CS2 maps: all maps by mode, Active Duty pool and callouts

Counter-Strike 2 has several map pools, one per game mode, and Valve designates seven maps as the “Active Duty” pool. Per the reference list of competitive Counter-Strike maps, these are the maps Valve considers the most balanced and competitive, and they are the ones used in Premier matchmaking and in nearly all tournaments.

Since the July 8, 2026 update, which started Premier Season Five, the seven Active Duty maps are Ancient, Anubis, Cache, Dust II, Inferno, Mirage and Nuke. This guide lists the pool, profiles each map and tracks what changed and when.

The current Active Duty pool

Valve wrote in the July 8, 2026 patch notes that it added Cache to the Active Duty pool and removed Overpass. Valve’s announcement said Cache “replaces Overpass in the active duty map pool.”

Map	Details
Ancient	Released in a December 2020 update; in the pool since May 2021
Anubis	Returned to the pool in January 2026
Cache	Released in CS2 on April 28, 2026; joined the pool July 8, 2026
Dust II	First released in March 2001
Inferno	Included at CS2 launch
Mirage	Released officially by Valve in 2013
Nuke	First released in November 1999

The reference list says the pool usually changes one map at a time. Valve’s own notes for the January and July 2026 updates match that: each swapped a single map.

All CS2 maps by mode

CS2 maps by game mode
Map	Competitive	Wingman	Casual	Deathmatch	Retakes	Arms Race	Rush	Smokes
AncientActive Duty	yes	no	no	no	no	no	no	5
AnubisActive Duty	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	6
CacheActive Duty	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	7
Dust IIActive Duty	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	7
InfernoActive Duty	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	7
MirageActive Duty	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	6
NukeActive Duty	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	3
Ancient (nighttime version)	no	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	none
Baggage	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	none
Boulder	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	none
Complex	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes	none
Debris	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	none
El Dorado	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	none
Fachwerk	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	none
Italy	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	none
Office	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	none
Overpass	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	6
Pool Day	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	none
Poseidon	no	yes	no	no	no	no	no	none
Shelter	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	no	none
Shoots (Day)	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	none
Shoots (Night)	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	none
Train	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	no	no	none
Vertigo	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes	no	no	none

24 maps in the map groups of the CS2 game modes, from the game files of Oct. 22, 2026. Active Duty: Valve's July 8, 2026 update. Smokes: Valve's official smoke lineups on our CS2 smoke lineups page.

Sources

The maps of each mode: CS2 game files (GameTracking-CS2, a public copy of the game files on GitHub)
Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch: Valve, July 8, 2026, "Added community maps Boulder, Fachwerk, and Shelter to Competitive, Casual, and Deathmatch modes"
Wingman: Valve, July 8, 2026, "Added community maps Debris and El Dorado to Wingman mode"
Retakes: Valve, Oct. 22, 2025, "Adding Retakes as official game mode supporting Defusal Group Alpha and Defusal Group Delta maps on official matchmaking servers"
Arms Race: Valve, Feb. 7, 2024, "Added Arms Race to available game modes"
Rush: Valve, Sept. 22, 2026, "Welcome to Rush, a new fast-paced 3v3 queued mode for CS2."

Map profiles

Ancient

Ancient (de_ancient) arrived in a December 2020 update as part of Operation Broken Fang. It is set at an archaeological site, likely in Central America, and was created as a homage to an earlier Counter-Strike map, de_aztec. The reference list describes it as one of the most played competitive maps alongside Mirage and Inferno.

Anubis

Anubis (de_anubis) is set in Egypt. It began as a community-made map and was introduced in a March 2020 update at the end of Operation Shattered Web. In November 2022 Valve offered to buy the rights from its creators, Roald van der Scheur, “Jakuza” and “jd_40.” It then replaced Dust II in the competitive pool.

Valve returned Anubis to the pool in the Jan. 21, 2026 update, which started Premier Season Four. The same update moved the bridge drop near Mid Doors, reversed the orientation of the mid doors and added a hole between E-box and Back of B. Valve also moved the Bombsite A crates up the steps onto Walkway and added scaffolding to a pillar on Bombsite A.

Cache

Cache (de_cache) was first made for Counter-Strike: Source in 2004. It joined the CS:GO competitive pool in Operation Breakout in 2014 and was replaced by Vertigo in 2019.

