Counter-Strike 2 Server Quickstart

A Counter-Strike 2 server needs one thing before anything else: a Game Server Login Token from Steam. After that it is server.cfg, game modes, maps, and RCON. This quickstart covers all four. Panel basics are in Access Your Game Server Panel.

Game Server Login Token (GSLT)#

1. Create a token at Steam's Game Server Account Management page (Steam Community, then Game Servers) for App ID 730, using a Steam account in good standing that owns a game and is not limited.
2. Paste it into the Startup tab variable for the Steam account (it sets sv_setsteamaccount at launch). Without a token the server runs in LAN-only mode and nobody outside can join.
3. Keep it private. A leaked token can get banned, and a ban follows the Steam account that created it.

Connect#

Players open the console (enable it in game settings) and type connect IP:27015 (or your allocated port), adding ; password yourpass if sv_password is set. The server also appears in the community browser if it is public.

server.cfg and game modes#

Edit game/csgo/cfg/server.cfg in the file manager (created on first start; create it if absent), then restart or exec server.cfg from console:

hostname "NoBull Networks | Competitive"
sv_password ""
rcon_password "long-random-string"
sv_cheats 0
mp_freezetime 15
mp_maxrounds 24
mp_overtime_enable 1
sv_allow_votes 1

Game mode is set by two convars, usually via the Startup tab: game_type 0 with game_mode 1 is Competitive, 0/0 Casual, 0/2 Wingman, 1/2 Deathmatch, 1/0 Arms Race. Change maps with changelevel de_mirage; Workshop maps load with host_workshop_map <id> and need a Steam Web API key set in the startup command.

RCON#

From your own game console: rcon_address IP:27015, rcon_password yourpass, then rcon changelevel de_dust2. The panel Console does the same without RCON. Never leave rcon_password empty on a public server.

Plugins#

CS2 plugins run on Metamod:Source with CounterStrikeSharp on top. Install both into game/csgo/addons/ via SFTP following their current instructions, then drop plugins into addons/counterstrikesharp/plugins/. Match versions after every CS2 update; a game patch that breaks Metamod is the most common "my server will not start" cause.

Updates and performance#

Valve ships CS2 updates often; a mismatched server refuses clients. Restart from the panel to fetch the current build. Tick rate is fixed in CS2, so what matters is single-core speed and a clean network path, both of which are the point of the hardware under you. Bots and many plugins add load; watch the panel graphs on a full 10-player match plus spectators.