Vertigo, which was often criticized by both professional players and casual users, has been removed from the active pool. Its place was taken by the iconic map Train, which has become a symbol of classic CS. However, despite its legendary status, Train has not been able to surpass Vertigo in popularity.

The decision to replace Vertigo with Train became a significant event for the CS community. Vertigo was repeatedly criticized for its complex design and limited tactical options, making it one of the least liked maps. Train, on the other hand, has a long history and is respected. However, recent statistical data shows that the popularity of the map among players remains below expectations.

Map Usage Statistics

According to Leetify, Train shows less popularity than Vertigo. The statistics for the period from January 28 to February 4, based on 989,000 matches, are as follows:

• Mirage – 26.1%
• Dust II – 18.6%
• Inferno – 14.7%
• Ancient – 12.0%
• Nuke – 11.2%
• Anubis – 9.6%
• Train – 7.8%

For comparison, data from the previous period, covering January 1 to the end of the first season, shows Vertigo's popularity at 9.7%, which is 1.9% higher than Train's current figures. This highlights that even after replacing Vertigo with Train, the latter has not managed to capture significant player attention.

By replacing Vertigo with Train, Valve attempted to revive the CS map pool. However, statistics show that Train has not yet met player expectations, even lagging behind Vertigo in popularity. This may prompt developers to reassess their approach to maps in the future.