CS2 January 22, 2026 Update: Premier Season 4 Begins and Anubis Gets a Rework

Jan 22, 2026

Valve’s January 22 patch kicks off Premier Season Four, brings Anubis back with meaningful layout changes, and ships a packed set of movement, weapon, audio, and content updates. Dive into the details below, then jump into a few matches and get hands-on with the new timings and angles.

Premier Season Four changes: Active Duty map pool rotation and competitive rank adjustments

Premier Season Four starts with the January update, and the biggest change is the Active Duty map pool swap: Anubis is back, and Train is removed.

This matters for CS2 players because the Premier pool is what most people practice for. When a map changes, the “normal” smokes, defaults, and mid-round calls also change, so the first weeks can feel different as everyone relearns what works.

Here is exactly what Valve changed for Season Four:

Active Duty rotation: Anubis added, Train removed.
Competitive per-map rank values were adjusted.
Existing per-map Competitive Skill Groups expired, and they will show again only after getting the required wins on each map.

Right after the update, matchmaking can feel less “set” while the game rebuilds confidence in your per-map results. Early wins can matter more than usual, because the system is using new games to judge your level on each map.

Anubis layout updates: Mid drop/doors changes, new B-site utility opening, and A-site cover tweaks

Anubis did not just return to the Active Duty pool unchanged. In the January update, Valve adjusted key paths and cover so fights in Mid happen on different timings, utility has new routes into B, and A-site takes and retakes play out with new protection.

For CS2 players, this kind of rework usually means old “safe” defaults need updates, because small angle shifts can change which peeks are strong and which rotations are risky.

Bridge drop moved near Mid Doors;
Mid Doors orientation reversed;
Hole added between E-box and Back of B;
Bombsite A crates moved up steps onto Walkway;
Scaffolding added to pillar on Bombsite A.

Mid should feel different immediately. With the drop moved closer to Mid Doors and the doors flipped, early-round info plays change, and teams can reach certain fights faster than before.

On B, the new hole between E-box and the back of site creates cleaner grenade and molotov paths. That can force defenders to move earlier when executes come in with layered utility.

A-site is about cover. Moving the crates up onto the walkway changes how defenders survive the first contact, and the added scaffolding on the pillar gives new edges for clears, spam, and late-round repositioning.

Weapon balance and economy: MP7/MP5-SD damage & fall-off changes plus PP-Bizon price cut

Valve also nudged the SMG tier in a direction that will show up in force buys and half-buys. The MP7 and MP5-SD received slightly increased damage, slightly reduced damage fall-off, and a $100 price reduction. In practical terms, that places both guns at $1,400 after the change.

The PP-Bizon gets a $100 price cut as well. Even without additional damage notes in this patch, a cheaper tag matters for teams trying to stretch a thin economy while still buying something that can flood a choke point with bullets.

Here’s the balance and economy snapshot:

Weapon	What changed	Economy impact
MP7	Slight damage increase, reduced fall-off	Price reduced by $100
MP5-SD	Slight damage increase, reduced fall-off	Price reduced by $100
PP-Bizon	Price reduction	Price reduced by $100

In live games, this favors “take space” rounds where a team needs to crack a site without committing to full rifles. The MP7’s identity as a close-range brawler gets a bit more forgiveness, while the MP5-SD’s quieter profile becomes easier to justify when the buy is tight. Players who love scrappy CT-side pushes through smoke will likely test these changes immediately, especially on tighter parts of the pool where fall-off used to make SMG duels feel coin-flippy.

Movement overhaul: subtick landing timing, stamina removal, and updated bunnyhop window

This update changes how movement timing works in CS2, and it can affect normal matches, not just movement servers. Jumping and landing no longer change stamina. Instead, the slowdown you get after landing is based only on when you landed with subtick precision.

Key points in this movement overhaul:

Landing time is calculated with subtick precision.
Stamina changes from jumping and landing were removed; landing slowdown depends on landing time.
Bunnyhop success depends on inputs within sv_bhop_time_window and not being penalized by sv_jump_spam_penalty_time.

In a real match, this shows up when trying to hop away after a bad fight or during a save. Cleaner timing should feel more consistent, while repeated jump spamming can still get punished. Servers that want the old behavior can switch back using sv_legacy_jump.

Content rotation: community maps added/removed, Weekly Care Package collection changes, and a new Armory item

Valve rotated a lot of “extra” content in matchmaking alongside the January update, so the map choices and weekly drops can look different right away. For CS2 players, this affects warmups and side queues, since community maps are often where people practice aim, learn new angles, or stack games with friends.

The update also changes what can appear in Weekly Care Packages, which matters if you pay attention to drops and collections over time. On top of that, the Armory received a new Limited Edition item, giving collectors something new to chase.

Maps removed from all modes: Golden, Palacio, Agency, Rooftop.
Maps added to Competitive, Casual, Deathmatch: Warden, Stronghold, Alpine.
Maps added to Wingman: Sanctum, Poseidon.
Weekly drops: Harlequin and Achroma added; Safehouse, Dust 2, 2018 Nuke, and 2018 Inferno removed from weekly drops.
Armory: new Limited Edition item, AK47 | Aphrodite.

If you want to stay efficient, learn the new community maps early and keep an eye on the updated drop pool, since both can shape how your weekly routine feels in-game.

Audio, visuals, and fixes: reduced output latency, improved weapon/knife sounds, visual fidelity updates, and bug patches

This part of the January update is about feel and clarity, not new maps or ranks. Valve tightened audio timing, upgraded some weapon visuals, and fixed several annoying bugs that could distract during real matches.

Reduced audio output latency;
Higher-fidelity knife draw and inspect sounds, and less sound overlap when swapping items fast;
More detailed base-weapon materials (AK47, AWP, Deagle, MP7, USP-S, Bizon, and others);
Fixes to voice, deathcam, surf collisions, visibility systems, animations, and blood decals.

In play, faster audio response can make shots and steps feel more connected to what you see. Knife hits also sound different depending on primary vs alt fire, and whether you strike from the front or back, matching the damage rules. Ambient sounds no longer restart when you move between sound zones, so rotations sound steadier.

On the bug side, your own open mic now always shows correctly, a deathcam intersection issue was fixed, and surf ramps should be smoother thanks to collision fixes. Valve also improved PVS resolution for some static geometry, fixed small Butterfly Knife animation clipping, and restored missing blood decals.