CS2 players will decide the next map in FACEIT Season 8

Fariha Bhatti Published 01/04/2026

FACEIT Season 8 is set to expand the competitive map pool across Counter-Strike 2 queues — and this time players will have a direct say in which map gets added.

Currently, FACEIT has all seven maps available during the veto session for players to pick from. Each team bans or picks a map, with the last one serving as the battleground for the game. While players have never complained about seven maps not being enough, there has been dissent around the map pool.

To resolve that issue once and for all, FACEIT is leaving it to players to decide which map gets to be a part of the active pool on FACEIT.

CS2 FACEIT update could bring back Cache or Vertigo

Starting on April 22, players will have an option to veto out of eight maps instead of seven. The Season 8 update will expand the FACEIT map pool with either Vertigo, Train, or Cache.

FACEIT has confirmed that the map pool will expand to eight maps, leaving players to decide the final addition. While many remain indifferent toward Train, with much of the professional CS2 community believing it’s too dark for competitive play, Vertigo or Cache are more likely candidates to return instead.

CS2 map Vertigo. Image credit: CS2

Vertigo was removed early in 2025 after being one of the least-played maps in the pro scene, while Cache hasn’t been in the active pool for years. In fact, the map had been in the workshop for years with creator FMPONE giving it a facelift in the background. Valve later acquired the updated version, meaning that if players vote it in, Cache would return as a refreshed map.

Currently, there’s no way to tell what the final piece would be, but fans can contribute to that decision by filing their votes.

To vote for your favorite map:

Go to the official pole form
Select one of the three maps
Fill out the form with the name of a map you’d like to vote for in the future
Click on Submit

The result will likely be announced on April 22, whereas the voting closes on April 15 at 17:00 CEST.

It’s worth noting that this expansion will not be applied across the board. Players will have an option to turn off the expansion, which means they won’t have to play the newly added map if they don’t want to. In that case, the veto will be limited to the same old seven maps.

Combined with the ELO reset that’s coming soon, FACEIT Season 8 will likely shift the game dynamics significantly, forcing players to adjust to the new changes. As always, CS2 remains one of the most popular esports to play, watch and wager on — you can read our altcoin casinos explained guide to see which sites are worth betting on if that is your scene.

Featured image credit: FMPONE

Fariha Bhatti

About Fariha Bhatti

Fariha Bhatti is a long-time gaming writer who loves competitive FPS games and slots with particularly fun themes. She got her start playing classic games developed by SNK, from legendary fighting game series The King of Fighters to challenging platform franchise Metal Slug. She now spends most of her time playing Valorant and Counter-Strike 2 while working her way through new slot releases to find her next favorite. Fariha has been published at PCGamesN, TalkEsport and ONE Esports.

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