CS 1.6 Maps: All 25 Official Maps and Game Modes

Q: How do I change the map in CS 1.6?

On your own server, type changelevel followed by the map name, such as changelevel de_nuke. To start a new server on a map, use map de_nuke or pick it under New Game.

Counter-Strike 1.6 on Steam ships with 25 official maps: 15 bomb defusal maps, 9 hostage rescue maps and 1 VIP assassination map. This guide lists all of them, explains what the map prefixes mean, and shows which maps the community still plays most.

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

What de_, cs_ and as_ mean

The prefix in a map's name tells you the objective.

Prefix	Mode	Terrorists	Counter-Terrorists
de_	Bomb defusal	Plant the C4 at one of the bomb sites and protect it until it explodes	Stop the plant, or defuse the bomb in time
cs_	Hostage rescue	Hold the hostages	Lead the hostages to the rescue zone
as_	Assassination	Kill the VIP	Escort the VIP, a Counter-Terrorist player, to the extraction point

In every mode, a round also ends when one team is wiped out, and players who die sit out until the next round. On bomb maps, the C4 timer is 45 seconds by default (mp_c4timer 45). On hostage maps, killing a hostage costs you money, and servers can kick players after too many hostage kills.

All 25 official CS 1.6 maps

The objectives below are summarized from the briefing files that ship with each map.

Bomb defusal maps (de_)

Map	Setting and objective
de_airstrip	Destroy the fuel and cargo areas inside an airstrip compound.
de_aztec	Bomb an archaeological site in Aztec ruins.
de_cbble	Cobble: two bomb sites around Lord William's country farmhouse.
de_chateau	The sequel to Cobble: plant at the front or rear courtyard of Lord William's rebuilt chateau.
de_dust	Destroy one of two chemical weapon stashes. The original Dust.
de_dust2	Dust II: the same chemical weapon stash story on a new layout.
de_inferno	Destroy one of two gas pipelines running through a small village.
de_nuke	Destroy a nuclear missile. The sites can be attacked from above and below.
de_piranesi	Destroy the sundial or the orrery at a villa about to open as a museum.
de_prodigy	Bomb a computer lab or a fuel pipeline control room.
de_storm	Destroy one of two stashes of weapon crates.
de_survivor	Bomb a truck or a crashed plane in a snowstorm.
de_torn	Release a nerve agent into a town's water supply.
de_train	Destroy the nuclear payload on one of two trains in a rail yard.
de_vertigo	Blow up a tower before it's finished. The briefing also warns you not to fall off.

Hostage rescue maps (cs_)

Map	Setting and objective
cs_747	Storm a hijacked airliner and rescue 5 hostages.
cs_assault	Rescue 4 hostages. The Terrorists may be watching you through security cameras.
cs_backalley	Alleyway: rescue 4 hostages from a Terrorist stronghold.
cs_estate	Rescue 3 hostages from a mansion.
cs_havana	Rescue political hostages in Old Havana before the Terrorists are evacuated by helicopter.
cs_italy	Find your way through an Italian city to reach the hostages.
cs_militia	Rescue 4 hostages from a militia compound.
cs_office	Rescue 4 hostages from an office building.
cs_siege	Canyon Siege: rescue 4 hostages from a prisoner-of-war stronghold.

Assassination map (as_)

Map	Setting and objective
as_oilrig	Escort the VIP, a key witness, up to a helicopter on an oil rig. Terrorists must stop him escaping.

The most popular CS 1.6 maps today

Our CS 1.6 server list tracks about 19,000 online servers. On November 9, 2026, de_dust2 was running on about 3,900 of them, far more than any other map. de_inferno came second with about 1,500. de_dust, de_nuke, de_train, de_aztec, cs_italy, cs_assault and cs_office each ran on roughly 750 to 800 servers. These counts include empty servers, so filter the list by map and sort by players to find busy games.

