Smash apart this Counter-Strike mapper's destructible Inferno remake

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's maps are quite hardy, surviving countless bombing runs with nary a scratch. But thanks to one modder's new, destructible version of Inferno, CS:GO's explosive antics could send entire buildings tumbling down.

Appearing on the Steam Workshop this weekend, Destructible Inferno is exactly that. Granted, this is still the Source Engine—don't expect to be smashing apart every loose brick and wall, Red Faction: Guerrilla style. But as noted by YouTuber 3KliksPhilip, mapper Lion Doge has gone to great lengths to make Inferno as breakable as possible.

For a start, every static model that can be turned into a physics prop has been converted, meaning crates and barrels can now be knocked around. Many walls can be blown apart, adding a bit of Rainbow Six Siege to CS by letting you crack open new sightlines or blast away cover. You're  no longer as safe as you think you are, tucked behind the crates on Banana.

Doge has gone the extra mile in simulating destruction for certain locations externally, importing animations to add a bit of spectacle that couldn't otherwise be supported by CS:GO's built-in physics. The highlight is Inferno's central tower, which has a 10% chance of crumbling apart whenever a bomb successfully detonates.

Counter-Strike's precise mode of high-stakes gunfights have been refined and perfected over decades, which is why I'm always excited to see fans shake up the format like this. Earlier this year, another mapper wrangled the game's ageing engine into a procedurally-generated arena with tens of millions of variations.

Natalie Clayton
Features Producer

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.