How to make a CS2 server on a VPS

What you need

• A Steam account that owns CS2, and a Game Server Login Token (GSLT). Without the token, the server only works on the local network.
• A VPS with at least 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM and 60 GB of disk. The game files take more than 60 GB, so the disk matters more than for other games.
• An SSH program, to connect to the VPS. Windows 10 and 11, macOS and Linux already have one.

The Steam server token (GSLT)

1. 1Go to the Steam page for game server accounts and log in with your account.
2. 2For App ID enter 730, the code for CS2, and add any description, for example the server name.
3. 3Copy the token it generates. You put it in the server configuration after the install; CS2 servers take it through the +sv_setsteamaccount parameter.

The token is tied to your Steam account. If the server breaks Valve’s rules, the token and the account can be banned, so do not share it with anyone.

Which VPS to pick

CS2 is not on the game panel: we offer it as a Ruby VPS with GameReady™ OS, in Frankfurt, on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. The resources are dedicated, on KVM, so a full match on another server does not take from your cores.

• Ruby 1: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB NVMe, €15.90 a month.
• Ruby 2: 2 vCPU, 6 GB RAM, 120 GB NVMe, €19.90 a month.
• Ruby 3: 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB NVMe, €32.90 a month.
• Ruby 4: 4 vCPU, 12 GB RAM, 200 GB NVMe, €43.90 a month.
• Ruby 5: 6 vCPU, 16 GB RAM, 220 GB NVMe, €56.90 a month.

Every plan clears the installer’s minimum. The bigger plans have more cores and more memory, for more players or more servers on the same VPS.

The steps

1. 1Order a Ruby VPS with GameReady™ OS from the configurator. The VPS is ready in under a minute after payment, and the access details arrive by email.
2. 2Connect over SSH. If you have not done this before, follow the guide to connecting over SSH.
3. 3Type cs2 install. The tool downloads the game through SteamCMD, asks which game mode and map you want, then starts the server with an RCON console. The download takes a while, because it is more than 60 GB; you see the progress on screen.
4. 4Put the GSLT token in the server configuration and restart the server.
5. 5Join the server: in CS2, open the console and type connect followed by the server address. The default port for CS2 servers is 27015.

Plugins: Metamod and CounterStrikeSharp

You have root on the VPS, so configs, custom maps and plugins are yours to add, over SSH or SFTP. Metamod:Source and CounterStrikeSharp go in like any other files, then you restart the server.

A CS2 update from Valve can break plugins until their authors update them. If the server no longer starts after an update, take the plugins out first and check whether new versions are out.

Do you need to know Linux?

Not for the install: you connect, type one command and GameReady™ does the rest. The server does run on a Linux VPS that you manage yourself, though, so updates, configs and plugins are done on the command line or over SFTP. A few basic commands are enough, and the SSH guide has the first ones.