Beginner ▶ Video guide Updated September 25, 2026

Counter-Strike: Source servers

What you get with a SLASHPLAY Counter-Strike: Source server: SourceMod and MetaMod preinstalled, 16 slots, match controls, mode presets, plugins and RCON.

Written by Jonathan, Co-founder of SLASHPLAY LinkedIn

0:00 / 1:54
Read the transcript

This audio was created with Boson AI's Higgs Audio: boson.ai/higgs-audio

Counter-Strike: Source is still one of the best games for a night of deathmatch, surf or classic de_dust2 with friends, and it runs happily on the smallest server we have. A SLASHPLAY CS:Source server starts from your browser in about a minute, comes with SourceMod and MetaMod already installed, and gives you one-click controls for the things you’d otherwise type into the console.

What you get

  • CS:Source Vanilla: the Counter-Strike: Source dedicated server, kept up to date for you.
  • SourceMod 1.13 and MetaMod:Source preinstalled, so SourceMod plugins work straight away.
  • 16 player slots, starting on de_dust2.
  • 3 tokens an hour on SMALL (1 CPU, 2 GB), which is $0.03 an hour. Bigger sizes are 6, 12 and 24 tokens an hour.
  • Open by default. Anyone with the address can join until you turn on a join password.

The Game-specific tab

On your server’s page, Game-specific has four panels:

PanelWhat it’s for
Quick actionsRestart the round or game, change map, set the bot count, send a message to all players, and change common server settings like friendly fire, freeze time and round time.
ModesOne-click presets for Deathmatch, Surf, Gun Game and Zombie.
PluginsCurated SourceMod plugins you can install with one click. Today that’s CSS:DM, the deathmatch plugin.
RCONThe host, port and password for external RCON tools.

The Mods tab

CS:Source is the only game with a Mods tab. It installs SourceMod plugins from your team’s library, including ones you upload yourself, and lists popular plugins you can add with one click. See Plugins and mods.

All of these need the Control servers permission on the team. Installing from Plugins, and everything in Quick actions and Modes, also needs the server to be Live.

Where to start

  1. Beginner. Start a server walks you through your first server and getting in, then Quick actions shows every button.
  2. Intermediate. Turn it into a deathmatch or surf server with Modes, and connect your own tools with RCON.
  3. Advanced. Install and upload SourceMod plugins, and set up admins, in Plugins and mods.

Everything that works the same for every game (saves, schedules, the console, the file manager, sizes) is in Servers.

IN THIS SECTION

Beginner ▶ Video Start your first Counter-Strike: Source server Deploy a Counter-Strike: Source server on SLASHPLAY in about a minute, join it through Steam or the console, invite friends, and stop it when you're done. Beginner ▶ Video Counter-Strike: Source Quick actions Every control in the CS:Source Quick actions panel: restart the round or game, change map, bots, messages and server toggles, with the command behind each. Intermediate ▶ Video Counter-Strike: Source mode presets Switch your CS:Source server to Deathmatch, Surf, Gun Game or Zombie in one click: what each preset changes, the plugin it needs, and which are best-effort. Advanced Counter-Strike: Source plugins and mods Add SourceMod plugins to your CS:Source server: one-click curated plugins, your team's mod library, uploading your own, the folder layout and adding admins. Intermediate ▶ Video RCON on Counter-Strike: Source Find your CS:Source server's RCON host, port and password, and use them from an RCON tool or from the in-game console while you play.