Anubis is back in the Active Duty pool for Season 4, with Train rotating out. Valve announced the swap would happen after the Premier season ended on January 19, 2026, and Season 4 went live in the January 21, 2026 update.
The practical consequence is simple: teams and grinders had to re-learn a map that returned with layout changes, not just a rotation slot.
Anubis
Anubis is a community-made map built for competitive play, with a lot of early-round pressure centered around mid and fast rotations into both sites. Its reputation has been shaped less by aesthetics and more by one recurring argument: it often feels harder to stabilize on the CT side than most maps in the pool. Hence, if you are aiming on ranking and are playing Anubis, take this information into consideration.
If you want the short version of why it keeps coming back, it has two traits Valve tends to reward:
- It has a clear “pro-map” structure (defaults, mid control, punishable rotations).
- It is flexible enough to be adjusted without tearing the whole layout down.
Anubis timeline
A condensed timeline, focused on the moments that explain why this map keeps reappearing.
| Year | What happened | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Built for the Mapcore “Exotic Places” contest | Competitive intent from day one |
| 2020 | Added to CS:GO, first as Scrimmage | Valve tested it with low commitment |
| 2021 | Removed from the game after iterations | The “rotation door” was still open |
| 2022 | Dust II removed from Active Duty, Anubis added | Valve made it a real pro map |
| July 2025 | Overpass in, Anubis out (Season 3) | First real benching since its 2022 debut |
| Jan 2026 | Anubis back, Train out (Season 4) | Return plus targeted layout changes |
Anubis in Season 4: What changed?
Season 4 touched the parts that decide timing windows and mid-round options. Here’s the official change list from the Season 4 release notes:
- Bridge drop moved near Mid Doors
- Mid doors orientation reversed
- Hole added between E-box and Back of B
- Bombsite A crates moved up steps onto Walkway
- Scaffolding added to pillar on Bombsite A
These are “small” edits that create big knock-on effects. Early mid fights happen at different timings, B has a new escape and pressure point, and A post-plants shift because cover moved.
If you want a fast utility refresh tailored to the updated version, creators like CS Tactics put out lineup-heavy breakdowns specifically about the new Anubis meta right after the changes.
Is Anubis CT-sided or T-sided?
HLTV’s pro-match side stats show Anubis leaning T-sided overall:
| Side | Key stat | Value |
|---|---|---|
| CT | Round win rate | 44.7% |
| T | Round win rate | 55.3% |
| CT | Pistol win | 46.7% |
| T | Pistol win | 53.3% |
That doesn’t automatically mean “bad map.” It does mean CT halves often hinge on winning the first real mid contest, getting information without donating opening picks, and having a plan for B pressure that is not just constant retakes.
Top 5 players on Anubis in CS2
HLTV’s CS2 map leaderboard (Rating 3.0) for Anubis, captured February 26, 2026, which is a solid “heading into March” snapshot:
| Rank | Player | Maps | K/D | Rating 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | donk | 52 | 1.42 | 1.38 |
| 2 | m0NESY | 46 | 1.45 | 1.33 |
| 3 | nettik | 46 | 1.39 | 1.30 |
| 4 | ZywOo | 40 | 1.33 | 1.27 |
| 5 | XANTARES | 65 | 1.25 | 1.26 |
Best team on the map
On HLTV’s team map stats, Team Spirit has been the strongest high-sample team case on Anubis: 48 wins, 23 losses (67.6%).
Credit: Liquipedia
For context against other elite teams:
- Vitality: 63.8%
- G2: 56.7%
- FaZe: 52.7%
What pros said when Anubis entered the pool, and why it still fits 2026
When Anubis replaced Dust II in Active Duty, the first wave of pro reactions was less “this map is perfect” and more “this will evolve fast.”
A short clip compilation captured the tone neatly:
- huNter: “Anubis won’t be the same in 6 months”
- nitr0: “I’m super excited”
- ropz: “The change is weird”
Fast forward to the Season 4 return, and you still see the same practical concern from players who live in the CT trenches. For instance, KSCERATO summed up his frustration as: “It’s so hard to play the map as a CT side.”
The essentials to re-learn for Season 4
If you are trimming your prep time, focus on these three areas first:
- Mid: Redo your first-contact protocols because the bridge drop and doors change how quickly space is traded
- B: Explore the new hole option because it changes both pressure and survivability once the execute starts
- A: Revisit post-plant and retake cover assumptions, crates and scaffolding changes shift “safe” positions
If Season 4 Anubis ends up playing closer to the old version or genuinely smooths CT options, the stats will show it over the next few months. Until then, the conclusion is pretty straightforward: It is a T-leaning map that Valve chose to keep in the pro rotation, and it came back with just enough changes to make old defaults risky.
