Mirage callouts in CS2: place names, smokes and map history

This guide covers the Mirage place names in the Counter-Strike 2 English text file and the six smoke lineups in Valve’s official map guide. It also covers the map’s history from Valve’s posts and patch notes. The map data is as of the Oct. 15, 2026 game files.

Mirage callouts: the game’s place names

The English text file of Counter-Strike 2 has a Mirage block with these place names:

The official smoke guide titles its lineups Window, Connector, Cat, CT, T Ramp and Apts.

Valve’s official smoke lineups

Valve’s official map guide for Mirage has six smoke lineups. Each has a spot to stand, an aim point and a throw type. The guide marks “Jump Throw” on three of them and plain “Throw” on the other three, and it uses a left click for all six.

How to read the table

The guide’s wording for the standing spot is short: “Stand in corner against stairs” for Window and “Stand in corner against trashcan” for Connector. Cat, T Ramp and Apts say only “Stand in Corner.” CT says “Stand against wall at first corner.”

Practicing grenade throws

In the June 12, 2013 update for CS:GO, Valve added a tool to help players practice throwing flash and smoke grenades. Valve wrote that on a private server, entering sv_grenade_trajectory 1 in the console shows “the visual arc that grenades follow across the map.”

Mirage history

The 2013 update

In a post dated June 7, 2013, Valve wrote: “Since we launched Counter-Strike back in 2000, Mirage has remained one of the most popular competitive maps next to Dust2.” Valve wrote that its goal was to improve the readability and graphics of Mirage without losing any of the gameplay, jumps, corners, timings and balance.

Among the changes Valve described:

• WallsThe classic map had wall textures with a dark, noisy bottom half at player height. The update uses lower contrast, less noise and a brighter palette so player silhouettes are easier to identify.
• Boxes to balconyThe boxes on the left that lead to the balcony were changed to better match the theme of the map. Valve wrote that the changes are purely cosmetic, with the same dimensions.
• Entrance to A from CT spawnValve widened it to improve the flow of the game. It wrote that a common complaint from players is that spaces in classic maps feel too tight.
• Terrorist apartment balconyCTs could cover it from behind a box with little risk. Previously this was a crouch-jump hop onto the boxes to cover bombsite A. Valve added stairs behind the platform to make the area a more viable option for taking or retaking the site, and a slightly more dangerous place to be.
• MiddleThe boxes players use to boost into the sniper’s nest kept their shape and only got new art. Valve wrote that CT snipers in the classic version had an easier time staying concealed, and that in the update snipers silhouette better against the back wall.
• Underpass tunnelValve wrote that some players largely neglected it because it was too concealed. It brightened the entrance and wrapped the stairs around the corner.
• Route to B from T spawnTs previously needed two box jumps to enter the main route to B via the apartments. Valve made the entrance easier to navigate while preserving the time it takes Ts to reach B.

Valve also wrote that it had collected data during development on how players approach the original map, and that it would monitor the same statistics to check that the classic gameplay was retained.

The updated map arrived on June 12, 2013. Valve wrote that players could jump into an official Casual, Competitive or Deathmatch server to try it.

CS:GO map groups in 2014

In the release notes for July 1, 2014, Valve divided maps into three groups: Active Duty, Reserves and Operation. Mirage was in the Active Duty group, listed with Dust II, Nuke, Inferno, Cobblestone, Overpass and Cache. Valve wrote that the assignments would be re-evaluated every Operation. The same notes list one Mirage fix: a collision exploit near the entrance to Underpass.

Counter-Strike 2 in 2023

• June 6, 2023Valve wrote in the release notes (published at 2:43 p.m. PDT) that Mirage had replaced Dust II on official Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test matchmaking servers.
• June 29, 2023The release notes (published at 5:31 p.m. PDT) list “Removed Mirage” under maps. The same update added Nuke to Deathmatch, Casual and Competitive and added Office to Deathmatch and Casual.
• Nov. 8, 2023Two Mirage changes appear in the release notes: a fix for clipping on a bench in Palace, and a lower box on A site “to match CS:GO.”
• Nov. 30, 2023The notes list five Mirage changes. Valve fixed clipping on the van at Truck, clipped a fridge in Apartments to stop players from becoming stuck and adjusted the bombsite A size with added visual boundaries. It also fixed collision on Scaffolding for smooth movement and fixed geometry and clipping outside Sniper’s Nest to prevent pixel walking.

FAQ

How many official smoke lineups does Valve’s Mirage guide have?

Six: Window, Connector, Cat, CT, T Ramp and Apts. Valve’s guide marks all six as smoke grenades.

Which Mirage lineups use a jump throw?

Window, Connector and CT use a left click jump throw. Cat, T Ramp and Apts use a left click throw without a jump.

When did the updated Mirage come out in CS:GO?

Valve released it on June 12, 2013, in official Casual, Competitive and Deathmatch servers. It had described its approach in a post on June 7, 2013.

When did Mirage replace Dust II in the Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test?

Valve’s release notes for June 6, 2023 say Mirage replaced Dust II on official Limited Test matchmaking servers. The notes for June 29, 2023 list “Removed Mirage.”

What does sv_grenade_trajectory 1 do?

Valve added it to CS:GO in June 2013 and wrote that on a private server it shows the visual arc grenades follow across the map.