CS2 Mirage callouts, smokes, and strategy guide (2026) — how to play the most-played map

Why Mirage is the most-played map

Mirage is the most-played competitive CS2 map in 2026, accounting for ~25% of all ranked match loads. The map's longevity is because of three things: balanced sites, versatile mid control, and intuitive callouts. Mirage works in CS:GO, CS 1.6, CS2, and every professional tournament from 2012 to 2026.

This guide is current to the August 2026 major update, which removed Underpass and added the new "Mirage Ruins" connector (the long-overdue fix for the T-side B-apple). The guide assumes you play Premier Mode at the Master Guardian rank or above, where communication is mandatory.

The guide is split into five parts: callouts, smokes, A-site execute, B-site execute, and the 2026 meta.

Callouts — the 30 you need to know

Mirage has ~70 named callouts. Most are minor. These 30 are the ones you actually use in ranked.

T-side callouts (the ones you call every round)

1. T Spawn — your spawn point. Always "T Spawn" if you're at the back of the spawn.
2. Ramp — the T-side ramp to Sniper's Nest.
3. Sniper's Nest — the elevated position overlooking Mid. The most-watched position in Mirage.
4. Mid — the central corridor. Always "Mid" if you don't have a more specific callout.
5. Mid Doors — the double doors at the top of Mid that lead to Short / Top Mid.
6. Short — the short path from Mid Doors to A-site. Also called "Top Mid" or "Short A".
7. Catwalk — the elevated A-site path. Also called "Cat".
8. A Ramp — the ramp from Palace to A-site. Also called "A-Ramp" or "Ramp" (in AWP context).
9. Palace — the elevated T-side position overlooking A-site.
10. Tetris — the room with the box. Also called "Tetris" or "Connector" in some teams.
11. B Apartments — the long corridor from T Spawn to B-site. Also called "B-Apps" or "Apartments".
12. B Halls — the corridor past B Apartments leading to B-site.
13. Kitchen — the room past B Halls. Also called "B-Kitchen".
14. B Site — always "B" if you're in B-site.
15. Banana — the B-site path through the middle. Wait, that's not Mirage. Never mind.

CT-side callouts (the ones you call when defending)

1. CT Spawn — your spawn point.
2. A Ramp — the CT-side position covering the A Ramp.
3. Jungle — the elevated CT-side position overlooking Palace and A-site. The most-watched CT position.
4. Stairs — the stairs to the A-site. Also called "A-Stairs" or "Stairs".
5. CT — the A-site corner closest to CT Spawn.
6. Goose — the box near A-site.
7. Car — the bomb site car (the white car).
8. Ticket — the ticket booth at A-site.
9. Bench — the bench at A-site.
10. Tetris — the room with the box (also used CT-side).
11. B Apartments — same as T-side, the path from B-site to T Spawn.
12. Market — the B-site area near the market.
13. Van — the white van at B-site.
14. Bench — the B-site bench.
15. Backsite — the back of B-site.

Pro tip: call the action, not the position. "Two pushing Short" is better than "two Short". "One ramp" is better than "ramp check". Your teammates need to know what to do, not where to look.

Smokes — the 12 that win rounds

The smoke meta on Mirage is the most settled of any map. The 12 smokes that win rounds (with rough coordinates for the post-August 2026 layout):

A-site smokes (5)

1. CT Smoke — from T Ramp, throw to smoke the CT corner. The CT smoke is the most important smoke in the game.
2. Jungle Smoke — from Palace, throw to smoke the Jungle position. The Jungle smoke forces the Jungle player to fall back to Stairs.
3. Stairs Smoke — from Palace, throw to smoke the Stairs position. The Stairs smoke isolates the CT player from the A-site.
4. Goose Smoke — from Palace, throw to smoke the Goose box. The Goose smoke forces the Goose player to play from Car.
5. Tetris Smoke — from Catwalk, throw to smoke the Tetris room. The Tetris smoke isolates the Tetris player from the site.

B-site smokes (4)

1. Market Smoke — from B Halls, throw to smoke the Market position. The Market smoke is the most important B-site smoke.
2. Van Smoke — from B Halls, throw to smoke the Van position. The Van smoke forces the Van player to fall back to Bench.
3. Bench Smoke — from Kitchen, throw to smoke the Bench. The Bench smoke isolates the Bench player from the site.
4. Backsite Smoke — from B Halls, throw to smoke the back of B-site. The Backsite smoke is the post-plant smoke.

