With many other massively popular streamers such as xQc and Trainwreckstv receiving similar deals, many claim that this kind of unchecked promotion of gambling services from people who are receiving huge sponsorship deals can be harmful to audiences, while also questioning the credibility of the showcased win rates of the gambling sites on stream. This kind of gambling was present on Twitch for several years, being a lingering controversy that was only recently addressed thanks to what is likely Twitch's most high-profile gambling controversy to d

One of these is its CT-sided nature, which is likely what Nuke is most known for. While it was always a popular map despite this reputation, the casual and professional scene responded very positively to the changes. While many would argue it remains largely CT-sided, strong teams, structured or not, have options to be effective on the T-side creating a nice balance. Nuke remains in the Top 3 to 4 most-played maps in both casual and competitive pl

Platforms: PC, Linux , macOS

Arguably the parent of Overwatch and its unique game modes, Team Fortress is a team shooter that remains popular to genre newcomers and pros years after its initial release . Players in a squad choose one out of nine classes, each with predetermined abilities and toolkits that can help achieve the mode's objectives. Matches can involve mechanics such as moving carts, protecting locations, or even stealing briefca

What has made the map a mainstay for so long is its balance, unique aesthetic, and low learning curve. The map has also gained a bit of a reputation for being a bit of an upset map in the professional scene. This and its age have led to community questioning when the map will inevitably get its revision, but until that day, Mirage surely has a lot more to g

Players who want to experience the sheer thrill of multiplayer FPS on their heyday will want to give CrossFire a shot. Aside from fast-paced gameplay teaching players mechanics such as strafing and listening closely to minute sounds and details, the multiple game modes in CrossFire means there’s always a new way to play every

As one of the few maps created by Valve, Ancient was released on December 3, 2020, as part of Operation Broken Fang. It wouldn't be until May 3, 2021, when the map was moved to the active map pool replacing Train. While Train was a well-liked and balanced map to the CS:GO community, there was some sentiment that it did start to feel a bit stale despite being one of the first maps to be reworked. This was apparent in the decline in pick rate at the professional level, but especially in casual play which is likely the cause for the remo

In this regard, gambling on Twitch has long been a source of disagreement, with some of the largest streamers on the platform leaning heavily into controversial sponsored gambling streams. This long-standing issue recently reached a boiling point, leading to most forms of gambling content being banned from the site, but the previous gambling-related incidents that led to this point should not be igno

Counter Strike: Global Offensive has often been a source of gambling-related controversy, and so it is no wonder that this inevitably translated over to the Twitch platform. CSGO's case unboxing system provides a small opportunity for players to possibly receive items worth huge amounts of real-world money and was one of the first titles to really spark widespread discourse surrounding this kind of "soft gambling" that was going unchecked within the video game indus

Managing the looting, complex gunplay, and punishing feelings of losing everything make Tarkov a true grind for newcomers. Its incredibly high TTK and lack of kill cams can make deaths feel impossible to learn from. Newcomers hoping to stick with the game will have to find a way to learn though, because Escape From Tarkov never holds the player's h

Websites quickly began exploiting the craze surrounding Counter Strike 's in-SLG game story Guide items, with sites like CSGO Lotto allowing players to trade their items for eligibility into raffles for extremely valuable prizes. Many streamers began promoting these kinds of websites, often without disclosing their financial stakes in the services they were promoting. For example, popular streamer Phantoml0rd was famously permanently banned from Twitch for just this reason, despite later winning a civil suit against the platform. Twitch would quickly go on to ban these kinds of raffle or gambling websites related to CSGO , marking one of the first major gambling controversies for the serv

As one of the oldest and most storied maps in competitive Counter-Strike history, Jo Bieg's creation in BETA 4.0 of the original Counter-Strike mod has seen iterations and remakes across every single game. Needless to say, Nuke is iconic and up there with the likes of Inferno and Dust II. Due to its reputation, it was the second map to receive a significant revision to not only update the aesthetic but also resolve issues that have persisted for ye