As one of the few maps created by Valve, Ancient was released on December 3, 2020, as part of Operation Broken Fang. It wouldn't be until May 3, 2021, when the map was moved to the active map pool replacing Train. While Train was a well-liked and balanced map to the CS:GO community, there was some sentiment that it did start to feel a bit stale despite being one of the first maps to be reworked. This was apparent in the decline in pick rate at the professional level, but especially in casual play which is likely the cause for the remo

Consequently, players must be mindful of their choices to engage or not to engage with enemy players. Sometimes, it is a better option to let an encounter go if it means that they can regroup with their teammate or get better gear that will prepare them properly for an altercation later. Either way, players should remember that there's no shame in backing down from fights, as not doing so could result in a premature l

Non-game related gambling remained rampant on the Twitch service despite the aforementioned controversy, with gambling content quickly rising to be one of the most popular topics on Twitch in recent years. With the rise of cryptocurrency coming hand-in-hand with increased attention on gambling on the Twitch platform, the marriage of the two controversial subjects seemed like an inevitability to many view

Costing only $1000, this package gives players a Bump Mine, ExoJump Boots, and a Parachute, all of which greatly improve their ability to travel around the map. The Bump Mine specifically makes it easier for a player to target an enemy by allowing them to jump great distances, which can be useful for catching them off guard . If a player can master the use of the mobility package, then they will be well on their way to the higher ranks in the game m

Over time Overpass would receive numerous adjustments and tweaks to balance out the map and most would be well-received. Today the map is praised for its balance and unpredictable nature but remembered infamously for the "Fnatic/Olof boost" of 2013. During the fourth CS:GO Major at DreamHack Winter 2013 the professional player Olof "olofmeister" Gustafsson from the Swedish team Fnatic utilized an exploit known as "pixel walking" to gain an advantageous position against the opposing t

Websites quickly began exploiting the craze surrounding Counter Strike 's in-slg game Story Guide items, with sites like CSGO Lotto allowing players to trade their items for eligibility into raffles for extremely valuable prizes. Many streamers began promoting these kinds of websites, often without disclosing their financial stakes in the services they were promoting. For example, popular streamer Phantoml0rd was famously permanently banned from Twitch for just this reason, despite later winning a civil suit against the platform. Twitch would quickly go on to ban these kinds of raffle or gambling websites related to CSGO , marking one of the first major gambling controversies for the serv

What started as a Counter-Strike 1.6 community map called de_cpl_strike created by Michael "BubkeZ" Hull, would eventually become the de_mirage known today when it was altered in 2004. Valve would later remake the map for the launch of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive . This version has been featured in every CS:GO Major Championships to date and has consistently been in the top 5 most played maps in both casual and professional play since 2

Platforms: PC, Linux , macOS

Arguably the parent of Overwatch and its unique game modes, Team Fortress is a team shooter that remains popular to genre newcomers and pros years after its initial release . Players in a squad choose one out of nine classes, each with predetermined abilities and toolkits that can help achieve the mode's objectives. Matches can involve mechanics such as moving carts, protecting locations, or even stealing briefca

Escape From Tarkov is punishing on all fronts. In most games, players need to lose to learn. Tarkov punishes players for losing though, as all equipment brought into the field is lost upon death. On the flipside, players can get massive rewards for beating another player by taking their loot h

Managing the looting, complex gunplay, and punishing feelings of losing everything make Tarkov a true grind for newcomers. Its incredibly high TTK and lack of kill cams can make deaths feel impossible to learn from. Newcomers hoping to stick with the game will have to find a way to learn though, because Escape From Tarkov never holds the player's h

In this regard, gambling on Twitch has long been a source of disagreement, with some of the largest streamers on the platform leaning heavily into controversial sponsored gambling streams. This long-standing issue recently reached a boiling point, leading to most forms of gambling content being banned from the site, but the previous gambling-related incidents that led to this point should not be igno