How Many Maps Are in Repo: A Real Look at the Map Pools and Hidden Files

How Many Maps Are in Repo: A Real Look at the Map Pools and Hidden Files

So, you're digging through the files. You’ve probably noticed that the answer to how many maps are in repo depends entirely on which version of the codebase you're looking at and whether you count the "broken" ones. It's never a clean number. If you ask a developer, they’ll give you one number; if you ask a data miner, they'll give you something twice as large. That’s because repositories are messy.

Basically, the "repo" isn't just a playlist of what you see on your screen when you hit "Play." It's a digital graveyard and a construction site all at once.

Understanding the Difference Between Live and Repository Maps

Most players think the map count is just the rotation. It isn't. When we talk about how many maps are in repo, we’re looking at the version control system—usually Git or a proprietary equivalent—where every iteration of a level is stored.

In a standard competitive shooter, you might have 7 to 10 maps in the "Active Duty" pool. But if you open the actual repository? You’re going to find 40, 50, or even 100 entries. Why? Because the repo stores "grayboxes." These are the skeletal versions of maps where developers test layout before adding any art. They are technically maps. They have geometry. They have spawn points. But you wouldn’t want to play them.

Then you have the legacy files. Developers rarely delete old maps from the repo because they might need to "kitbash" parts of them later. If a map like Cobblestone or Aztec gets pulled from a game, it often stays in the repository as a reference point. It’s essentially a ghost in the machine.

The Breakdown of Map Types

You’ve got a few distinct categories sitting in those folders:

  • Production Maps: These are the ones you know. They are optimized, textured, and ready for public consumption.
  • Test Environments: Often labeled as test_lighting or physics_bench, these are tiny maps used to see if a specific mechanic works.
  • Archived Assets: These are the "retired" maps. They stay in the repo so that if a bug is discovered in a shared asset, the devs can see how it behaved in older environments.
  • WIP (Work in Progress): The secret stuff. The upcoming season’s map is usually sitting there under a codename like map_canary or project_nova.

How Many Maps Are in Repo for Major Titles?

Let’s get specific. Look at a game like Counter-Strike 2. If you look at the official competitive pool, the number is small. But if you look at the developer repository (or what’s accessible via the SDK), the number jumps significantly. There are dozens of community-authored maps that have been officially "ingested" into the Valve repository over the years.

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In the world of League of Legends, the count is surprisingly low. They focus on one primary map—Summoner’s Rift. However, their repository contains various versions of this single map: the winter map, the Ruination-themed map, and the "Arena" mode variants. So, is that one map or five? From a file structure perspective, it's several different "scenes" within the repo.

Honestly, the messiest repos belong to MMOs like World of Warcraft. We are talking about thousands of "map tiles" or "zones." In a repo like that, "how many maps" is almost an impossible question to answer because the world is partitioned into a grid. Each grid square is technically a data entry in the repository.

Why the Number Changes Every Week

Repositories are living things.

One day, a dev might branch the main repo to try a "night mode" version of a popular map. Suddenly, the count goes up by one. The next week, that branch is merged or deleted, and the count drops. This is why data miners often report "New Map Leaked!" only for it to be a slight variation of an existing asset.

The Technical Debt of Hidden Maps

Keeping too many maps in a repo is actually a problem. It’s called "bloat." If a repository is 200GB because of 50 unused maps, it takes forever for a new developer to "clone" the repo to their local machine.

Engineers use something called "LFS" (Large File Storage) to handle this. Instead of keeping the actual 5GB map file in the main Git history, they keep a tiny text pointer. The actual map lives on a separate server. So, if you're counting how many maps are in repo by looking at the file list, you might only be seeing placeholders.

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Spotting the "Hidden" Maps

If you are looking for these yourself, look for folders labeled:

  1. _deprecated
  2. _prototype
  3. _temp
  4. dev_builds

These are where the "extra" maps hide. Often, these files won't even load in the retail version of the game because they lack the necessary "baked" lighting data or nav-meshes that the final game requires. They are essentially raw clay.

Real-World Examples of Map Counts

Take Valorant. Riot Games is very disciplined. Their repo likely stays lean. They have a specific cadence for releasing maps. Based on their internal structure, they probably maintain around 15-20 maps in their "active" repository, including those in early development.

Compare that to an open-source project like Quake or certain Unreal Engine templates. You could find hundreds of "maps" that are just variations of a single room.

The reality? The number doesn't matter as much as the state of the maps. A repository with 100 maps sounds impressive until you realize 90 of them are just cubes.

What This Means for You

If you’re a modder or a developer trying to manage your own repo, keep your map count tight. Every map you add increases the complexity of your build pipeline. If you have "test" maps, move them to a separate "sandbox" repository.

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Don't let your "how many maps are in repo" answer become "I have no idea." That’s a recipe for a broken project.

Actionable Steps for Managing Map Repositories

If you are currently managing a game project or digging through one, here is how to keep the map count under control and meaningful:

Audit your directory weekly. Use a naming convention that separates "Production" from "Greybox." If a map hasn't been touched in three months, move it to an Archive folder or, better yet, remove it from the main branch and keep it in a "Legacy" branch.

Use Git LFS (Large File Storage). Maps are binary files. Standard Git is terrible at handling them. If your repo feels sluggish, it's probably because you're storing 50 versions of a map's geometry in the history. Use LFS to offload those heavy assets.

Automate your build exclusions. Make sure your "Cooker" or "Builder" knows exactly which maps to ignore. You don't want a 2GB test map accidentally shipping in your final 10GB game. This is a common mistake that leads to "data leaks" where players find secret maps in the game files.

Document the purpose of each scene. A simple README.md inside your /maps folder explaining what test_01_physics actually does will save you hours of confusion six months down the line.

Knowing exactly how many maps are in your repo is the first step toward a professional, optimized workflow. Keep it clean, keep it documented, and stop hoarding "maybe-one-day" layouts in your main branch.