Cobblestone holds the distinction of being one of the earliest maps introduced in Counter-Strike. Therefore, it is no surprise that many long-time CS players that have recently migrated to CS2 have a strong attachment to this legendary map. With CS2 featuring map revamps and updates, many members of the CS community are wondering whether the iconic castle and stone pathways are going to make an appearance in the game. Let’s find out!
Is Cobblestone Returning To CS2?
There has been no official confirmation from Valve on whether Cobblestone is returning to CS2 or not. In fact, apart from the original Dust, it is the only map that has yet to make an appearance in the game files. However, the CS community has uncovered credible sources and hints that lend weight to the belief that Cobblestone is indeed making its return as an active duty map in CS2. Let’s have a look at what we know so far.
The first rumors pointing towards Cobblestone’s return date back to August 2022, when a CS:GO dev loaded up a map named “de_cbble_s2”, as reported by Aquarius on Twitter. The keyword “cbble” is short for Cobblestone, and fans were quick to recognize this familiar name.
This speculation was again reignited when the official CS2 Twitter account changed its banner to a dragon. Reddit was quick to make attempts to decipher its meaning, and a few suggested that it was a teaser for Cobblestone, which is the home of the Dragon Lore and has a similar dragon painted over one of its walls.
Later, in August 2023, CS data miner Aquarius once again unveiled the CS2 beta files, claiming that Cobblestone will be returning with a winter theme. This rumor has sent waves of excitement throughout the Counter-Strike 2 community, as the prospect of a snow-covered castle map is just too perfect to not be hyped for.
Why Was Cobblestone Removed From Counter-Strike?
Cobblestone was first released as part of the original Counter-Strike, remaining unaltered until the game’s shift to the new Source engine, after which it experienced many graphical updates. However, the map’s fate took a downward turn when Valve decided to rework the map, a decision that the CS community believed “ruined” the map. Soon, it was retired from the competitive map pool and has remained shelved ever since.
Its removal after the controversial updates made sense, as the map posed a lot of issues for players, including difficult site retakes and long rotations. Therefore, if this iconic map is ever to return to CS2, it’ll have to be extensively reworked to be competitively viable again.
Conclusion
While Cobblestone’s inclusion in CS2 remains a mystery, we believe that the numerous hints collected by the CS community are not for naught, and that we’ll indeed get to see a reworked version of the map. Do you believe Cobblestone will make its return to CS2, or will it be forever consigned to the annals of CS history? Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below!