CS Source Deathmatch Server: Install the CSS:DM Plugin

How to Set Up a Counter-Strike: Source Deathmatch Server on SLASHPLAY

Counter-Strike: Source doesn’t ship with a deathmatch mode. Communities run it with CSS:DM, the AlliedModders deathmatch plugin for SourceMod: instant respawns, weapon menus, spawn protection and bot quotas. On SLASHPLAY every Counter-Strike: Source server already has MetaMod:Source and SourceMod 1.13 installed, so you add CSS:DM from the dashboard and switch the server to deathmatch with a preset. There is nothing to download or upload.

The docs keep the full reference for every preset: Counter-Strike: Source mode presets.

Don’t have a Counter-Strike: Source server yet? Start with how to create a dedicated CSS server, then come back here to add deathmatch.

Before you start

The server must be Live. Plugins and modes are only changed on a running server.
You need the Control servers permission on the team. See Roles and permissions.

Step 1: Install the CSS:DM plugin

Open your server’s page and click Game-specific, then Plugins.
Find CSS:DM in the list. Its row shows the version and SourceMod 1.13 · Compatible.
Click Install, then confirm with Install & restart. The server restarts to download, extract and enable the plugin, and connected players are kicked.
Wait until the server shows Live again.

The Plugins panel with CSS:DM and its Install button

The plugin comes from its official source and is checked against a known fingerprint before it is installed. See Plugins and mods.

Step 2: Apply the Deathmatch mode

Under Game-specific, open Modes.
Under Mode preset, pick Deathmatch.
Click Apply mode, then Apply mode again in the confirmation. Applying restarts the game, so bots and players may be affected.
Active mode now reads Deathmatch, applied again every time the server starts.

The Modes panel with the Deathmatch preset

The Deathmatch preset loads the CSS:DM plugins and sets:

Setting	Value	Meaning
`cssdm_enabled`	1	Deathmatch on.
`cssdm_respawn_wait`	0	Respawn immediately.
`cssdm_spawn_method`	preset	Spawn at CSS:DM’s spawn points spread over the map.
`cssdm_remove_drops`	1	Clean up dropped weapons.
`cssdm_ffa_enabled`	0	Team deathmatch, not free-for-all.
`mp_freezetime`	0	No freeze at round start.
`mp_roundtime`	60	Rounds as long as the game allows, so play runs continuously.
`mp_timelimit`	30	Change map every 30 minutes.

The mp_ settings are standard Counter-Strike: Source ones; look up what else they can do, and every other setting, in the CS:S console commands list.

Step 3: Check that it works

Open the Console tab and run:

sm plugins list

You should see five plugins starting with “CS:S DM”: Basics, Bot Quotas, Equipment, Preset Spawns and Spawn Protection.

cssdm_version

This prints the CSS:DM version, 2.1.6.

Step 4: Tune it

Free-for-all. Type cssdm_ffa_enabled 1 in the Console tab. The preset sets team deathmatch, so run it again after a restart.
Respawn delay. cssdm_respawn_wait 1 gives players a one-second pause before they respawn.
Bots. Under Game-specific → Quick actions, set a number in Bot count and click Set bot count, or use Add bot and Kick bots.
Maps. Play on standard maps like de_dust2, de_inferno or cs_office, which CSS:DM has spawn points for. Switch with changelevel de_inferno in the console.
Plugin config. CSS:DM’s own settings live in cstrike/cfg/cssdm/cssdm.cfg. Open it with Edit in the file manager (Advanced → Files), save, and click Restart on the General tab.

Leave the passwords to the dashboard. Don’t put rcon_password or sv_password in server.cfg or autoexec.cfg. A value there overrides the one SLASHPLAY sets: rcon_password breaks the dashboard console, Quick actions and Modes, and sv_password overrides the join password you set on the General tab. To change the RCON password, use Edit or Generate next to it, under Game-specific → RCON or on the General tab.

Step 5: Connect and play

Share the server’s connect link from your SLASHPLAY dashboard, or type connect <SERVER_IP>:<PORT> in the game console.
Join a team. A weapons menu pops up: pick your primary and secondary.
When you die, you respawn somewhere across the map with a brief spawn-protection glow.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
Deathmatch applied, but nobody respawns	CSS:DM isn’t installed. Install it from Game-specific → Plugins, wait for the restart, then apply Deathmatch again.
The preset fails with an error about the server not being ready	Wait until the server shows Live and try again.
A CSS:DM build you uploaded yourself fails to load	It was built for a different SourceMod version. Uninstall it and install CSS:DM from Game-specific → Plugins instead.
Players spawn on top of each other	The map has no CSS:DM spawn points. Use a standard map, or set `cssdm_spawn_method "none"` in `cssdm.cfg` for a custom map.
RCON says `RCON auth failed: bad password`	A `rcon_password` line in `server.cfg` or `autoexec.cfg` is overriding SLASHPLAY’s password. Remove every `rcon_password` line from both files, save, and click Restart. Copy the current password from Game-specific → RCON.

Need a server to run this on first? See how to create a dedicated CSS server on SLASHPLAY.