Map overview
Nuke presents an industrial power facility and two bombsites stacked on different levels. Bombsite A occupies the upper structure and Bombsite B lies below. The map’s central challenge is that an opponent at one elevation has not confirmed which site the team will attack. Useful calls specify whether players were seen outside, inside, above, below or moving through a connector.
The Terrorists must plant the C4 Explosive; Counter-Terrorists contest the approaches and keep time to respond. The routes differ in elevation and visibility. Ramp leads toward the lower part of the building, while vents and connecting corridors give players ways between levels. Moving through a connector can expose a player to someone already watching its exit.
Vertical control
Ramp is a major connection from the exterior to the lower site. Vents can speed a rotation between levels, but players passing through the opening can be heard or anticipated. Outside offers a different approach into the building. These connections let a team threaten one level while gathering information about the other, yet dividing into distant groups makes it harder to trade a lost teammate.
Terrorists may show numbers in one area to draw defenders before switching toward the opposite elevation. Counter-Terrorists can use one player to report movement and other teammates to hold the remaining approaches. Rotating all the way to B because one opponent was heard above the A site can give attackers an unguarded route. Make movement reports promptly and distinguish a sound from a confirmed opponent.
Clearing a site
Smokes interrupt direct views across exposed outdoor approaches. A flash can create a short opportunity for an entry to contest an opening, while a fire grenade temporarily delays a push through a narrow connection. Utility supports movement; it does not confirm that the far side of a smoke or doorway is clear.
A retake on Nuke must account for the vertical level of the plant. A Counter-Terrorist may have to climb, descend or cross a watched connector before reaching the bomb. One player can clear the entry while another watches the approach. Attackers should preserve a position from which they can stop the defuse without all defending the same doorway.
CS2 version & availability
This entry describes Nuke’s CS2 two-level objective layout. Earlier releases and map revisions altered parts of the facility; their former routes are not presented as current CS2 geometry. Matchmaking pools also change independently, so consult dated Map Rotations records rather than assume one mode’s selection applies to every mode.
Pixel-walk and C4 stuck-spot fixes (August 21, 2024)
The August 21, 2024 update fixed a pixel walk and several spots where the C4 could become stuck on Nuke. A pixel walk is an unintended narrow collision surface that can support movement in a place not meant to function as a route; the patch does not identify its location. The C4 fixes address map geometry that could trap the dropped objective device, not planting or defusing rules.
September 27, 2023 Counter-Strike 2 launch update
The September 27, 2023 update adjusted vertical audio-occlusion boundaries on Nuke. This changed how sounds are filtered between levels, which matters when interpreting footsteps and other audio cues above or below a player. The patch gives no numeric boundary distances.
April 1, 2026 beta audio adjustment
The April 1, 2026 `animgraph_2_beta` update made vertical audio occlusion more gradual at transition edges on Nuke and included Nuke among maps receiving audio adjustments. The note does not identify a specific room, sound source or route, so it should not be used to infer a new callout or layout change. The update is Beta-specific; see Audio Settings for the combined map-audio note.
Limited Test map and audio update (June 29, 2023)
Nuke was added to Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test Deathmatch, Casual and Competitive matchmaking on June 29, 2023. The update also gave Nuke a unique audio-occlusion layer intended to help position sounds vertically. This is a map-specific sound-processing note: the patch does not identify individual rooms, exact acoustic values, or a change to the map’s geometry. The addition records Nuke’s availability in those test queues on that date, not its status in later map rotations.
Vending-area shadow fix (June 30, 2023)
The June 30, 2023 Counter-Strike 2 Limited Test update fixed flickering shadows at the vending area on Nuke. It is a localized rendering correction; the notes do not name a particular light, surface or graphics setting, and do not describe a layout change.
C4 falling out of the world at B site (September 8, 2023)
The update fixed C4 falling out of the world at Nuke B site. The patch does not describe the trigger, exact position or interaction that caused the bomb to leave the playable world. A separate bullet says Nuke props were updated without naming the props. Neither note implies a change to bomb planting or map layout.
Collision, line-of-sight and performance fixes (April 25, 2024)
Nuke was included in the April 25, 2024 group of maps receiving bug and exploit fixes, collision and line-of-sight adjustments, and minor performance improvements. The note supplies no list of changed rooms or sightlines. Players should treat it as a general CS2 map-maintenance record, not evidence that a named bombsite route or callout changed. The dated qualification matters when comparing map knowledge across CS2 builds.
HE Grenade explosions break vents (May 7, 2024)
On May 7, 2024, a CS2 fix restored the ability of HE Grenade explosions to break vents on de_nuke. The release note does not identify which vents or provide positions, so this entry records only the map-wide interaction described. It does not claim that breaking a vent opens a player passage or changes a bombsite route.
The change concerns how an explosive interacts with a named piece of Nuke geometry. It is not a change to the map objective or to the grenade's general damage properties.