Valve has refreshed the counter-strike franchise with new maps, but dedicated players still look back at CS 1.6 maps with nostalgia. Some of the classic locations are impossible to forget.
Shooter games come and go, but CSGO is evergreen. Valve’s first-person shooter is one of the oldest five-versus-five games with a dedicated player base that has seen it evolve.
In 22 years, Valve has rolled out over 100 official maps in the franchise, but not all are available in the latest version. Older players can’t stop reminiscing about the classic maps and wonder how they’d work in the modern counter-strike.
The best CS 1.6 maps that should return to CSGO
Players are still hoping for some legendary locations to make it to the CSGO map pool. Here are the top CS 1.6 maps that may sit well in the casual, competitive, and deathmatch modes of CSGO.
fy_pool_day
Back in the day, nothing was better than a pool day under clear sky. The stark tiles contrasting the brown hills still trigger a bittersweet nostalgia whenever Pool Day’s image pops up on the internet.
The assortment of weapons laid outside the toilet, swimming tech, and enclosed interiors ensured that Pool Day was the most entertaining map in CS 1.6.
While the map design surely doesn’t suit competitive play, Pool Day could be a fun addition to the wingman category.
Cs_estate
Counter-strike players love a scenic location set in the nighttime. Cs_estate had a haunting villa, dark alleys, and underground tunnel, all the right ingredients for a light-hearted hostage mode.
The quiet location had epic contrast of dark outsides and sleek villa interior. The fluorescent corridors were undoubtedly tricky to walk the hostages to the dark road safely.
Unlike Pool Day, Estate’s map design could actually work in competitive if it weren’t hostage mode. However, the dark light would be a massive nuisance to ensure fair competition. Still, it’s one of the legendary maps that may see success in CSGO’s casual mode.
Cs_havana
Set in Cuba, this homely location was a hit among the condition zero and 1.6 fans. The dim blue light of cs_havana sets it apart from other maps, but it’s also part of the reason why it didn’t make a suitable competitive map in CSGO.
Among CS 1.6 maps, Havana was the most complicated one to master due to its unique layout.
This hostage rescue map didn’t make it to the official map pool, but it remains an iconic location. CSGO’s map layout differs vastly from what Havana has to offer, so it makes sense why Valve would leave it in 1.6.
De_prodigy
The bomb defusal location was set in what seems to be a military base in the mountains. The dim light paired with the mountains added a dreamy feel to the deadly site. Tons of choke points and an open outside area made it an enjoyable defusal location.
While players loved locking horns on this mountainous location, its map design wasn’t suited for competitive play in CSGO. Cramped enclosed areas and confusing interiors would make it a less tactical map in polished counter-strike. But, players would still love to run it in casual game mode.
Cobblestone (de_cbble)
Cobblestone did funnel into CSGO, thanks to its popularity in the counter-strike franchise, but it didn’t last long. The rocky outlands were added into competitive, but Valve deemed it unfit for ranked mode.
New players preferred to queue in Mirage, Dust 2, and other locations, making Cobblestone less popular. Vertigo replaced it in 2019, but now players want it back.
The CSGO players are desperately waiting for Cobblestone to return to the competitive map pool. It is still available on official servers, but only in casual modes. Players want one more chance to take it on a spin in a more competitive setting.
