Valve teases Cache returning to CS2 competitive map pool

Bruno Sobieraj Published April 28, 2026

Cache could be making its return to professional Counter-Strike in the next few months, possibly entering the in-game competitive map pool as soon as next week.

Valve bought the rights to the map from its creator, FMPONE, almost a year ago, and they finally seem to have completed its rework. At this point, Cache’s release is just a matter of time.

How will Cache being back impact the Counter-Strike space? Let’s discuss.

Fanfare surrounding Cache’s return

Which version of Cache will return: green or OG white? Credit: © Valve

Ever since Valve started teasing Cache’s return on the official Counter-Strike page on X a few days ago, fans and players haven’t been able to contain their excitement. Cache is one of the most beloved CS:GO maps of all time, held in equally high regard as Dust II and Mirage by many players.

It was also the home of several iconic highlights by some of the best CS2 players, including Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev’s infamous B-site double noscope and two Nikola “NiKo” Kovac crazy deagle aces.

Despite its legendary status within the community, Cache hasn’t been in the competitive map pool for over seven years, since it got replaced with Vertigo in March 2019. Despite several tweaks and updates throughout, it never made its way back into the pool.

For the past year, Valve have been working on the map behind the scenes, rebuilding and preparing it for its return. Recent posts on the official Counter-Strike X account suggest Cache’s return is near.

Which map will Cache replace?

Could Mirage make way for Cache? Credit: © Valve

With Cache coming in, one of the maps currently in the competitive map pool will have to be removed. But what are the most likely candidates?

Given that Cache is a relatively simple and puggy map, it would make sense for it to replace a map of a similar style, in order to keep balance within the pool. With that line of thinking, Ancient or Anubis could be on the chopping block.

Although Anubis was added back into the pool just a few months ago, many fans speculated that it was just a placeholder for when Cache is ready. Soon, we will see if that’s the case.

Classics like Mirage, Dust II, and Inferno are probably safe. Even though they are often called boring, they are classics for a reason, having been part of Counter-Strike’s competitive scene for decades.

Despite it not making much sense style-wise, the map favored by CS2 odds to be replaced by Cache is Overpass. Along with Anubis, it’s the least popular map in the pool, and that seems to be one of the most important metrics Valve looks at when making these types of decisions.

Read also: Counter-Strike legend FalleN to retire in 2026, a look back at his iconic career

Featured image credit: © Valve