CS2 players crave return of ‘nostalgic’ maps as competitive pool becomes stale

Counter-Strike 2 players are demanding changes, and many want to see an update to the competitive map pool as they feel it’s become stale. On Reddit, CS2 players are discussing the maps they’d like to see return.

In an April 16 Reddit post, players talked about the state of CS2’s map pool after redditor SyncingSLow posted a picture of an updated Train map from the game’s trailer. “Where is Train? I’m sick of the current map pool,” they wrote, and while not everyone agrees Train should come back, they want Valve to shake things up.

“I don’t hate the current map pool but I miss train so much. It’s my second favorite map ever, it’s so good,” one player wrote. “I want it back too, but I think it is just nostalgia for me. Cache tho I really want to see, I was demon on that map,” another added. Players also said they’d love to see Cobblestone back in the map pool.

All three of these maps are nostalgic for a handful of good reasons. Train, Cache, and Cobblestone were included in CS:GO’s competitive map pool for years, before being cut at the end of the last decade—except Train, which was replaced in 2021. CS2’s community is often nostalgic about maps, and we’d be lying if we said we feel otherwise, especially since Train was teased in CS2’s trailers last summer.

Having said that, some players believe being nostalgic and sentimental isn’t healthy for the game. A few players chimed in to say we should be more excited to see new maps added to the roster. “Some people should stop with this old maps obsession. Yes, we need some of the old maps but in Competitive mode or Casual, we need new maps in Premier,” one player wrote.

All in all, regardless of whether Valve adds new maps or reintroduces classic ones after overhauling them, one thing is certain: The map pool has become stale and it needs an update. Anubis was the last map introduced to the competitive map pool when it replaced Dust 2 a year and a half ago in November 2022.