[Top 5] CSGO Best Maps For Competitive Play

Updated:

10 Jul 2022

What Is a Competitive Map?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the most competitive FPS on the market with professional teams worldwide and prize pools scaling upwards of $1,000,000. For such a competitive game with such high stakes, one thing that is of the utmost importance is minimizing mistakes and ensuring consistency as high as possible. A big element of these critical factors is the map on which a team chooses to play.

The map that you are playing is so important because they all have different strategies, and are all fundamentally different when it comes to gameplay. The best competitive maps for this are the ones that limit the amount of randomness allowed round by round. That being said, these maps are the ones that have the highest probability of allowing the better team to win.

5. De_Mirage

Vitality and Natus Vincere face off!

Mirage is a staple map in competitive play and is the most played map of all time. The map is incredibly balanced, allowing for teams to make an impact on both sides. With such balancing, a better team can make sure they win rounds off of great team play.

Despite the fact that the map is balanced, there is a lot of room for solo plays, making it a mixed bag and allowing good players to make a difference on their own. The way the map is set up allows for the constant threat of lurks; meaning, that each individual needs to be honed in on their position.

4. De_Ancient

An ancient masterclass showed by Natus Vincere!

The most recent addition to the Counter-Strike map pool, Ancient, has shown itself to be a great map for competitive play.

The map is still going through changes, but as shown by a valve in the past, these changes will end up making a fantastic map. Even though Ancient is still in its infancy, the map is still viable for all levels of play due to its high ceiling for strategies.

Ancient is fairly CT-sided; however, many teams have found ways to throw off the balance, and tilt matches in their favor with great team play and strategy. The map has shown, so far, that a team that studies well and works hard can be unstoppable on it.

3. De_Overpass

Astralis and Virtus.pro show the competitiveness of Overpass.

Overpass is a very predictable map, with very little in terms of what teams can do to surprise their opponents. This predictability of this map will give the better team an advantage in the matchup every time.

With very little in the department of surprises, gimmicky plays, and new strategies, this map is all about efficiency. The importance of efficiency and making no mistakes makes this map great for competitive play, due to the inability of worse teams and players to make any upsets.

2. De_Nuke

Liquid and Natus Vincere show the complexities of Nuke

One of CS: GO’s oldest and most iconic maps, Nuke, is ideal for team play. With the map’s tight corridors and overwhelming verticality all over the map, no one play is likely to make a difference on their own.

Being such a complex map makes Nuke nearly impossible for any team without a deep understanding and superb team play to make an impact. The biggest struggle on Nuke is its unbalanced CT side, which the sites nearly impenetrable without proper coordination from your team.

1. De_Inferno

The world's best face-off in the Grand Final!

Inferno is truly the best map in the pool for competitive play, which is why is it also the most common decider map in professional play. This map is incredibly fair and balanced in every way possible and has some leeway for solo plays making it enjoyable to watch and play on.

What makes Inferno the best competitive map is that team play and coordination make everything work so well in every facet. Teamplay is needed for taking map control, and performing well-timed and perfect executes; however, smart players can find good timings and open up rounds on their own.

The main thing about Inferno that makes it the perfect competitive map is that utility is king. This means that the team who prepares better and finds ways to bypass current metas will be the dominant force.