Top CS2 maps at the Budapest Major 2025: Dust II, Mirage & more

• CS2 Budapest Major 2025 map overview
• CS2 Active Duty map pool at the Budapest Major
• Budapest Major map stats at a glance
• Dust II: the most played map in Budapest
• Mirage and Inferno: always in the meta
• Nuke: king of best-of-one matches
• Train’s return and impact on the Major
• Ancient and Overpass: at risk of rotation?
• Cobblestone hype and what it means for the future
• What these stats mean for your own CS2 games
• CS2 skins, map identity, and upgrading your loadout

CS2 Budapest Major 2025 map overview

The StarLadder CS2 Budapest Major 2025 gave us one of the clearest pictures yet of the competitive map meta. Pro teams came in with months of prep, ultra-refined veto strategies, and a clear idea of which battlegrounds they trusted when everything was on the line.

Those choices tell you much more than just which maps are popular. They reveal:

• Which maps teams consider the most stable and predictable.
• Which battlegrounds are best for best-of-one (Bo1) coin-flip matches.
• Where teams feel comfortable trying creative executes and new defaults.
• What Valve might target next when they tweak the Active Duty pool.

If you’re a ranked grinder or play in amateur tournaments, understanding these trends can directly improve your own map pool. The same logic that guides a Tier 1 in-game leader also applies in your Faceit stack — just with a bit more chaos and a bit less strat book.

CS2 Active Duty map pool at the Budapest Major

The Budapest Major used the current CS2 Active Duty pool, with a few important differences compared to earlier events in 2025.

The maps in play were:

• Dust II
• Mirage
• Inferno
• Nuke
• Train
• Ancient
• Overpass

Two key context points shaped this event:

• Overpass replaced Anubis in the pool for this Major. Anubis was used at the Austin Major earlier in 2025, but sat out in Budapest.
• Train was playing its second CS2 Major after returning to Active Duty when Vertigo was removed at the end of 2024.

That meant teams were still refining their structures on Train and Overpass, while legacy maps like Dust II, Mirage, and Inferno remained the default comfort picks.

Budapest Major map stats at a glance

Here’s a simplified look at how often each CS2 map appeared at the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025. These numbers combine the Swiss stages and Playoffs, and use HLTV data referenced by the event broadcast team.

*Totals across the Austin and Budapest CS2 Majors 2025, based on HLTV.org stats.

Even without diving into demo reviews, the trends are obvious:

• Dust II, Mirage, and Inferno are the backbone of the current CS2 competitive meta.
• Nuke is especially favored in best-of-one scenarios.
• Ancient and Overpass sit at the bottom in raw play rate, which always makes them candidates for Valve’s next map rotation.

Dust II: the most played map in Budapest

Dust II finished the event as the single most played map at the Budapest Major, edging ahead of Mirage and Inferno. The gap was not massive, but it was consistent across stages.

That shouldn’t surprise anyone who’s touched Counter-Strike over the last 20 years. Dust II is:

• One of the easiest maps to understand for new players.
• Highly replayable thanks to simple yet deep mid control and fast hits.
• Friendly for both AWPers and riflers, which suits almost every roster.

At the Budapest Major, Dust II was more than just a comfort pick. It decided the tournament.

Dust II’s impact on the grand final

The clearest example was the grand final between Team Vitality and FaZe. After a rough opening map on Nuke where Vitality were completely outclassed, Dust II became the turning point of the entire series.

On Dust II, Vitality:

• Regained confidence after a disastrous first map.
• Found success with fast A splits and mid-round B hits.
• Showed that their individuals were perfectly comfortable taking dry duels and wide swings on long, short, and mid.

From that moment, the momentum shifted. Dust II wasn’t just another win on the board; it was the psychological reset Vitality needed to power through the rest of the series on their way to lifting the trophy.

Why pros still trust Dust II

There’s a vocal slice of the CS2 community that would love to see Dust II removed from the Active Duty pool. The arguments are familiar: too puggy, too aim-heavy, too played out.

