Whether you’re a new CSGO player or bettor, learning about CSGO competitive maps gives you the essence of the game. For players, you understand the kind of strategies and required skill sets that are suited and unique to each map. For bettors, the maps themselves can dictate the spread way before a game is underway.
Let’s visit the Counter-Strike competitive maps that are relevant for both types of readers.
All CS:GO Maps in the Active Duty Map Pool
The Active Duty map pool includes all Counter-Strike 2 maps played in professional events, such as the Major, World Final, and Katowice. That said, every Counter-Strike betting market is offered within or through these maps.
Below is the Active Duty CSGO maps list sorted by the total number of times played since 2013 (highest to lowest).
Mirage
Image Credit: Valve
What do all 18 Majors have one thing in common? Mirage.
From 2013 to 2022, Mirage has been played professionally more than 23,000 times. It’s a landmark among all CS:GO competitive maps, a crossroad where the best CS:GO teams in the world are expected to show up in good form any day of the week.
Of course, a deep understanding of any map is a must on the competitive stage. Still, Mirage is the buy-in you can’t afford to miss—just like in the desert.
Inferno
Image Credit: Valve
Inferno is the most balanced of all CS:GO maps listed on the Active Duty map pool. Literally.
Looking at the latest Counter-Strike statistics, Inferno has a win rate of 50% on both T and CT sides (yes, split dead even). This means betting here during a big event with two equally capable teams is almost akin to a coin flip.
Tight alleys, open apartments, and wandering chickens. Inferno is a versatile and strategically friendly map for all.
Over
Image Credit: Valve
Compared to all CS:GO maps, “Over” is a misnomer. It’s been tweaked to the gills and refined to the edge, but it’s far from being “é” or “over.” Teams picked it first at the ESL One Cologne 2014 Major, and it’s still being picked today—years after the infamous “Olofboost” that sparked one of the most controversial Counter-Strike events in history.
The labyrinthine layout divided by the hard contrast between the sun-kissed playground above and the dim, grimy sewers below tells of a map filled with as much energy as notoriety.
Nuke
Image Credit: Valve
Nuke’s settings say a lot about its theme: you don’t shoot guns in a nuclear power plant without fanning tension. And in a part-open, multi-level map that dabbles with vents and AWPer’s nests, tension is exactly what you get.
Don’t be misled by the elegant white walls and alluring blue skybox. A single kill in Nuke can open up a lot of possibilities due to its tightly interconnected sites. There may be six other Counter-Strike 2 competitive maps, but if you want to bet live on Counter-Strike, this is the one that never fails to entertain.
Vertigo
When Vertigo came to the scene in 2019, it was received by the community with a tinge of malice. A huge part of what makes the map weak is the layout. For instance, one of the entry points (A Ramp) can easily be smoked and spammed, making gameplay strategically and mechanically dull.
Even the best CSGO players often ban Vertigo, saying it’s overdue for another rework. Like it or not, it’s on the competitive Counter-Strike maps list, and it’s here to stay.
Ancient
Image Credit: Valve
Want some Counter-Strike betting tips? Watch out for who’s attacking or defending on Ancient and pay attention to the teams’ map history. With a 55.8% CT win rate, it’s the most defendable CSGO map at the moment.
Most pro players also put Ancient low on the tier list because of its poor visuals and uncreative layout. Yet there’s something about its dark, mossy, and sizable features that make it stand out.
Anubis
Image Credit: Valve
Anubis is the newest addition to the competitive CSGO map list. And unsurprisingly, it’s also the least picked one. Why? Maybe at the top level, there are simply more reliable maps to pick and easier maps to ban.
In any case, it’s been played 345 times in the pro scene in 2023 and has a 54.7% T win rate, the highest for the attacking side (Inferno comes second with 51.6%). Perhaps this is due to Anubis sites having multiple entries that can be exploited from the center—the perfect layout for Counter-Strike bomb betting.
The map’s aesthetics is arguably the most pleasing in the game: bright and clear—just like its future.
Reserve CSGO Maps List
Here are all CS:GO maps that once belonged to the Active Duty map pool.
Dust 2
Image Credit: Valve
If you started playing Counter-Strike 1.6, you probably can’t help being nostalgic whenever you hear the name “de_dust.” It’s the most iconic of all Counter-Strike 2 maps. That’s why when its evolution Dust 2 was removed from the Active Duty map pool, many hearts in the community sank.
It features proximate sites with an easily-contestable double door in between, which complicates rotation once utilities have been exhausted. Regardless, it’s a recommended starting map when learning to get better at Counter-Strike.
Train
Image Credit: Valve
Train—players either love it or hate it. From DreamHack Winter 2013 to the day it left the Active Duty map pool in 2019, Train only missed 3 Majors. The long freights and the flanking routes make for a good game of cat and mouse.
Cache
Image Credit: Valve
A non-biased map, Cache was once the favorite of many Counter-Strike pros. It was last seen in the ELEAGUE Major 2018, although it wasn’t officially removed from the Active Duty map pool until early 2019.
The Complete CS:GO Maps List
Here are the rest of the Counter-Strike maps you can play (not including War Games and other miscellaneous maps).
- Agency
- Assault
- Boyard
- Canals
- Chalice
- Cobblestone
- Italy
- Lake
- Militia
- Office
- Shortdust
- Tuscan
