Learning the various maps is an essential part of any player's journey in any FPS title but this is especially the case in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) with a variety of strategies and tactical elements to each map.
While CS:GO has a variety of different maps for players to be able to learn, for those wishing to enter the game's competitive scene, only a select few are likely to be relevant and should be a priority for players to learn. Here's what they are and how they work
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How Does CS:GO Competitive Work?
The competitive mode in CS:GO consists of two teams of five players battling it out in a 30-round match where each team spends a half taking up both of the available roles. The attacking team of terrorists, which is commonly referred to as T-side, and the defending team of Counter-terrorists which are commonly referred to as CT-side.
The objective of the competitive mode revolves around the attacking team of terrorists planting a bomb at one of the designated bomb sites across the map and hoping it detonates. They can also eliminate all of the counter-terrorists to win the round. Counter-terrorists, meanwhile, must eliminate all of the terrorists before the bomb can be planted or disarm the bomb once it is planted.
Each round is one minute and 55 seconds long and the bomb timer is set for 40 seconds. There is a phase at the start of each round where teams can buy equipment to give them the edge, with their money dependent on their performance in prior rounds. All players get to vote on which maps they want to play out of the main pool and any reserves being added, with the eSports scene usually having a best-of-three game where they pick and ban from the selection of maps available.
CS:GO Competitive Maps
Below you can find a list of all the maps that may make an appearance in the competitive mode while you play. The list is broken into two sections with the first being the core pool of maps you will always encounter and should prioritise learning and the second just being the occasional reserve map that might appear.
Active Duty Map Pool
- Ancient
- Dust II
- Inferno
- Mirage
- Nuke
- Overpass
- Vertigo
Reserves Map Pool
- Cache
- Grind
- Mocha
- Train