Valve announced its return to CS2 on April 28, 2026. At that point it was available in Casual, Competitive, Deathmatch and Retakes modes “(for now),” Valve wrote. Valve described it as “a classic three lane map that rewards strategy and teamplay.” Cache is the newest member of the Active Duty pool as of July 8, 2026.

Dust II

Dust II (de_dust2) was developed by David Johnston and first released on March 13, 2001, in Counter-Strike 1.1. It is in every game in the series. Valve called the CS2 version a “touchstone” map, meaning it received graphical and lighting upgrades but kept relatively the same layout.

The map has left and returned to the pool more than once. It was removed in November 2022 in favor of Anubis and came back in April 2024, replacing Overpass.

Inferno

Inferno (de_inferno) was first created for the original Counter-Strike in a 2001 update. It was rebuilt for Counter-Strike: Source in 2005 and revamped in CS:GO in 2016. The CS2 version was released during the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test on Aug. 31, 2023, and Inferno was included at launch on Sept. 27, 2023.

The reference article on the map describes the Banana as a large central stairway that is the most direct Terrorist route to Bombsite B. Valve’s July 2026 patch notes mention “Inferno Banana” in a fix for material blending effects that disappeared up close, such as the dirt on the barrels.

Mirage

Mirage (de_mirage) expands the community map de_cpl_strike, created by Michael “BubkeZ” Hüll. Valve remade it as de_mirage and officially added it on June 12, 2013. It was included in CS2 at launch in September 2023. By December 2023 it was the most played map in both Premier and FACEIT matchmaking, according to the reference article on the map.

Nuke

Nuke (de_nuke) was first released in November 1999 for the original Counter-Strike. It was redesigned in 2016 as part of the Operation Wildfire update and updated again in 2018. The reference article describes it as heavily used in competitive play and divisive for its complex layout and large open areas.

How the pool changed

The reference list and Valve’s patch notes together give this sequence of swaps:

November 2022InAnubisOutDust II
April 2024InDust IIOutOverpass
January 2025InTrainOutVertigo
July 2025InOverpassOutAnubis
Jan. 21, 2026InAnubisOutTrain
July 8, 2026InCacheOutOverpass
Active Duty nowAncientAnubisCacheDust IIInfernoMirageNuke

The reference list gives July 6 as the date Cache joined the pool. Valve’s patch notes and announcement for the update are dated July 8, 2026, so this guide uses that date.

Map changes in the July 8, 2026 update

Season Five reworked bomb damage on all official defusal-mode maps. Valve wrote that when the bomb detonates, “an explosive wave of destruction will flow from the bombsite through the map.” It added that the shockwave dissipates around corners and does not go through walls. The patch notes say damage now comes from precomputed simulation values baked into the compiled map, and the shockwave expands rapidly from the center of the explosion instead of applying instantly. Valve also said the health bar flashes a preview of how you will fare after the blast.

Valve listed these map-specific fixes:

Cachevarious clipping adjustments.
Dust IIa pixel gap fixed Outside Tunnel, plus a clipping adjustment there.
Infernoa clipping fix to prevent a pixel boost at Top of Mid.

Community maps by mode

Maps outside the Active Duty pool rotate too. The July 8, 2026 update changed the community selection:

Removed from all game modesWarden, Stronghold, Alpine and Sanctum.
Added to Competitive, Casual and DeathmatchBoulder, Fachwerk and Shelter.
Added to WingmanDebris and El Dorado.

The Jan. 21, 2026 update had made the previous round of changes. Warden, Stronghold and Alpine went into Competitive, Casual and Deathmatch, while Sanctum and Poseidon went into Wingman. That update removed Golden, Palacio, Agency and Rooftop from all game modes.

Map Guides in casual and retakes

Since the Jan. 21, 2026 update, Map Guides can be loaded in online games of casual and retakes. You open them through the ESC menu.

FAQ

What maps are in the CS2 Active Duty pool?

Since the July 8, 2026 update: Ancient, Anubis, Cache, Dust II, Inferno, Mirage and Nuke.

Which map replaced Overpass?

Cache, in the July 8, 2026 update. Valve wrote that Cache “replaces Overpass in the active duty map pool.”

Does Valve change several maps at once?

Usually not. The reference list says the pool usually changes one map at a time, and Valve’s January and July 2026 updates each swapped a single map.

When was Dust II removed from the pool?

In November 2022, in favor of Anubis. It came back in April 2024, replacing Overpass.