CS2 gets 1st "community-made" operation

With Valve churning out a handful of cosmetics, a limited time co-op mode, major gameplay changes, new game modes (occasionally) and a collectible coin among other things, Operations were a community wide celebration, with players flocking to complete weekly co-op missions, earn stars or missions drops and progress further in this battle-pass-like system. Operations also provided a much needed change in scenery with new maps.

Counter-Strike's last Operation came in September 2021- Operation Riptide which brought Dust2, Train, Vertigo and Mirage collections into the game. During this Operation maps like Insertion 2, Extraction and County (Danger Zone) were added to the game. Short competitive matches, private queues, FFA deathmatches and TDMs were also added in this update.

The four-year Operation drought saw popular Counter-Strike map maker Maxime hit the community with the "Fine, I'll do it myself", releasing an Operation-style workshop map of his own. "I made a Counter-Strike 2 Operation.", said Maxime on X, posting a video showcasing a co-op mission on the map Wild. In his post, Maxime showcases Operation-esque main menu elements, an Operation progress card, a co-op cutscene and a combat sequence.

Going by the name "Operation Lazarus", the co-op mission sets the player on a path to rescue hostages captured by Phoenix mercenaries in an abandoned Military facility which was converted into a covert illegal lab. Whilst rescuing the hostages, the player should breach the facility's core and shut down the operation.

Maxime has uploaded a briefing video on YouTube which gives players an encrypted message containing the pass code to progress the Operation. Players can start the Operation by subscribing to the community map, Wild. To set up the co-op mission, the following needs to be pasted into the game's developer console:
sv_cheats 1;mp_freezetime 0;mp_roundtime_defuse 9999;mp_roundtime_hostage 9999;r_show_build_info 0; bot_kick