Here’s how to use and create map guides in CS2

Valve has given CS2 fans a big gift for Christmas 2024 as the developer adds map guide support directly to the Workshop.

Counter-Strike 2 may have a fixed roster of weapons and maps, but it remains a constantly developing shooter. While it might seem that having the same utility items for over a decade would lead to repetitive lineups that players could master in a day, the reality is far from it. Thanks to a solid esports scene and creative fans, CS2 maps remain fresh as ever. While veterans find a way to adapt to evolving game meta, new players may struggle to learn new strategies and tactics. To tackle this problem, Valve introduced community-driven map guides. However, it was extremely tricky to access those, at least for green CS2 players. With the new update, fans can simply access guides from a public directory and polish their lineups.

Players will still need to jump through a few extra hoops to play them, but it’s much simpler than before.

How to use CS2 map guides

Instead of downloading maps and then playing them with commands found on social forums, fans can now access map guides from within CS2. Here’s how.

• Go to CS2 workshop maps on Steam
• Find the filter section on the right side of the screen
• Scroll until you find “guides” under the tags section. Check the box to filter out maps with verified guides
• From the filtered selection, click on the map you want to learn. For example, Train lineups.
• Now, click on the green “subscribe” button to add it to your CS2 map collection

Certain maps require a game reboot to download, which makes restarting CS2 necessary. From here, the process gets slightly more complex.

• Restart CS2, and then instead of the workshop section, go to the practice menu
• Select the map matching the downloaded guide (e.g., Train)
• Click on the map and toggle the newly added “map guides” option on the right-hand side
• A drop-down menu will appear with all available guides for the selected map for those who have downloaded multiple guides

• Select the preferred guide from the dropdown
• Click the green Go icon to start practicing lineups

The guide functions like a regular map, featuring annotations on lineup spots. Players can walk through the map to find these markers and follow the instructions, helping them master lineups for smokes, flashbangs, molotovs, and more. It’s the simplest method to learn CS2 lineups through hands-on practice.

Currently, only 36 map guides are available on the Steam workshop since this feature is still new. Still, there is plenty to give new players a headstart on even the most complex CS2 maps. Of course, there are dozens of guides out there, but they are not available through the newly added map guide tag on the workshop.

How to create a CS2 map guide

CS2 forums are brimming with creative players sharing their utility lineups through short clips. Now, these players can easily create their own map guides using a streamlined process. This new approach centralizes guides, making them more accessible through Steam tags.

Creating a map guide is still the same, but Valve’s latest update adds a new command that lets players submit guides directly to Steam for the workshop. Each guide is reviewed and verified by the developers, ensuring they’re reliable and useful for everyone.

Follow this method to create and submit a map guide to Valve.

• Start CS2 and open the map on which you wish to create a guide in practice mode.
• Turn cheats on with “sv_cheats 1”
• Turn map annotations on with “sv_allow_annotations 1”
• Players will now be able to create markers using the same old commands. Start adding annotations to create lineup guides

Once finished, save the map guide by opening the console and typing “annotation_save (file name).” Choose a file name that’s easy to remember and includes the map’s name for quick reference. This is an important step for those with multiple guides for the same map.

The map guide is now completed and ready to use. Players can access this guide at any time by pasting “annotation_load (file name)” into the console. However, this is still a private guide. Friends of the creator can access it by copying the text file into their CS2 folders, a method often used by teams to share private lineups and setups.

While that’s great for team-specific strategies, those looking to do the CS2 community service by sharing their wisdom can submit their guides to the workshop. To submit map guides:

• Open the console and paste “workshop_annotation_submit”
• Close the console to access the new window and click on the browse button

• Now, select the saved map guide. All guides are saved in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\csgo\annotations\filename.txt
• Select the file and then add an appropriate title to the map guide
• Click on “Submit”

To confirm submission, players must verify their guide via email. If the guide proves helpful, Steam will approve it and add it to the public directory for everyone to access.

Besides this, map guides now look much cleaner and better on the server. Along with in-world annotations, marker nodes will now appear on the radar as well. This should help players quickly spot key locations and improve their navigation during practice.