Inferno (Counter-Strike)

Inferno, also known by its filename de_inferno, is a multiplayer map in the Counter-Strike series of first-person shooter video games by Valve Corporation. The map was first created for the original Counter-Strike in a 2001 update and has subsequently appeared in each series entry. While considered a traditional map in the series, its design differs from maps such as Dust II, featuring many hiding spots and branching, narrow paths.

The map was remade from the ground up for Counter-Strike: Source in 2005, changing large parts of the map and moving the setting from the Middle East to Europe. The map returned for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2012 and was revamped in a 2016 update, adjusting the map's graphics and visibility. The map returned in Counter-Strike 2, featuring various enhancements and graphical upgrades.

Since its introduction, Inferno has been one of the most popular maps in the Counter-Strike series in casual and competitive play. It has become an influential multiplayer map across the whole first-person shooter genre, being used as a community map in different games and declared one of the best multiplayer maps ever made.

Inferno is a multiplayer map taking place in a small European village, possibly located in Italy. As in other bomb defusal maps in the game, players are split into two teams; The Terrorists and the Counter Terrorists. The goal of the Terrorists is to plant a bomb near the map's water pipelines or to kill all Counter Terrorists, with the goal of the Counter Terrorists being either to defuse the bomb or to kill all Terrorists.

Inferno's design is very traditional compared to other Counter-Strike maps. Counter Terrorists start in control of most of the map, but may be able to lose control easily. Due to Inferno's number of paths, there are many locations where conflict can arise, though some sites experience more conflict than others, such as the map's choke points.

Inferno features various choke points crucial to both sides, as they control important locations and will experience points of conflict. The "Banana" is a large central stairway that serves as the most direct route to Bombsite B for the Terrorists. Alongside the Banana, there are two other locations in the middle of the map that experience conflict, "Middle" and "Bridge". While Middle is a fairly standard pathway, Bridge controls another area known as "Alt. Middle", the direct route to Bombsite A. Bridge is accessed via two Terrorist-controlled locations, giving Terrorists an advantage in the Alt. Middle route. Alongside these locations are other branching paths across the map through the insides of apartment buildings, as well as a drainage area connecting Middle to Alt. Middle is known as the "Underpass". Despite its unique structure, Inferno features one of the most even win–loss rates in Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

The map also features chickens for players to shoot as an homage to an original Counter-Strike map known as cs_italy, as well as playable tic-tac-toe as an Easter egg. In commemoration of a major-winning grenade from Mikhail "Dosia" Stolyarov in a 2017 major, a graffiti Easter egg at the Pit is also featured on the map.

The map was added as part of Update 1.1 for the original Counter-Strike game in 2001, alongside other maps such as Vertigo and Dust II. The map was designed in two weeks by Christopher "Narby" Auty and was originally situated in a rebel stronghold in a small Middle Eastern village. The premise of the map was for the Terrorists to destroy oil pipelines and wreak havoc on the Western economy. This version of the map was also featured in Counter-Strike: Condition Zero.