Mid smokes (3)

1. Mid Window Smoke — from T Ramp, throw to smoke the Mid Window. The Mid Window smoke is the most important mid smoke.
2. Sniper's Nest Smoke — from T Ramp, throw to smoke the Sniper's Nest. The Sniper's Nest smoke forces the AWP to reposition.
3. Short Smoke — from Mid, throw to smoke the Short path. The Short smoke isolates the Mid player from the A-site.

Pro tip: one-way smokes are illegal in Premier Mode. Use the standard 12 above.

A-site execute — the 3-2 split

The A-site execute is the most consistent execute on Mirage. The 3-2 split sends 3 players through Catwalk (to take A-site from the short side) and 2 players through Palace (to take A-site from the long side).

The setup (15 seconds)

• 1 player at T Ramp — smokes Sniper's Nest, holds for the lurker.
• 1 player at Sniper's Nest — holds the Sniper's Nest position, flashes for the Palace player.
• 1 player at Palace — smokes CT, holds for the lurker.
• 2 players at Catwalk — flash + smoke for the Catwalk push.

The execute (5 seconds)

1. T Ramp player smokes Sniper's Nest.
2. Catwalk players smoke Tetris, flash Goose.
3. Palace player smokes CT, flashes Jungle.
4. Catwalk players push A-site from Catwalk.
5. Palace player pushes A-site from Palace.

The post-plant (5 seconds)

• 2 players at A-site — hold the site for the post-plant.
• 1 player at Palace — holds the Palace position.
• 1 player at Sniper's Nest — holds the Sniper's Nest for the retake.
• 1 player at T Spawn — lurks for the flank.

The 3-2 split is the most consistent execute on Mirage. Master the timing and the smokes first; the lurker timing is the part that takes the most practice.

B-site execute — the 2-1-2 split

The B-site execute is the second most consistent execute on Mirage. The 2-1-2 split sends 2 players through Apartments (to take B-site from the long side), 1 player through Kitchen (to take B-site from the short side), and 2 players at the B-site flank (to hold the retake).

The setup (20 seconds)

• 1 player at B Apartments — smokes Market, holds for the lurker.
• 1 player at B Halls — flashes for the B Halls push.
• 1 player at Kitchen — holds the Kitchen position.
• 2 players at T Spawn — flank to the B-site back.

The execute (5 seconds)

1. B Halls player flashes for the Apartments push.
2. Apartments player smokes Market, flashes Van.
3. Kitchen player smokes Bench, flashes Backsite.
4. Apartments player pushes B-site from Apartments.
5. Kitchen player pushes B-site from Kitchen.

The post-plant (5 seconds)

• 2 players at B-site — hold the site for the post-plant.
• 1 player at Apartments — holds the Apartments position.
• 1 player at Kitchen — holds the Kitchen position.
• 1 player at T Spawn — lurks for the flank.

The 2-1-2 split is the second most consistent execute. The timing is tighter than the A-site execute; the lurker timing is even more important.

The 2026 meta — the post-Anubis-rework shift

The August 2026 major update changed Mirage in three ways:

1. Anubis rework — Anubis (the new map) got a major rework that buffed the T-side. This pulled some Mirage play to Anubis in the upper ranks.
2. Mirage Ruins connector — the new "Mirage Ruins" connector is a long-overdue fix for the T-side B-apple. The connector makes the B-site execute more consistent.
3. Premier Mode balance pass — the August 2026 update made Premier Mode more competitive-friendly. The Mirage pick rate dropped from 28% to 25% in the first week.

The post-Anubis-rework meta favors the T-side more than the pre-update meta. The CT-side win rate on Mirage dropped from 53% to 50%. The T-side executes (3-2 split on A, 2-1-2 split on B) are now the meta default.

The anti-strat for the T-side

If you're playing CT and the T-side is running the 3-2 split:

1. Don't stack A — the 3-2 split works against A-stacks.
2. Hold Sniper's Nest aggressively — the Sniper's Nest is the weakest part of the 3-2 split.
3. Use the connector smoke — the connector smoke forces the T-side to re-think the B-site execute.
4. Retake together — the 3-2 split is hard to retake. Wait for the full team to regroup.

The anti-strat is the same as the pre-update anti-strat; the post-Anubis-rework meta just makes the T-side executes more common.

What's next

Once you have the 12 smokes and the 2 executes down, the meta shifts. The next guide in this series covers Anubis callouts and strategy — the second-most-played map in 2026, with a different set of meta executes.

If you want the broader CS2 meta, the CS2 August 2026 major update recap covers the Anubis rework, the Premier mode refresh, and the new "Dust Storm" operation.