Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the release of "Operation Payback", the first of an ongoing series of limited-time updates aimed at giving a well-earned financial reward to some of CS:GO’s most popular and prolific mapmakers.

Available from now until July 31st, 2013, "Operation Payback" is a collection of seven top-voted Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) community maps hosted on official servers and available to play with the purchase of a pass. Since its launch in February, the CS:GO Maps Workshop has amassed over 1,400 community-made maps. "Operation Payback" offers the CS:GO community a chance to play seven of the highest-voted Workshop Maps through the uninterrupted low-ping play of official servers – all while rewarding the makers of CS:GO’s top-rated virtual maps with real money. Buying a pass also lets players bring their friends along to any "Operation Payback" match. Contributors will also get to show off their support with a one-of-a-kind challenge coin, upgradable by playing and viewable wherever their avatars are shown. For a limited time players can buy a pass for only $2.99 (USD).