Community maps also show up near the top: fy_snow, fy_pool_day, aim_map and awp_india each appeared on more than 700 servers.

Classic maps worth learning first

de_dust2

Dust II is the map most new players should learn first, because so many servers run it. Wikipedia credits it to David Johnston, the creator of the original Dust, and dates its first release to March 13, 2001, as part of Counter-Strike 1.1. The layout is built around three routes: Long A, Middle with the Catwalk up to the A site (often called Short), and the B tunnels. Middle also has double doors that lead toward the Counter-Terrorist spawn.

de_inferno

Inferno is set in a small village with two bomb sites on gas pipelines. It is the second most common map on our list, so it's a good next step after Dust II.

de_nuke

Nuke's two targets can be reached from above and below, as its briefing warns. That makes sound and vertical awareness more important than on flat maps.

de_train

Train's two targets are nuclear payloads on trains parked in a rail yard. Learn which cars give cover on the way to each site before you play it online.

cs_office and cs_italy

These are the hostage maps you'll meet most. Office sends Counter-Terrorists into an office building to free 4 hostages, while Italy is set in the streets of an Italian city. As a Counter-Terrorist, you have to reach the hostages and then lead them back out, so plan your route both ways.

Default map rotation

When you create a server, the default mapcycle.txt rotates through 16 maps in this order: de_airstrip, cs_havana, de_chateau, de_aztec, as_oilrig, cs_siege, de_cbble, de_dust, cs_747, de_prodigy, cs_assault, cs_office, cs_italy, cs_backalley, cs_militia and de_train. You can edit the file to change the rotation.

Community map types

Most servers run custom maps alongside the official ones. The prefix usually tells you what kind of game to expect:

aim_ and awp_: small arenas for straight duels. awp_ maps are built around the AWP sniper rifle.
fy_: small open maps for fast rounds.
surf_: maps where you slide along angled ramps, based on movement rather than shooting.
zm_ and ze_: maps for zombie mods. ze_ stands for zombie escape, where humans run to an exit.
_2x2 versions: smaller copies of classic maps, such as de_dust2_2x2, for low player counts.

When you join a server running a map you don't have, the game downloads it automatically. That works as long as cl_allowdownload is on, which is the default. To add a map by hand, put its .bsp file in the cstrike\maps folder.

How to play a map offline

Choose New Game in the main menu, pick a map and start the server. You can also open the console and type map de_dust2. On a server you run, changelevel de_inferno switches maps without kicking anyone. Walking a map alone is the fastest way to learn its routes. Our console commands list covers more server commands.

The standard Steam version doesn't include working bots. Our CS 1.6 browser version lets you play de_dust2, de_inferno, de_nuke, de_train, de_aztec, cs_office, cs_italy and de_dust offline against bots, using your own Steam game files.

Frequently asked questions

How many maps are in CS 1.6?

The Steam version ships with 25 official maps: 15 bomb defusal (de_), 9 hostage rescue (cs_) and 1 assassination map, as_oilrig. Servers also run many community-made maps.

What is the most popular map in CS 1.6?

de_dust2, by a wide margin. On November 9, 2026, it was running on about 3,900 servers in our list, more than twice as many as de_inferno in second place.

What do de_, cs_ and as_ mean in CS 1.6?

They name the game mode. de_ is bomb defusal, cs_ is hostage rescue, and as_ is assassination, where Counter-Terrorists escort a VIP player to safety.

How do I change the map in CS 1.6?

On your own server, type changelevel followed by the map name, such as changelevel de_nuke. To start a new server on a map, use map de_nuke or pick it under New Game.

How do I add custom maps to CS 1.6?

Most custom maps download automatically when you join a server that runs them. To install one yourself, copy its .bsp file into the cstrike\maps folder of your Half-Life install.

Who made de_dust2?

David Johnston, who also made the original de_dust. Wikipedia dates its first release to March 13, 2001, in Counter-Strike 1.1, and the map's own credits list him as DaveJ.