de_nuke

A divisive nuclear plant map notorious for its defender advantage and complex layout.

Nuke, also known by its filename de_nuke, is a multiplayer map in the Counter-Strike series of first-person shooter video games by Valve Corporation, centered around bomb defusal. Set outside and inside the premises of a nuclear power plant as counter-terrorists attempt to repel a devastating attack, it was first released in November 1999 for the original Counter-Strike. It received a significant redesign in 2016 for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive as part of the "Operation Wildfire" update, which added more realistic detail and tweaked its layout. Another update was made to the map in 2018. It is used heavily in competitive play, and continues to be divisive for its design even after its revamp due to its complex layout and large open areas. It is notorious for being a haven for the defending team.

Quick Facts

Map type

Bomb Defusal

Bomb sites

A and B

Available in

CS 1.6
CS:GO
Counter-Strike 2

Playstyle

Close-quarters
utility-heavy
teamfight-oriented

Setting

Industrial; military facility (cold-climate aesthetic)

Defining feature

Mid tunnel connecting both bomb sites; extremely short sightlines throughout

Lore & Background

The original Nuke map for Counter-Strike was set in a Southwestern canyon environment similar to that of the Half-Life level Surface Tension, including shipping crates belonging to Black Mesa Research Facility. The interior parts of the map were set in a rusty warehouse holding nuclear materials. In Counter-Strike Source, it was modified to resemble an old, decommissioned nuclear plant with cooling towers under a gloomy sky. Upon the level's 2016 redesign, its appearance was updated to have a "clean institutional aesthetic" based on real nuclear plants, and its name altered to the Cedar Creek Nuclear Power Plant. This, and its switch to a bright, sunny blue sky, were done to give the level a more readable aesthetic as well as increase believability within the in-game setting. More clearly defined purposes for rooms made player call-outs more useful.

Reader's Guide

Nuke is a bomb defusal map set at a nuclear power plant. The defending team (counter-terrorists) has a strong advantage, making the map notorious as a haven for defenders. The 2016 redesign added more realistic detail and tweaked the layout, but the map remains divisive due to its complex layout and large open areas. Players should be aware that in Counter-Strike 2, the new lighting system causes deeper player shadows, potentially allowing spotting from different locations even outside line-of-sight, which may create a "shadow meta" for interior areas.