Cache Returns to CS2: April 29, 2026 Update Overview

CS2 Update April 29, 2026: Key Highlights

Overnight on April 28-29, 2026, a major 5.1 GB update rolled out for Counter-Strike 2. The headline of the patch is the return of the Cache map. Beyond that, Valve made adjustments to Dust2 and Office, updated Stronghold and Poseidon to their latest Workshop versions, refined weapon animations, and fixed several sound and visual bugs.

A week earlier, Cache had already been added to Faceit alongside the start of the 8th game season. Now the map has officially returned to Valve's matchmaking as well.

Cache Map Returns to CS2

Cache was added to four game modes at once:

• Competitive
• Casual
• Deathmatch
• Retakes

The version added to the game is not the latest reworked one by FMPONE, but a completely new edition by Valve itself.

What Changed on the New Cache

The new Cache brought several important adjustments:

• the popular jump on "mid" still works;
• doors were added on "mid";
• the small window on "mid" was sealed off;
• the door on the A-site is now reinforced and no longer breakable.

Cache Popularity in the First Hours After Release

Right after the patch dropped, more than 100,000 players were on Cache simultaneously. That's 2.5 times more than Dust2 and almost 4 times more than Mirage at the same moment.

Cache Optimization: Version Comparison

According to content creator Thour, Valve's version of Cache is better optimized than FMPONE's version. The average FPS on the new Cache is 22.5% higher.

Other Map Changes in the CS2 Update

Beyond Cache, Valve tweaked several locations:

• Dust2 — the box in the center of "mid" was opened. This brought back the previously blocked silent jump to "short". Valve confirmed the change was intentional.
• Office — collision was enabled on the canopy over the boxes near CT spawn.
• Stronghold — updated to the latest version from the community Workshop.
• Poseidon — updated to the latest Workshop version.

Animations and Knife Display

Valve worked on the visual side of weapons:

• viewmodel animations were adjusted;
• the Talon and Karambit knives now display correctly in the model's hands during bomb defusal.

Sound Fixes in the CS2 Patch

The sound mix got cleaner. Specifically:

• fixed a bug where the C4 equip sound wasn't interrupted by other equip sounds;
• removed the first-person death sound effect that played when the player's music kit didn't include the corresponding death cue.

Other Fixes

The patch also addressed a few rare but noticeable bugs:

• the ambient occlusion shader was fixed when using alpha test. Previously this caused object silhouettes to appear too dark and bulky — for example, on the railings on Mirage;
• fixed a bug where a player could end up without a weapon in their hands after switching hands right after throwing a grenade.

Full List of Changes in the CS2 April 29, 2026 Update

Maps

• Cache added to Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes.
• On Dust2, the box in the center of "mid" was opened.
• On Office, collision was enabled on the canopy over boxes near CT spawn.
• Stronghold updated to the latest Workshop version.
• Poseidon updated to the latest Workshop version.

Animgraph 2

• Viewmodel animations were adjusted.
• Talon and Karambit knives display correctly during defusal.

Sound

• C4 equip sound now correctly gets interrupted by other equip sounds.
• Removed the unnecessary first-person death sound effect.

Miscellaneous

• Fixed the ambient occlusion shader when using alpha test.
• Fixed weapon model disappearing after switching hands following a grenade throw.

FAQ: Common Questions About the CS2 Update

When did the CS2 update with Cache come out?

The CS2 update was released overnight on April 28-29, 2026.

What's the size of the CS2 update?

The patch size is 5.1 GB.

Which version of Cache was added to CS2?

A new version of Cache by Valve was added to CS2, not the latest revision by FMPONE.

Which game modes is Cache available in?

Cache is available in Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes.

What changed on Dust2 in the new patch?

The box in the center of "mid" was opened on Dust2. This brought back the previously blocked silent jump to "short".

How much better optimized is Cache?

According to Thour, the average FPS on Valve's version of Cache is 22.5% higher than on FMPONE's version.

How many people are playing on Cache?

In the first hours after release, more than 100,000 players were on Cache simultaneously.