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This guide covers every setting you can change on your Counter-Strike 2 server: the Server settings page, the Startup variables, game modes, map rotation, server tags and voice chat.

Difficulty

Beginner

Time

15 minutes

The Server settings page

Open your server and click Server settings under COUNTER-STRIKE 2 in the sidebar. It shows your server’s name, game mode, map and rules in plain words. Nothing changes until you click Review and save. Click Open server.cfg at the top to edit the file yourself in the file manager.

Checks

The Checks box lists problems the panel finds, for example The token does not look right. Click Details for an explanation, or Go to the setting to jump to the field.

Basics

Leave old tick numbers such as “128 Tick” out of your server name. CS2 uses sub-tick updates, so they don’t mean anything.

Game mode and map

Game mode and map section with eight game mode tiles: Casual 20 players, Competitive 10, Wingman 4, Retakes 7, Arms Race 16, Demolition 16, Deathmatch 16 and Custom 64, followed by the Start map drop-down set to Dust II with a Change now button, the Workshop map field and the Map group field

Game mode tiles, start map, workshop map and map group

Game mode

Click a tile to choose a mode. The panel shows a short summary, for example Competitive: “5 against 5, full economy, friendly fire on.” The new mode takes effect when the next map loads. The player numbers are what each mode is designed for. Your real limit is your Player slots. For a mode without a tile, click Other values (game_type and game_mode). See the reference table below.

Start map

The map the server starts on, and returns to after a restart. Pick one from the drop-down. Click Change now to switch to it straight away while the server runs. The start map is saved to the Startup variable Map.

Workshop map

Paste a map’s Steam Workshop address, or just its number, then click Change now. The server switches to it while it runs. A workshop map can’t be the start map, so after a restart the server goes back to your Start map. See workshop maps and collections.

Map group

The set of maps the server rotates through, for example mg_active. Leave it empty to use the game mode’s own set. See map rotation.

Rules

Rounds and money

Players and teams

Chat, bots and cheats

Advanced


Review and save

1

Make your changes

Changed sections show a badge such as 2 UNSAVED. Click Discard to undo all of them.
2

Click Review and save

The Review your changes window shows exactly what will change. Everything else stays as it is. Passwords and tokens are hidden in this view.
Review your changes dialog showing the server.cfg lines that will be added: hostname, a hidden sv_password, game_type 0 and game_mode 1, with a note that the old file is kept as server.cfg.bak, and Cancel and Save changes buttons

Review your changes before you save

3

Save

Click Save changes. The panel saves your settings for you. The old file is kept as server.cfg.bak, so you can go back.
4

Restart

Restart the server so every change applies. A new game mode applies when the next map loads.

Startup variables

Click Startup in the sidebar. Change a field and click outside it: it saves on its own. Restart the server to apply it. See how to configure startup variables.
Startup page with the read-only Startup Command, the locked Docker Image, and variable cards for Map, Disable Updates, Validate Install, Game Server Login Token (GSLT), Max Players marked Read Only, and Game Type

The Startup page for Counter-Strike 2

Leave Host Workshop Map, Workshop Map ID and Use +mapgroup at their defaults. To play a workshop map, use Server settings instead.
If you pick a game mode on Server settings, set the same values in Game Type and Game Mode here, so the server always starts in the mode you want.

Game type and game mode reference


Map rotation

When a match ends, the server moves to the next map in its map group.
  • Use the mode’s own set: leave Map group empty in Server settings.
  • Use a built-in group: type its name, for example mg_active, in Map group.
  • Use your own list of maps: host a Workshop collection. The server uses the collection as its map group.
To move to a new map at the end of every match, even if the next map is the same, add this line to server.cfg:
To change the map now, use Change now in Server settings, or the console command changelevel de_mirage. See admin and commands.

Server tags

Tags help players find your server when they browse. Click Open server.cfg and add a line with your tags, separated by commas:
Save the file and restart the server.

Voice chat

The two voice switches in Server settings cover most needs. For finer control, add these lines to server.cfg: Set a line to 0 to turn it off. Restart the server to apply.

Workshop maps and collections

Play workshop maps and host collections.

Admin and commands

Admins, RCON and console commands.

Popular setups

Practice, retakes, deathmatch and demos.

Startup variables

How the Startup page works.

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Last Updated: October 2026