But for pro teams, Dust II’s strengths are exactly why it stays near the top of the veto order:

• Low prep risk: almost every team has a solid Dust II playbook, so you’re rarely caught off guard.
• High skill expression: great AWPers and star riflers can straight-up win you rounds.
• Clear default patterns: map control flow (long, cat, mid, tunnels) is consistent from game to game.

If you’re building your own map pool, there’s a reason Dust II is often the first map players truly “learn” in CS2: it teaches timing, utility basics, and how to support an AWP or entry without overwhelming you with complicated rotations.

Mirage and Inferno: always in the meta

Right behind Dust II in Budapest were Mirage and Inferno. Both maps are long-time pillars of Counter-Strike, and both continue to attract bans and first picks at the highest level.

Inferno: high pressure, high clutch potential

Inferno is one of the most polarizing maps in the game. Some players love the tight angles, layering of utility, and constant mind games around Banana; others hate getting incinerated by triple nades 15 seconds into the round.

Still, its popularity at Majors refuses to drop. Budapest was no exception. Inferno was played 28 times and still got picked in Bo1s a respectable six times, showing that teams trust it even in fragile situations.

One highlight that will live in the history books was Gabriel “FalleN” Toledo’s 1v3 clutch on Inferno in FURIA’s playoff battle against NAVI. Catching opponents as they tried to escape from A and sticking the defuse at the final second was the kind of round that reminds everyone why Inferno never leaves the conversation.

What makes Inferno so competitive right now:

• Dynamic Banana control: constant tug-of-war for early map control.
• Lurking and mid-round calling: A short, apartments, and arch rotations allow experienced IGLs to shine.
• Retake-heavy rounds: both sites are retakeable with good utility, which keeps rounds exciting.

Mirage: the balanced classic

Mirage is frequently described by pros and analysts as one of the most balanced maps in CS2. It offers a bit of everything without extreme gimmicks:

• Default-friendly mid control.
• Fast executes on A or B.
• Strong possibilities for both CT aggression and passive setups.

That balance translated into heavy playtime in Budapest with 30 appearances and nine Bo1 picks. When a team isn’t sure where to go in the veto, Mirage is often the map both sides are willing to play.

One of the most intense Mirage matches of the tournament came during Vitality vs. Spirit in the semifinals. Vitality had a rocky start but dragged the map into triple overtime and eventually closed it out. Spirit never really recovered mentally, and Mirage turned into the breaking point of that series.

Mirage is also a fantastic learning tool for ranked players:

• It forces you to understand mid-round rotations (connector, window, catwalk).
• It rewards good utility around A site more than raw aim alone.
• It punishes teams that ignore map control and simply rush.

Nuke: king of best-of-one matches

While Dust II led in overall appearances, Nuke quietly dominated the best-of-one conversation. It was played 24 times at the Budapest Major but, more importantly, picked 12 times in Bo1s — just one behind Dust II and ahead of Mirage and Inferno.

Bo1s are brutal. There’s no second chance, no long series to recover. Teams look for maps where:

• They can heavily prepare structured CT setups.
• Playbook depth and utility usage matter more than random duels.
• Their opponents are slightly less comfortable or practiced.

Nuke ticks all those boxes. It’s one of the most system-heavy, detail-oriented maps in the pool. Teams that live on Nuke can squeeze out edges through rotations, fakes, and well-timed lobby pressure.

Nuke in the FaZe vs. Vitality rivalry

In Budapest, Nuke also became the one map FaZe consistently controlled against Vitality. They beat the eventual champions twice on it:

• Once in the opening round of Stage 1, setting the tone for the early Swiss games.
• Again on Map 1 of the grand final, where Vitality looked completely lost.

For FaZe, Nuke was an anchor — the map that reliably gave them breathing room. The problem? Finals aren’t won on one map alone, and Vitality found their answers on Dust II and beyond.

