In Counter-Strike, which team is responsible for rescuing hostages?

In Counter-Strike, the Counter-Terrorists are responsible for rescuing hostages. On a hostage-rescue map, the Counter-Terrorist team must find hostages controlled by the Terrorists and escort them to a designated rescue zone.

Hostage rescue is one of the two original objective types in Counter-Strike, alongside bomb defusal. The rules have changed in details across versions, but the central division remains consistent: Terrorists defend the hostages, while Counter-Terrorists attempt to extract them. A round can also be won through eliminating the opposing team, depending on the game’s rules and the state of the objective.

Players sometimes associate Counter-Terrorists only with bomb defusal because defusal maps dominate professional play. Hostage maps, however, are a foundational part of Counter-Strike’s design. Their routes, rescue zones, and hostage positions create a different tactical problem from the timed bomb objective.