Seven years of waiting are over. On April 29, Valve released a 5.2GB CS2 update headlined by the return of Cache — fully rebuilt from the ground up for the Source 2 engine. The map is available in Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes.
Cache's road back stretched over nearly a year: according to public statements from FMPONE and industry outlets, Valve acquired the rights to Cache in May 2025 and began working on its own rework of the map. The original Chernobyl-inspired layout has finally gotten what it deserved — a proper full-scale remake.
What Was Wrong with the FACEIT Version?
A week before the official release, on April 22, Cache went live on FACEIT servers — the result of a community vote where it pulled in nearly 149,000 votes, beating out Train and Vertigo. It should have been cause for celebration. It wasn't, at least not for long.
FMPONE himself was blunt about it: the version FACEIT received was unfinished, and he didn't consider it fit for competitive play. Complaints from the community came in fast. Players on mid-range systems reported severe FPS drops; some just pulled the map from their queue because it was simply unplayable. One streamer joked that Cache was now "the only map in CS2 that gives you max FPS" — the joke being that he meant exactly the opposite.
The reason was straightforward: this was a Workshop build never intended to run on official servers under real matchmaking conditions. Valve had been working on its own version all along — and now it's here.
What the Official Cache Brings
Based on early community benchmarks, Valve's official version delivers around 22.5% better FPS compared to the FACEIT build. For a competitive map, that's meaningful — stable framerates have a direct impact on shot accuracy and reaction time.
Visually, the map has also changed:
Full texture and lighting overhaul in Source 2 — the map looks modern and detailed throughout.
Gone are the green mossy tint from the 2019 version and the orange tone from FMPONE's last Workshop build — the new Cache is cleaner, leaning into an industrial aesthetic.
The Chernobyl theme is more fleshed out than ever: the clock above the garage entrance on Mid is frozen at 1:25, a reference to the Chernobyl disaster.
Cover geometry has been reworked on A site (Forklift) and B site, with improved angle readability.
The skybox is now clear — no more overcast gloom.
The layout itself stays true to the classic: three lanes, an active Mid whose control dictates the pace of the round, A site through Main and Squeaky, B through Vents.
When Will Cache Come to Premier?
No word yet. Valve hasn't announced when Cache will be added to Premier or the professional Active Duty pool. Right now the map is officially available in Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes. Given the IEM Cologne Major 2026 schedule and the current tournament map pool, it's reasonable to expect that any Active Duty changes would come after the Major — but that's speculation for now. In the meantime, the move is to play Cache in the available modes, learn the angles, test your lineups, and wait to see what Valve does next.