If you’re thinking about grinding Nuke yourself, the Budapest Major underlines one thing clearly: this map rewards commitment. You can’t learn it in a weekend. But if your team builds a real Nuke playbook, it becomes an incredible weapon in Bo1s and a strong second pick in Bo3s.

Train’s return and impact on the Major

Train appeared 24 times in Budapest and was picked nine times in Bo1s — the same Bo1 pick count as Mirage, and more than Ancient or Overpass. Not bad for a map only in its second Major since replacing Vertigo in the Active Duty pool.

Train’s return has brought back a very specific style of Counter-Strike:

• Long sightlines and punishing angles for AWPers.
• Highly disciplined CT rotations and crossfires.
• Attacks relying on coordinated utility and explosive executes rather than pure contact plays.

In Budapest, some teams embraced Train as a signature battleground, while others were clearly still catching up. That’s a common pattern whenever Valve rotates maps: early adopters get a competitive edge, especially in Swiss stages where veto mistakes are more common.

For aspiring teams and stacks:

• Train is a great choice if you have a confident AWP and a vocal IGL.
• It’s less forgiving to solo-queue chaos, but in premade groups, it can become a real strength.

Ancient and Overpass: at risk of rotation?

On the other side of the spectrum, Ancient and Overpass were the least played maps at the Budapest Major. Ancient had 18 total plays and six Bo1 picks, while Overpass brought up the rear with only 14 plays and five Bo1 picks.

Historically, Valve looks closely at Major map pick rates when deciding which map to rotate out. Vertigo was removed after falling out of favor at the top level, opening the door for Train’s comeback. The Budapest stats immediately raised the question: who’s next?

Overpass: still on the learning curve

Overpass has an important caveat: it was only added to the CS2 competitive pool in mid-2025. Teams haven’t had as much time to perfect their T-side paths, CT aggression patterns, and utility lineups as they’ve had on older maps.

Because of that, it’s unlikely Valve will drop Overpass immediately. Instead, we’re entering the phase where teams actually start to build the deep playbooks that made it an iconic map in CS:GO.

Still, its usage in Budapest was clearly limited:

• It had the fewest overall plays in the event.
• In the Playoffs, it was picked only once as Map 4 in the grand final.

That one playoff Overpass map, however, was brutal for FaZe. Vitality absolutely dominated on Overpass in the grand final, showing what happens if one team has put in serious time on a new map and the other hasn’t fully caught up.

Ancient: the real candidate for removal?

Ancient’s situation is a bit more fragile. It isn’t newly introduced, and yet it sits near the bottom of the playtime list in Budapest, with only 18 appearances.

It still produced important games. NAVI, for example, beat FaZe on Ancient in the playoffs. The problem is consistency: teams don’t seem eager to make Ancient a go-to pick, especially when maps like Dust II, Mirage, and Nuke are available.

Given Valve’s history, that puts Ancient in the danger zone for a future rotation. If a classic like Cobblestone or a new map is going to join the Active Duty pool, Ancient is one of the likeliest maps to be cut to make room.

Cobblestone hype and what it means for the future

One of the fun details at the Budapest Major didn’t come from the server, but from the crowd in the arena. Broadcast cameras regularly picked up signs and chants calling for the return of Cobblestone.

Cobble has always been a fan-favorite for a few reasons:

• It produced some of the most iconic clutches and site holds in CS:GO history.
• Its long-range fights and unique layout gave AWPers plenty of room to work.
• It has a very strong visual identity, which sticks in viewers’ minds.

With the Active Duty pool always evolving and Valve already having shown a willingness to bring old maps back (just look at Train), it wouldn’t be shocking to see Cobblestone return at some point before or during the 2026 CS2 esports season.

If that happens, Ancient or another low-play-rate map would probably make way, reshaping how teams approach the veto and which strategies they prioritize in practice.

What these stats mean for your own CS2 games

The Budapest Major map trends aren’t just interesting trivia. They can give you a blueprint for improving your ranked experience, your mix teams, or your amateur league results.

