Valve now owns Cache, will popular map return to CS2?

Reports indicate that Counter-Strike 2 publisher Valve has purchased the popular Counter-Strike map Cache, and that it’ll likely return to CS2 in the future.

Counter-Strike 2 is famous for its loyal fans who play the game in large numbers and give their extensive input to Valve in the hopes that their favorite tactical shooter can become even better. The developer recently added recoil updates to CS2 after a fan performed extensive research and shared their data, and Valve seems to be looking out for its fans once again as it’s reportedly bringing back a fan-favorite element.

Fans noticed that the recent CS2 update mentioned Cache alongside other maps. This began speculation that the map is returning to the game. The developer of Cache confirmed that Valve has now purchased the map. The Counter-Strike X account replied to the tweet with an emoji hitting at the return of Cache to CS2 very soon.

Valve tried to buy Cache previously

The developer of Cache stated that Valve reached out to purchase the map on the first day of release, and that this was the second time the CS2 developer had attempted to buy it.

Cache was originally released in 2014 and became a beloved Counter-Strike map from there. This was in large part because of Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev. The player’s iconic double no-scope play at MLG Major Championship: Columbus 2016 is still legendary. Valve immortalized the play by adding it to the map with a graffiti. The map was massively popular, but Valve replaced it with Vertigo in the active CSGO tournament map pool in 2019.

Fans have been waiting for the map’s return ever since then and speculation arose about its return in CS2. This was because the developer Shawn “FMPONE” Snelling stopped updating the map in March 2024. While nothing was concrete, fans speculated that the map may have been transferred to Valve.

In a May CS2 update, fans noticed the mention of the map’s name in the general map pool which led to fans feeling hopeful about its return. A fan questioned Cache’s developer on X and FMPONE confirmed that Valve had acquired the rights of the map.

FMPONE further stated that he had not commented out of respect for the development team, but Valve had long held intentions to buy the map. FMPONE went on to say that Valve had attempted to buy the map in the period between 2013 to 2015 but Cache’s development team didn’t want to sell it at the time. Things later changed, leading Valve to acquire the beloved map and set it up for its official CS2 debut.