These are the very best surf maps for CSGO

It may not seem like it now, but Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s underground surf community is thriving thanks to all the new players that have joined the game over the last year. Because of that, there’s no better time to break out our top three favorite surf maps of all time and take a look at the CSGO mod’s first full-length game based on surfing.

surf_kitsune is the all-time great CSGO surf map

Every player who’s tried their hand at surfing will recognize surf_kitsune. The map has been in the surf server’s rotation since its creator Arblarg unleashed it in 2014. The map is famous for its rapid increase in difficulty after the early levels. The challenge is raised a few notches with each of kitsune’s seven stages, but it’s so well designed that many players have used it to teach themselves how to surf. In fact, kitsune may take the cake over the other beginner’s map we considered, surf_beginner2.

surf_master misses out as surf_utopia and surf_ski_2_GO bring it home

It came down to a dead heat between surf_master and surf_utopia for the number two spot, but surf_master is the trendy choice. It’s hard, but the level’s cramped quarters and dev textures feels a little too hectic. Meanwhile, Surf_utopia lets players literally fly in and around windows, with plenty of room for movements that are closer to what players would find in a competitive game. That said, if you’re gunning for the top spot on surf_master, we wish you luck. 

Finally the layered surf_ski_2_GO is about as stunning as a surf map can get in CSGO. Situated high above the water, the map has been a popular destination for deathmatch surfers since its release in 2015. But even if players aren’t into the flying AWP kills and loud noise, ski_2_GO still provides enough difficulty to challenge veterans without being overly hard on newer players.

Momentum brings CSGO surfing into the spotlight

Surfing is one of those parts of CSGO left over from the game’s modded roots. Just like CSGO was originally created as a mod for Half-Life before becoming its own game, surfing is set to do the same.

It’s called Momentum Mod and it’s a standalone movement mod, but it actually branches off of the Source Engine. The Momentum team announced that it had joined forces with the devs behind the Portal 2 Community Edition, Chaos Initiative, who had already been given access to the updated code by Valve. No longer a mod, Momentum is slated to release for free this summer. Counter-Strike’s modding roots shine in its unique, fan-built game modes, but if players want to check them out they’re not hard to find.

Players can search “surf” in the Steam Workshop or browse from CSGO’s in-game server menu, but since CSGO’s in-game server browser isn’t that great, here’s a tip. Steam has it’s own server browser built into the client, and players never have to enter the game until they find a server they like.

Click on “View” in the upper left menu and then hit servers. This browser is much easier to see than CSGO’s built-in option, and players are going to need it. Just like always, the top servers by player count were doing something other than playing Dust 2.