Build a map pool like a pro team

You don’t need a 7-map playbook, but you should treat map selection with the same logic pros do.

Using the Budapest data, a practical approach for most players is:

• 1‑2 main comfort maps: usually from Dust II, Mirage, or Inferno.
• 1 specialty map: something like Nuke or Train where you commit to learning setups.
• 1 emergency map: a map you don’t love, but at least know basic executes and CT positions on (Ancient or Overpass for many players).

Training like this aligns your habits with what actually wins games at high levels instead of just random-queueing whatever the game gives you.

Focus on skills that transfer across maps

Watching Budapest, a few universal skills clearly separated top teams from the rest:

• Utility discipline: Flash timings on Dust II, Banana nades on Inferno, smokes on Mirage mid.
• Mid-round decision making: Knowing when to regroup, hit the other site, or hold your ground.
• Trading and spacing: Vitality’s comebacks weren’t just about aim, but about entering sites together and clearing angles as a unit.

If you want one simple training rule: pick two maps and master utility there first. Once you throw good nades on Mirage and Inferno, it’s much easier to apply those patterns when you branch out to Train, Nuke, or Overpass.

Adapt to map pool changes early

Every time Valve rotates the Active Duty pool, there are a few weeks where most players are confused and underprepared. That’s your window.

If a map like Cobblestone or a new release joins the pool and Ancient or another map leaves, you want to be one of the first players to:

• Learn basic utility and common angles.
• Figure out one or two simple executes with friends.
• Understand the main rotations and timings.

The Budapest Major stats hint that another shakeup is likely in the mid-term future. If you already embrace learning new maps now, you’ll benefit immediately when the next rotation hits.

CS2 skins, map identity, and upgrading your loadout

One more lesson from the Budapest Major has nothing to do with tactics and everything to do with identity. At the top level, players care a lot about how they present themselves on stage and in the server — and that includes their skins.

Different maps almost invite different kinds of cosmetic styles:

• On Dust II, iconic AK, AWP, and Deagle skins are constantly on display in long-range duels and mid fights.
• Mirage often showcases flashy entry-frag rifles on A executes and crisp AWP flicks from window or ticket.
• On Nuke, you’ll see clean M4 and USP skins stand out against the industrial backdrop.
• Train and Overpass feature lots of scope and angle-holding, giving AWP and scoped rifle skins extra screen time.

If you’re going to spend most of your ranked grind on a few core maps, it makes sense to build a loadout that feels good on those battlegrounds. That might mean:

• Picking an AWP skin you love seeing every time you hold long on Dust II or mid on Mirage.
• Choosing CT rifle skins that fit the aesthetic of Nuke or Train, where you’re anchoring sites for most of the half.
• Locking in pistols and knives that match the style and vibe you want to bring into the server.

If you want to upgrade or reshape your inventory around the maps you play the most, marketplaces make that process a lot easier than trading randomly or relying on case luck. On platforms like cs2 skins markets, you can filter by weapon, price range, and finish style to find something that actually fits your main maps and roles.

Players coming from older versions of CS might also still have items or preferences tied to csgo skins. Modern trading and selling platforms such as csgo skins marketplaces let you move value from old favorites into a fresh CS2-ready inventory without needing to start from zero. That way, when you load into Dust II, Mirage, or Nuke, your gear looks as sharp as your crosshair.

Ultimately, skins won’t win you the Budapest Major — but they do make grinding scrims and ranked a lot more enjoyable. Combining a well-practiced map pool with a personalized inventory is how many players keep motivation high across hundreds of games.

The CS2 Budapest Major 2025 made one thing very clear: while metas evolve and maps rotate, some fundamentals never change. Learn the maps pros trust, follow the trends, and build a style that feels like yours both in tactics and in cosmetics. Whether Valve brings back Cobblestone or reshapes the pool again, you’ll be ready to adapt.