2022 is officially the 10th anniversary of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s (also known as CS:GO). Since its release in 2012, the game has developed an enormous fan base and a thriving professional scene. Over the years, Valve has given fans a ton of new and interesting Competitive maps to play. Some of these maps have become long-standing staples, but many others have been removed from the game entirely. From old-school classics to new community-made favorites, let’s take a look at some of the CS:GO Competitive maps that deserve another chance.

Zoo

Zoo is a bomb-defusing map set in a San Francisco Zoo. The map was created by Squad and Yanzi and was first added to CS:GO during Operation Bloodhound in May 2015. The map features several animal exhibits and an indoor aquarium. Fish are the only animals actually found in the map, but players, depending on their location, can hear different animal noises. The map is fairly large and contains many long, narrow, winding pathways. These pathways can be a bit annoying to traverse through, but they do make the map feel unique. At the end of Operation Bloodhound in October 2015, Zoo was removed from the game. However, it was re-added for a short time in 2019. With a great theme and plenty of fans, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Zoo included in Competitive once again. Hopefully there will be more animals to see next time.

Aztec

Originally created by Chris Auty, Aztec is a bomb-defusing map that has been present in several Counter Strike games. The map is set in a rainy Central American archeological site and features long-range sight lines that benefit snipers. Aztec spent many years in the CS:GO Competitive map pool but was removed in late 2017 along with several other classic maps. According to Valve, these maps were less popular and prevented new and recently updated maps from standing out. After the update, many of these maps remained playable through other game modes, like Deathmatch. Aztec wasn’t as lucky. It is not currently playable in any official game mode. Fans of Aztec can play the similarly themed Ancient, but it’s just not the same. Despite the interesting setting, Ancient is a very plain and safe map. Aztec was imperfect but unique. The rain, setting, verticality, and long sight lines gave it a very distinct feel. Ancient just feels like Dust II in the jungle. Maybe Valve will release an updated version of Aztec someday, but for now, fans will have to wait.

Biome

Biome is a bomb-defusing map that takes place in a large greenhouse facility in Africa. It was created by jd40 and added into CS:GO in October 2018. When first added, the map had some issues, especially with invisible walls that blocked grenades. It eventually received updates that addressed many of these issues and improved gameplay. Biome’s theme and visual design were enjoyable, and it was overall fun to play on. Ultimately though, Biome was removed from the game in April 2019. With a few more design tweaks, Biome could be truly great. Hopefully a new and improved version of the map will be included in the future.

Season

Season was first created by Ted McIlwain as an unofficial Counter-Strike: Source (CSS) map. It became a big hit with fans and was a popular choice for CSS tournaments. After the release of CS:GO, Season was ported over and received several updates with some help from map-maker FMPONE. Valve first added it to the game in November 2014 during Operation Vanguard. It was also included in the proceeding operation, Operation Bloodhound. At the conclusion of Operation Bloodhound in October 2015, Season was removed from the game and has yet to be featured again. The CS:GO version of Season was a sleek bomb-defusing map set in a Japanese bio-research facility. The map looked great, was a ton of fun to play on, and remains a fan favorite. A quick look at Season’s Steam Workshop page shows hundreds of comments calling for Valve to add it as an official map. Hopefully they’ll listen, and fans will get to experience Season again soon.

Workout

Created by Skybex, Workout is a huge hostage rescue map set in a sports complex. The map features countless unique areas including a basketball court, day care, coffee shop, and pool. Workout’s bright and colorful aesthetics were also a great contrast to the game's many dull and gritty maps. Workout was first added to CS:GO during Operation Vanguard and was removed from the game in 2015. The map was then re-added to the game in April 2019 but was removed again after just three months. Workout has a dedicated fan base, a fun theme, and a lot of potential. With a Competitive map pool that’s heavily skewed towards bomb-defusing maps, it would be great to have a popular hostage map like Workout featured again.

Subzero

Subzero is bomb-defusing map set in an arctic naval base. It was created by FMPONE and Tanuki and included in the game from October 2018 to January 2019. Subzero’s icy aesthetics and focus on small details made it stand out among the other Competitive maps. Subzero also had solid gameplay and allowed players to move around and attack sites in a variety of creative ways. Overall, Subzero felt like a breath of fresh air both design and gameplay wise. If it were given another chance in the spotlight, and a few updates, Subzero could become a big hit.

Dust

Created by David Johnston, Dust is a classic bomb-defusing map that has appeared in every game in the Counter Strike series. Like it’s more popular brother Dust II, the map takes place in a Middle Eastern town. Dust is a plain-looking map and had balancing issues, but was still a good time for gamers. Unfortunately, Dust was greatly overshadowed by Dust II and other more popular maps. Ultimately, Dust was removed in the same 2017 update that killed Aztec. On the bright side, fans can play an edited version of the map in Wingman mode, so it’s not entirely gone from the game. It would be nice to see Dust in Competitive again someday though. After all, Dust II is probably lonely.

Anubis

Anubis is a bomb-defusing map created by Roald, Jakuza, and jd40, which was added into CS:GO in March 2020. It was one of the winners of a map-making contest hosted by Mapcore in 2019. Anubis became a fan favorite and quickly made its way into official Competitive matchmaking. There’s a high level of detail and a lot of beauty in this map, but the setting feels a bit boring. Anubis takes place in an Egyptian town, but with so many other Middle Eastern and North African Counter Strike maps, it just doesn’t feel unique. Though from a gameplay perspective, Anubis is solid, fun, and creative. It would be great to see Anubis again someday, but with its recent removal in 2021, that may be a long way away.

Cobblestone

Cobblestone is a large bomb-defusing map set in a European castle. It was originally created by Dust mapmaker, David Johnston. The map features a significant amount of vertical design, and has many long-range, open spaces that benefit snipers. Cobblestone was added to CS:GO in December 2013 and was eventually played at the highest-level tournaments. However, the map had some design issues and remained controversial among amateur and professional players. There were several attempts to revamp the map and improve its issues, but Valve never seemed to get it quite right. Due to lower popularity, Valve removed Cobblestone from Competitive in 2019, but it remains playable in other game modes. Valve really seemed to believe in Cobblestone as evidenced by all the attempted fixes. If they’re ever able to adequately address players’ concerns, it’s easy to imagine Cobblestone becoming one of the most popular maps.

Militia

Set on a farm, Militia is a simple but unique hostage-rescue map. A lot of the map is wide open, but there are also some close quarter areas like the tunnels and farmhouse. This split between long-range and close-range leads to varied strategies and weapon choices, depending on players’ styles. The map was originally added to the game in 2013 but was removed from Competitive in the 2017 update. However, a winter themed version of Militia was briefly re-added in December 2018. Currently, Militia can still be played in other game modes, but its lack of inclusion in Competitive is unfortunate. Militia has undergone some substantial changes since its first appearance in the original Counter Strike, so there’s nothing stopping Valve from further revamping the map. Hopefully, we’ll get to see a new version of Militia in the future.