What was the name of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s first operation?

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s first operation was Operation Payback.

Valve launched Operation Payback in April 2013, several months after CS:GO’s release. It gave players access to a curated collection of community-created maps, including maps such as de_seaside, de_cache, and de_museum. Players bought an operation pass to access the featured content and support the map creators.

Operation Payback helped establish the operation format that later became a recurring part of Counter-Strike. Later operations added larger collections of maps, missions, cosmetic rewards, and other progression features. Because Operation Bravo followed soon afterward and became particularly associated with early CS:GO item collecting, players sometimes mistakenly identify it as the first operation.

The operation name also matters historically because it shows how CS:GO began incorporating community mapping into a structured, time-limited content program. Payback was not a standalone Counter-Strike game or a tournament; it was an in-game content event.