Counter-Strike 2 servers
What you get with a SLASHPLAY CS2 server, what the Game-specific tab can do, and which pages to read first, from your first match to RCON and launch options.
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A SLASHPLAY CS2 server is a real Counter-Strike 2 dedicated server that you start from your browser in about a minute and stop when you’re done. There is nothing to install, no port to forward and no config file to write before your first match.
What you get
- CS2 Vanilla: the game exactly as Valve ships it, with no plugins added.
- Always the latest patch. We update the server files when Valve releases an update, so your server matches the game your players have.
- de_dust2 as the starting map. After that, the server remembers the last map you played and comes back on it when you restore.
- 3 tokens an hour on SMALL (1 CPU, 2 GB), which is $0.03 an hour and plenty for a 5v5 with friends. Bigger sizes are 6, 12 and 24 tokens an hour.
- No hibernation. The server keeps running at full speed even when nobody is connected, so it is ready the moment someone joins. That also means it keeps billing while empty, so stop it when you’re done, or set a maximum run time.
- Open by default. Anyone with the address can join until you turn on a join password.
The Game-specific tab
Open your server’s page and click Game-specific. It has four panels:
| Panel | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Quick actions | Restart the server or reload the map, switch game mode, restart the round, warmup, pause, swap or scramble teams, add or kick bots, change map. |
| Maps | A gallery of official maps, your team’s saved Workshop maps and community favourites, plus a box to paste any Steam Workshop link. |
| Admission queue | Approval mode: only whitelisted players get in, everyone else knocks and waits for you. Includes a banlist and a connected-player list. |
| RCON | The RCON address and password for external tools, and who may run !rcon commands from game chat. |
These panels need the server to be live, and changing anything needs the Control servers permission on the team (Contributor, Admin or Owner). See Roles and permissions.
Where to start
Read the pages below in order, or jump to what you need:
- Beginner. Start a server, then Join and connect for everything about getting players in, and Quick actions for running a match.
- Intermediate. Game modes and maps, Workshop maps, RCON and the console command reference.
- Advanced. Lock the server down with the Admission queue, and set the boot mode and player count with Launch options.
Everything that isn’t CS2-specific (saves, schedules, the console, the file manager, sizes) is in Servers.
IN THIS SECTION
Beginner ▶ Video Start your first CS2 server Deploy a Counter-Strike 2 server on SLASHPLAY in about a minute, invite your friends, and stop it again when you're done. No config files, no port forwarding. Beginner ▶ Video Join and connect to a CS2 server Every way into your CS2 server: Launch in Steam, the invite page, and the developer console with connect and password, plus fixes for common connection errors. Beginner CS2 Quick actions Run a CS2 match in one click: restart the server or reload the map, switch game mode, warmup and pause, swap or scramble teams, bots and map changes. Intermediate ▶ Video CS2 game modes and maps Every CS2 game mode you can switch to, how switching works, and the Maps gallery: official maps, your team's saved maps, community favourites and Workshop maps. Intermediate ▶ Video Play Steam Workshop maps on CS2 Load any public CS2 Steam Workshop map on your SLASHPLAY server by pasting its link, save it to your team library, and fix the usual Workshop problems. Intermediate RCON on CS2: external tools and !rcon in chat Find your CS2 server's RCON address and password, use them in RCON tools, run admin commands from game chat with !rcon, and choose who else may do it. Advanced ▶ Video CS2 admission queue: approve who joins Turn on approval mode so only whitelisted players stay on your CS2 server. Approve, ban or dismiss knocks from the dashboard or Discord, and manage your lists. Intermediate ▶ Video CS2 server console commands The CS2 server commands and settings worth knowing, grouped by match, rounds, economy, bots, maps and server, with defaults and the commands SLASHPLAY blocks. Advanced ▶ Video CS2 launch options Add your own flags to the CS2 start command: boot into Competitive or Deathmatch every time, set the player count, and understand when launch args take effect.