Counter-Strike GO's Operation Phoenix brings back fan-favorite maps, new finishes

The latest operation for Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive brings back an octet of fan-favorite, community-created maps across a variety of modes — a chance for players to give back to and benefit from the community.

CS:GO's Operation Phoenix sees the return of eight maps — Cache, Downtown, Motel, Seaside, Thunder, Ali, Favela and Agency — which will be playable in casual, competitive and deathmatch modes on Steam. Operation Phoenix's maps were chosen by CS:GO players in a poll that asked fans to vote on which community-made maps should return from previous operations.

Counter-Strike players who purchase an Operation Phoenix coin for $2.99 will get unlimited access to the eight maps as well as exclusive drops that grant access to top-voted, community-created weapon finishes. The coin also serves as an "operational scorecard," Valve says, so players can keep track of every kill and every win from official competitive matches during the operation.

A portion of the proceeds from Operation Phoenix coin sales will go back to the map's creators.

Operation Phoenix is scheduled to run through June 4. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is available for Mac, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.