Exploring the CS:GO Workshop for Custom Maps and Skins

Today, CS:GO is one of the leading 5v5 competitive disciplines. Despite its simplicity, it still attracts gamers around the world. But what is the reason for such stability? Despite a barrage of criticism from the community, Valve still looks after its products. They constantly update the game, rebalance it and, of course, add something new. And how to find out the preferences of the players if they do not communicate directly with the game community? Valve found a great way to handle this – the CS:GO Workshop.

What is CS:GO Workshop?

CS:GO Workshop is a platform inside Steam where players can create custom maps, weapon skins, and other content and put it on display for other users. The main thing is that you can try all the content from CS:GO Workshop and it’s absolutely free.

what is cs;go workshop

The beauty of the workshop is that Valve constantly monitors and adds the most popular works to CS:GO. It is also worth mentioning that all the rights to the works of the authors, Valve redeem, or gives the author a percentage of the sale price.

For example, did you know that the Anubis map that was added in the recent CS:GO update was created by users “Roald”, “jakuza”, “jd40” in the Steam Workshop back in 2019?

Maps Workshop

Custom maps are probably the most popular tab among players in the CS:GO Workshop. There you can find the most popular maps for a variety of purposes. You have access to a huge selection of maps for practicing shooting, grenade throwing, and movement. There are also maps to help you set up your crosshair, hand position, and other options.

If you are looking for something new, in the CS:GO Workshop, you can install a hide-and-seek entertaining map. Take a break from Matchmaking, gather your friends, and have some fun. If you are a thrill lover, we also recommend trying horror maps or survival mode maps.

The only drawback of the Workshop is an inconvenient menu, making it difficult for beginners to figure out how to find and install maps or other in-game items.

How to Add Workshop Maps to CS:GO

Downloading a map from the CS:GO workshop is quite simple. You just need to know where to go and what to click on.

First, you need to open Steam. Find the Community tab, hover over it with the mouse, and you will see several sub-tabs. Therefore, click on the one you are interested in Workshop.

How to Add Workshop Maps to CS:GO

On the page that opens, find the search bar and enter the name of the game there, in our case, it is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. After that, you are transferred directly to the CS:GO workshop.

Under the picture with the inscription CS:GO, you can see the “Browse” button. Hover over it and select “Maps”. You will see a list of the most popular maps from the workshop. You can add it just by clicking on the green cross. There is a search bar if you need to find a specific map.

find a specific map

You can also add cards while playing CS:GO. To do this, simply open the In-Game Overlay (Shift+Tab by default) and follow the same guide above.

The number of custom maps is quite impressive, and it can take a few hours to find something interesting. To make it easier for you, we have selected several maps that are worth your attention.

The Best CS:GO Workshop Maps

As we noted earlier, the choice of a map depends on your goals. If you want to improve your CS:GO skills, the Yprac series of practice maps by Yesber is a great choice. You can train your aim, practice in utility throwing, prefire and peek practice on all maps of the competitive mode.

The best CS:GO Workshop Maps

If you feel uncomfortable during play, or your results have deteriorated a lot lately, try changing the config or сrosshair a little. With the help of custom maps from the user “crashz”, this can be made much easier than digging into the settings or game files of CS:GO.

game files of CSGO 1
game files of CSGO 2
game files of CSGO 3

As for other maps, such as Hide and seek or horror, it’s hard to choose the best one. Each of them is good in its own way. The main thing is that you and your friends have fun.

In addition to maps, there are many more interesting things in the CS:GO Workshop, such as music packs, stickers, and skins. Unfortunately, you can’t use them in the game itself, but you can promote them by leaving positive comments.

Items Workshop

Custom skin models are created in Photoshop or other editors that support the Valve Texture Format. Unfortunately, skins from the workshop cannot be used in any online game mode. You can only use it on a local server or in a game with bots. The VAC anti-cheat system will prevent you from running a search for a ranked match or any other format.

If any skin from the workshop gets a lot of positive feedback, then there is a good chance that developers will add it to the next collection of weapons.

You can also create content in CS:GO and add it to the Steam Workshop for public display. If your product gains hype and is added to the game, you will earn good money.

How to Upload Your Creations to CS:GO Workshop?

So, you have finally managed to create stylish skin for a pistol or a knife. Now let’s see what the process of uploading a CS:GO skin to the Workshop looks like.

First, launch CS:GO. In “Settings”, enable the developer console. If you don’t know how to do this, we recommend you check out our article about configuration and console .

Then, open the console and write “workshop_workbench”. In an opened window, you will see the inscription “Workbench” click on it. Select the “Custom Paint Job” option at the top left of the screen and then upload your skin. Go ahead and choose a weapon model at this point.

Next, you need to adjust the position of your weapon with the sliders and see how your custom skin looks on it.

How to Upload Your Creations to CS:GO Workshop

After checking the skin out on your weapon, click on the “Submit” button. Set the title image of your work to be displayed in the Workshop, agree with the terms, and click “Publish”.

click publish

That’s all! Now you can search your custom skin in Workshop and monitor community opinion about it.

To Wrap Up!

Overall, the CS:GO Workshop brings a lot of variety and creativity to the game. Users create a lot of interesting content, and you can test it. If you suddenly get tired of the monotony of matchmaking, go to the Workshop. There you can always find something interesting.

If you want to up your game at CS:GO, then our blog is a treasure trove for you with a variety of guides, news, and recommendations.

FAQ

What does Steam Workshop mean?

The Steam Workshop is a kind of repository for mods and in-game items from Valve’s video games created by players.

Is Steam Workshop safe?

Yes, it’s safe. There is not a thing you need to worry about though. In the entire history of the existence of the Workshop, there has not been a single case of viruses or other malware infections.

Is it safe to delete the Steam Workshop folder?

Yes, it won’t cause any problems. However, deleting an entire folder is simply pointless since Steam will try to re-download files previously synchronized with your subscriptions.