Operation Payback Showcases Community Maps for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

[Shawn Zipay]

Last night, Valve has rolled out part one of their "Operation Payback" initiative for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This will be a series of limited-time updates for CS:GO that will shine a light on some of the best user-created maps from the Steam Workshop.

For a limited time, you can buy a pass half-priced for $2.99. That’ll get you unlimited access to a Classic Casual map group featuring seven of the highest-voted Workshop Maps. Invite your friends (even if they don’t have a pass) and enjoy uninterrupted low-ping play on official servers—all while rewarding CS:GO’s top-voted virtual mapmakers with real money. Buying a pass also gets you a one-of-a-kind challenge coin, upgradable by playing and viewable wherever your avatar is shown.

This event runs from now until July 31. Keep in mind that the map makers are the ones that will benefit the most from events like these and from the payments.

That $2.99 payment gets you unlimited access to the user maps on official, dedicated servers. The maps included are Museum, Downtown, Thunder, Favela, Motel, Seaside, and Library.

Details about the maps and the Operation Payback can be found courtesy of the fine folks who run the Counter-Strike blog. Which presumably is someone at Valve.

[Linux]

This is pretty cool, if more of my friends were willing to play CS: GO I'd probably pay the $3 to do this, looks like a lot of fun with these maps.