When is the next CS:GO operation?

Counter Strike: Global Offensive (or CS:GO for short) needs little introduction. A multiplayer first-person shooter released back in 2012, it’s quickly become one of the most popular and widely-played shooter. It’s so popular that you can even go to a professional event where players battle it out for cash prizes as large as $1,000,000! But you don’t have to be a pro to enjoy the game. 

 

CS:GO - Operations

The popularity of the game comes down to a wide range of things, from gameplay to graphics, but one of the most popular elements of CS:GO are the operations. A CS:GO operation is a purchasable and downloadable piece of content in the game, which consists of exclusive official, and even community, created content. There are also exclusive weapon collections and cases to be found, as well as coins and stat tracking throughout the CS:GO operation. The developers of the game stagger the release of each operation, so the question on most people’s lips at any given time is – when is the next CS:GO operation?

 

Timeline of CS:GO operations

Each CS:GO operation is scheduled to last between two to five months, usually with a one month break in between. However, operations often extend beyond their schedules. Before an operation expires, you will have access to all the campaigns and missions available – but once the CS:GO operation is concluded, the missions are removed from your inventory. To date there have been nine operations released. The table below will give you more information about each one of these, and will also help to consider when the next CS:GO operation is.

 

Name of Operation	Duration	Maps & Campaigns	Extras
Operation Payback	April 25, 2013 – August 31, 2013	Downtown Favela Library Motel Museum Seaside Thunder	-You can get coin upgrades from the time spent on each map
Operation Bravo	September 19, 2013 – February 5, 2014	Agency Ali Cache Chinatown Gwailor Ruins Siege Seaside Cobblestone Overpass	-There were exclusive weapon cases and weapon collections in this operation -The time it took for coins to upgrade was reduced -The CS:GO operation maps were available for more modes
Operation Phoenix	February 20, 2014 – June 11, 2014	Cache Motel Seaside Downtown Thunder Ali Favela Agency	-The weapon case is exclusive to pass owners
Operation Breakout	July 1, 2014 – October 2, 2014	Black Gold Castle Insertion Mist Overgrown Rush	-Passes were no longer needed to play operation maps -This operation was the first to include missions -Coin upgrades were possible by completing these missions
Operation Vanguard	November 11, 2014 – March 31, 2015	Backalley Bazaar Façade Marquis Season Workout Train Vanguard Weapons Specialist Maghreb Eurasia Theater	-This CS:GO operation was the first to include operation campaigns (in italics) -Missions were also received via these campaigns -You could also access coin upgrades via campaign completions -Also included as downloadable content were pay-per-campaign
Operation Bloodhound	May 26, 2015 – October 1, 2015	Agency Log Rails Resort Season Zoo Marksman Revolution	-This operation introduced a new campaign structure, with story-driven campaigns -When ranking up, there were exclusive drops made available -There were new mission types introduced, including guardian  co-op challenges and assassination -For the duration of this operation there were also daily mission drops
Operation Wildfire	February 17, 2016 – July 15, 2016	Coast Cruise Empire Mikla Royal Santorini Tulip Gemini Wildfire	-This operation had an exclusive co-op campaign -There were also new co-op Strike missions available
Operation Hydra	May 23,2017 – November 13, 2017	Agency Austria Black Gold Insertion Lite Shipped Thrill Hydra	-Three new gamemodes were introduced (War Games, Wingman, Weapons Expert) -There were exclusive drops when accumulating guardian and events XP
Operation Shattered Web	November 18, 2019 – March 30, 2020	Lunacy Jungle Studio Shattered Web	-Guardian Strike missions were introduced

 

 

So as you can see, it’s nearly been a whole year since the last CS:GO operation was released! And before then, it had nearly been two years. So when is the next CS:GO operation? With Operation Shattered Web helping CS:GO hit its first million-player day, the anticipation is almost unbearable. Unfortunately, there have not been any leaks or solid indications of when the next CS:GO operation will be released. The game developers, Valve, seem to be keeping to the time limits they have implemented themselves, with weapon drops and cases being released at regular intervals, but this doesn’t apply to CS:GO operations. 

 

Final thoughts

So sadly, we can’t answer the question on everyone’s lips – when is the next CS:GO operation. But with this information, it should give you a good idea of timings, showing clearly the time between each previous operation. Some people have tried to mine the data of previous CS:GO operations to see if there are any placeholders for future maps and missions for the next CS:GO operation, but these have not been forthcoming. All we can do is wait patiently, and keep playing CS:GO!