CS2 Counter-Strike 2 Update Patch Notes (28th April 2026)
Cache returns to Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes, and Dust II's mid box finally gives up a hidden jump spot.
Cache is back. Valve has added the fan-favourite map to Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes in the 28th April CS2 update, and for a lot of players that's going to be the headline on its own. It's been a long wait, and getting it across four modes at once rather than a staged rollout is a good call.
Dust II also gets a small but meaningful tweak: the Mid Box has been uncovered to reveal a previously hidden jump spot. Valve's own patch notes include the note "on purpose this time", which suggests this one had been floating around as an unintended exploit before. Whether that jump spot reshapes mid-control at a competitive level remains to be seen, but any geometry change on Dust II tends to ripple through the meta faster than you'd expect.
Elsewhere, Talon and Karambit knives now display correctly while defusing, a shader issue causing chunky dark silhouettes on railings in Mirage is fixed, and a bug that let players hold no weapon after throwing a grenade has been patched out. Solid housekeeping, even if Cache is doing most of the heavy lifting here.
Full patch notes below.
Full Patch Notes
\[ MAPS ]
Cache
- Added Cache to Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch, and Retakes modes.
Dust II
- Uncovered Mid Box (Xbox) to reveal a previously hidden jump spot. On purpose this time.
Office
- Enabled collision on tarp on boxes used around CT spawn.
Stronghold
- Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)
Poseidon
- Updated to the latest version from the Community Workshop (Update Notes)
\[ ANIMGRAPH 2 ]
- Minor adjustments to viewmodel animations.
- Talon and Karambit knives are now held correctly while defusing.
\[ SOUND ]
- Minor mix changes and adjustments.
- Fixed issue where C4 equip sound was not getting interrupted by other equip sounds.
- Removed first-person death sound effect that played in the case of music kit death cue being inaudible.
\[ MISC ]
- Shader fix for AO while using alpha test causing overly dark and chunky silhouettes, as seen on railings in Mirage.
- Fixed a case where it was possible to hold no weapon by requesting a hand switch after throwing a grenade.
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Written by
Nathan LeesGaming journalist and founder of XP Gained. Covering patch notes, breaking news, and updates across 160+ games.
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