Counter-Strike 2

Self-hosted
Description
Hardware
Install
Settings
Counter-Strike 2 See on Steam

Counter-Strike 2 is a team-based tactical shooter developed by Valve, released in 2023 to replace Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Two teams, terrorists and counter-terrorists, compete around objectives (planting/defusing a bomb, rescuing hostages) over short, economy-driven rounds.

Rebuilt on the Source 2 engine, the game keeps the precise, demanding gunplay the franchise is known for, while modernizing the graphics, smoke physics (now fully volumetric) and netcode.

The classic competitive mode pits two teams of 5 players against each other, but the community also self-hosts a huge number of casual, deathmatch, retake and surf servers, making it one of the most popular games for community hosting.

Counter-Strike 2 has been free-to-play since launch.

Server OSWindows 11 / Linux
Server RAM4 to 16 GB
Server storage85 GB

Customer requirements

Minimal:

Operating systemWindows 10 or SteamOS/Linux (Ubuntu 20.04, 64-Bit)
Processor4 hardware threads, Intel Core i5 750 or higher
RAM8 GB of memory
Graphics card1 GB or more, DirectX 11 / Shader Model 5.0 (AMD GCN+ / NVIDIA Kepler+, up-to-date Vulkan on Linux)
Disk space85 GB of available disk space

Recommended:

Operating systemWindows 10/11 or SteamOS/Linux (64-Bit)
Processor6 hardware threads or more
RAM16 GB of memory
Graphics cardRecent dedicated graphics card compatible with DirectX 11 / Vulkan
Disk space85 GB of available disk space (SSD recommended)
Steam only publishes an official "Minimum" configuration for Counter-Strike 2 — the "Recommended" configuration above is a common estimate for smooth 1080p gameplay, not an official Valve value. Note that macOS is no longer supported by the game.
View the list of recommended gaming PCs (regularly updated)

Deploying a server

Prerequisites : Having a hosting on which the Drooft Game Hosting service is installed.
If you haven't already, please follow the installation guide for the Drooft Game Hosting service.

Installing a Counter-Strike 2 game server takes between 15 and 45 minutes, mainly due to the game server download time (about 85 GB)!

Steps:

1 Go to the page adding game server and fill in: host, game (Counter-Strike 2), server name, game port (a single port: game, Steam query and RCON all go through it) and access type (password, friends, public).
2 Wait a few minutes for the server to switch to the "Game server turned off" , then configure the server options at the bottom of the page (e.g.: maximum number of players).
Important : Counter-Strike 2 requires a "Login Token" (Game Server Login Token / GSLT, a free Steam token tied to your account, obtained from the Steam server management site) to be reachable and properly listed. Enter it in the "Login Token" field at the bottom of the page — the "start" button stays disabled until it is filled in.
3 Start your server (button "to start up") : all that's left is to play and invite your friends !
Counter-Strike 2

Tips:

Check that the server port is open on the internet (UDP and TCP). You can test whether your ports are open directly from your game server's page, using the icon .

If you enable GOTV (spectators and demos), also open the chosen GOTV port on the internet (UDP, 27020 by default).

Customizing Server Settings

More than 50 game server settings can be changed directly from the website, grouped by theme, whether the server is stopped or running. They apply on the next start. A setting left empty keeps the value Valve intended for the selected game mode.

Server customization (basic)

Password Allows you to join the game (single player)
Game Server Login Token Steam Game Server Login Token (GSLT), required to start the server — see the "Important" box in the Installation tab
Admin password Server RCON password, used for administration and the player count shown on the site
Maximum number of players Allows you to choose the maximum number of simultaneous players on the server

Map & game mode

Starting map Official map loaded at startup: Dust II, Mirage, Inferno, Nuke, Ancient, Anubis, Vertigo, Overpass or Train.
Game mode Casual, Competitive, Wingman (2v2), Arms Race or Deathmatch.
Steam Workshop collection Downloads the maps of a Steam Workshop collection.
Steam Workshop map Plays on a single community map (aim, surf, bhop...): the server starts on the startup map, then switches to it once downloaded.

Setting presets

Apply a preset Sets up the server in one click: 5v5 Scrim, Practice (grenades), Free-for-all Deathmatch, Aim / 1v1, Surf / Bhop or Fun with bots. Each setting can still be changed afterwards.

Game rules

Friendly fire Allows damage between teammates.
Rounds and duration Maximum number of rounds (24 = MR12 format of official matches) and round duration.
Freeze time at round start (seconds) Frozen buy time at the start of each round. 15 in competitive.
Bomb timer (seconds) Delay before the bomb explodes once planted.
Halftime and overtime Side switch at halftime, overtime on a tie and number of rounds per overtime.
Warmup (seconds) Length of the warmup phase before the match starts.

Economy

Starting and maximum money Money received at the start of the match and money cap per player.
Buy time (seconds) How long the buy menu stays available during a round.
Buy anywhere on the map Allows buying outside the buy zone.
Free armor None, vest, or vest + helmet given every round.

Respawn & practice

Respawn after death Players respawn right after dying.
Free for all (teammates are enemies) All players fight each other, whatever their team.
Random spawn points Players spawn anywhere on the map.
Infinite ammo Infinite ammo, with or without reloading.
Practice tools Enables sv_cheats, grenade trajectory preview and bullet impact display, and prevents the round from ending.

Teams & voice chat

Automatic team balance Balances teams and limits the player difference between them.
Voice chat Voice chat between both teams, and between dead and living players.
Automatically kick team killers and idle players Kicks players who kill their teammates or stay idle.

Bots

Number and difficulty of bots From 0 to 20 bots, from easy to expert.
Bot count behavior Fixed number of bots, or automatic team filling: bots give up their place to joining players.
Bots wait for a player to join Bots only appear once a human player is connected.
Bot chatter Silent, radio commands only, or normal chatter.

Movement (surf, bhop)

Air acceleration 12 by default. Around 150 for surf maps, 1000 for bhop.
Bunny hop Bunny hop without speed limit and auto jump by holding the key.
Gravity 800 by default.
Speed loss on jump and landing 0.08 by default. 0 = no slowdown when chaining jumps.
Fall damage (multiplier) 0 to remove fall damage, useful on surf maps.

Server

Hibernate when the server is empty Saves your machine's CPU when nobody is connected.
Slots shown in the server browser Lets you keep reserved slots. Empty = maximum number of players.

GOTV & demos

Enable GOTV Lets you watch a match as a spectator from the game, with an anti-cheat broadcast delay. Requires an extra UDP port.
Automatically record matches (demos) Records every match as a demo, to watch again in the game.

Custom console commands

Console commands One command per line, run on every map load after all other settings, for any setting not offered above.

Plugins

Metamod + CounterStrikeSharp Base required by all plugins, updated automatically each time the server starts.
Game mode plugin MatchZy (matches, scrims, practice), Retakes or Advanced Deathmatch (weapon selection).
Administrators Players (SteamID64) with full plugin administration rights.

Live administration

Send a message Message shown immediately in the chat of all connected players.
Change map Immediately loads another map (official, Workshop map or collection map), without restarting the server.
Match control End the warmup, restart the match, pause and resume.
Connected players List of online players, with one-click kick and ban.
Banned players A banned player who tries to come back is kicked automatically. One-click unban and a link to their Steam profile.