Anubis Returns to CS2 Map Pool. Everything You Need to Know About Anubis in 2026
On January 19, 2026, Anubis officially returns to the active Counter-Strike 2 map pool, replacing Train in the fourth season of Premier mode and professional competitive CS. The map has been absent for exactly six months (since July 2025), and many players have already missed its unique style and intense pace. Well, this is a great opportunity to refresh your knowledge and prepare for new matches! To make Anubis your signature map, you’ll definitely need practice, but this guide will help you refresh the key points you can keep in mind when joining a server.
Map Overview and Features
Anubis is a map with an ancient Egyptian theme: sandy ruins, columns, water channels. Key mechanics:
- Water – provides a lot of additional information about opponent movements.
- Mid – the heart of the map. Control of Doors/Window opens splits to both sites.
- Narrow spaces (Connector, Temple, A-main) – lots of utility is spent here and many aggressive peeks occur.
- Verticality – many areas where you need to focus your crosshair not only horizontally (Bridge, Heaven, Connector, etc.)
- Long sightlines – long distances are also present, so the AWP feels quite comfortable.
Playstyle and Statistics
Anubis is one of the most dynamic and balanced maps in the pool, but with a clear bias toward attack. Everything here is decided by mid control, proper grenade usage, and fast timings. T-side likes to take mid for splits on both sites, while CT holds crossfires and prepares retakes. Rounds here are often fast, with early contacts where terrorists most often have numerical advantage in trades. Average round duration is lower than on most maps.
Statistics (according to HLTV and analytics for 2025):
- Attack side win percentage – 54-57% (the most T-oriented map on the pro scene; in Premier the figure sometimes rose to 60%).
- Pistol round numbers are more even, but terrorists find it much easier to take force buys thanks to fast rounds with MAC-10 or Tec-9.
Anubis requires strong team coordination – A/B splits through mid, synchronized flashes and smokes, retakes through water. Without good teamplay it will be very difficult, especially on defense: solo performances rarely lead to results on this map. Individual shooting is still incredibly important, because on Anubis you rarely get a second chance, so only star riflers and snipers can carry rounds alone.
Position Names (Callouts)
Site A:
- A Main – main entrance to A from T side
- Heaven – elevated position above A (usually under CT control)
- Plate/Platform – platform in the middle of the site
- Fountain – ruins with a massive column near A Main
- Camera – entrance to A from mid
- Tunnel – entrance to A from CT spawn
Site B:
- B Main – main entrance to B
- Pillar – pillar in the middle of the site
- Connector – entrance to A from water
- Podium – space on the left when entering the site
- Platform – space when exiting the temple
- Long – long corridor connecting the site and CT spawn
Mid:
- Bridge – bridge over water
- Door – classic double doors when entering mid
- Arch – open passage without doors to mid
- Palm – small hiding spot on mid
Useful Grenades
Smokes on B Site
Ask a teammate to throw you smoke in the corner opposite these columns and aim as shown in the screenshots. Both smokes are thrown with a jump and land quite quickly, thanks to bouncing off protruding textures. The smokes are extremely stable, simple, and allow you to completely cut off help from CT spawn. The only positions you need to check when entering are close corner and connector. Don’t forget about the smoke dissipation mechanic and take safer positions when defending the planted bomb.
Smoke and Molotov on Heaven
Press fully against the right wall of the “carpets” and for throwing the smoke grenade aim at the left part of the window, for molotov – at the right. Here you just need to release the held left mouse button, without any jumps. The smoke will cut off help from mid, and the molotov will force the player on heaven to go much deeper or expose themselves to “nine” position.
Smoke on Right Side of Heaven and Flashes for A Site Entry
Press into the corner of the “dead end,” find the box opposite and aim at the middle of the upper part of the corner. Grenades are thrown while jumping – smoke falls on “nine,” and flashes blind the entire site while not interfering with teammates entering the site. Can be used in both attack and retake for defense. Best used in combination with previous grenades (smoke and molotov on Heaven). Small life hack for beginners: to silently descend from carpets to water, just walk through all textures with the Shift key held down (don’t jump, just move forward).
Smoke into Connector
Go to the “umbrellas” position (on the left side when entering the bridge), find those same lounge chairs with umbrellas, press into the corner of the texture where they’re located, and place your crosshair as shown in the screenshot. Don’t forget to press jump when throwing and block the view of the aggressive CT. The smoke lands deep enough to deny him the ability to push through and catch you off guard, but at the same time allows you to throw a molotov that won’t be extinguished and will completely drive him out of connector.
Smoke on Temple Exit to Mid
One of the most important points on the entire map, which allows for splits on both sites. To more comfortably take this position, you can use this smoke. It can also be used for fakes to confuse the opponent and make them worry about the center of the map when your team concentrates on one of the sites. Stand opposite the “stairs” (exit to the canal), aim at the edge of the wall and make a jump throw.
Will There Be Changes to Anubis?
Probably one of the most important questions that worries the community the most, because it’s quite strange that VALVE is bringing back the map without a single change. On the other hand, maybe they want to give themselves time to change something on Train and return it back as soon as possible?
One thing is clear – the developers are extremely dissatisfied with Train’s low popularity, both among regular players and among esports athletes. Anubis became a successful backup option that doesn’t have FPS problems, is quite spectacular, and doesn’t have fierce haters like Vertigo, for example. Therefore, in our opinion, adding Anubis is more of a forced measure and a small step back for a big leap forward in the future. At least we really want to believe in this.
Author: Alex
Alex is an author and esports observer with more than seven years of experience. He specializes in analyzing new releases in the world of computer games, gaming services, and in-game economies. Alex shares practical experience and an expert perspective on the development of gaming, helping readers understand complex mechanics and stay up to date with the latest news.
