angles first. The vent squeeze — dropping players through Vents into Checkers during a B Main hit — is Cache's signature pincer and still wins rounds exactly as it did in the CS:GO era.
How to Play Cache CT-Side
The standard CT setup is 2-1-2: two A (one Squeaky/Quad side, one Truck/Highway at range), one mid, and two B (one site, one Checkers/Vents side). The mid player usually holds from White Box or Sandbags with an AWP — Cache's mid is one of the game's classic sniper lanes, and controlling it delays every T plan at once.
A defenders play the two-door problem: Main and Squeaky open onto the site from different angles, so crossfires matter more than heroics. A molotov on the Squeaky exit and a smoke deep in Main buy long seconds. The Highway player doubles as first rotator, sliding to mid or B through CT Halls the moment A pressure proves fake.
On B, the anchor plays off the site boxes while the second CT works Checkers and the Vents — listening for the drop is half the job. Retakes come layered from Heaven and Hell: Heaven gives the elevated angle over the whole site, and a flash down from it is the standard retake opener. Keep Heaven control at all costs; a B site without Heaven support falls to any organised hit.
Key Duels & Angles
Mid AWP lane (White Box vs Garage)
The defining Cache duel: the CT AWP holding mid from White Box or Sandbags against Ts peeking from Garage. Ts smoke or flash before showing; CTs re-position after every shot to stay unpredictable.
Squeaky door vs Quad
The A anchor holds the Squeaky exit from Quad or the site boxes. Ts must molotov or flash the door — walking through dry into a pre-aimed rifle is a free kill for the defence.
B Main entrance vs site crossfire
Ts entering B fight the anchor on the site boxes and the Checkers player simultaneously. Entry flashes over the door and instant trading decide it; solo entries get picked apart.
Vents drop vs Checkers listener
The vent route into Checkers is a sound game: a CT camping the drop kills the first T through, but a coordinated drop behind a B Main engagement lands clean. Fake vent-opens are part of the mind war.
Heaven vs post-plant Quad
On B retakes the Heaven player duels post-plant Ts hiding at Quad and the back boxes. The flash-down from Heaven flips the angle; without it, height alone rarely beats a set post-plant.
Common Strategies & Executes
T-Side Attack
Garage Take → Mid Split
Smoke White Box and flash from Garage to claim mid, then split toward A via Highway/Connector or B via Vents depending on the CT response.
Full A Execute
Smoke Highway and Truck, molotov Squeaky's exit and Quad, then enter Main and Squeaky together. Plant Default and hold from Quad, Shroud boxes, and Main.
B Main + Vents Squeeze
Three players hit B Main behind Heaven/CT smokes while two drop Vents into Checkers. The pincer forces the anchor to fight two directions at once.
Fast B Rush
Straight through B Halls with a flash wave over the entrance and a Heaven smoke. Beats slow setups before Checkers and Heaven positions are set.
CT-Side Defense
Mid AWP Lock
The AWP holds mid from White Box with a Connector support; Garage aggression is answered with utility, freeing the rest to play standard site holds.
Heaven-Hell Retake
Concede the B plant when outnumbered, then retake in a layered wave — flash down from Heaven, swing Hell and Checkers simultaneously, and clear Quad/back boxes in sequence.
Tactical Tips
Mid is the map: win Garage vs White Box and every route opens.
Never open Squeaky dry — the door's sound plus a pre-aimed Quad rifle is a free CT kill.
Use the Vents squeeze behind a B Main hit; the two-direction entry breaks anchors.
As CT, protect Heaven — B site without Heaven support falls to any organised execute.
Post-plant on A, spread between Quad, Shroud boxes, and Main so one flash cannot clear you.
Cache in Pro Play
Cache was one of the most played and most loved pro maps of the CS:GO era — the stage for some of the game's most famous highlights and a byword for straightforward, skill-forward Counter-Strike. Its 2019 removal was mourned loudly, and its 2026 return to Active Duty was greeted as a homecoming; teams began rebuilding Cache playbooks the moment Season 5 was announced.
Historically the map played close to balanced, with mid control and AWP form the biggest single factors. Its CS2 competitive meta is still young — the first tier-one results on the new pool are only now arriving, and the tracked pro stats above will fill in as matches accumulate.
Frequently Asked Questions
- When did Cache return to the Active Duty pool?
- Cache rejoined the Active Duty pool with the CS2 Season 5 update on July 8, 2026, replacing Overpass — its first appearance in the competitive pool since March 2019. The map itself was added to CS2 in April 2026 after Valve acquired FMPONE's rebuilt version.
- Who made Cache?
- Cache was created by community developers Shawn "FMPONE" Snelling and Sal "Volcano" Garozzo, and is set in an industrial zone near Chernobyl in Pripyat, Ukraine. It rose from community favourite to Active Duty staple in the CS:GO era, and FMPONE personally led the CS2-era rebuild that brought it back.
- What are the essential Cache callouts to learn first?
- Start with the spine of the map: Mid, Garage, White Box, Boost, and Vents in the middle lane; A Main, Squeaky, Quad, and Highway on the A side; B Main, Checkers, Heaven, and Hell on the B side. Those cover the callouts used in almost every round.
- How do I take mid control on Cache?
- From Garage, with utility: smoke the White Box/Sandbags AWP angle, flash over mid, and step out with a teammate trading. Winning mid opens Highway toward A, the Vents split into B, and Boost pick opportunities — it is the single most valuable territory on the map.
- What is the Boost spot on Cache?
- A rooftop over mid on the T side that can only be reached by boosting off a teammate. It gives a surprise sightline across mid toward the CT positions and became famous in pro play for round-deciding picks. CTs answer it by smoking mid or checking the roofline before crossing.
- Does Cache favour Ts or CTs?
- Historically Cache has been one of the most balanced maps in competitive Counter-Strike. Its three-lane layout gives both sides clear plans and honest fights, with mid/AWP form usually the deciding factor. Its fresh CS2 competitive record is still forming — the pro stats module above updates as tracked matches come in.
- Is Cache CT or T sided?
- Across 96 tracked pro matches, CTs win 50.7% of rounds on Cache versus 52.5% for Terrorists, making it a balanced map at the professional level.
- How often is Cache picked in pro CS2?
- Cache has an average pick rate of 1.3% and a ban rate of 4.2% across 6 tracked teams. The pistol round is won 51.6% of the time in the map's data sample.