> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.sudowl.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Counter-Strike 2 Dedicated Server on Linux - URL: https://blog.sudowl.com/counter-strike-2-dedicated-server-linux/ - Published: 2026-06-30T10:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T08:26:51.000Z - Description: Install a CS2 dedicated server on Ubuntu/Debian with SteamCMD, get a GSLT, set the right ports and cvars, add Metamod/CounterStrikeSharp, and run it under systemd. - Author: Lukas - Tags: Gameserver, Linux CS2 dropped the old SRCDS launcher and a lot of the guides you'll find are still half-written for CS:GO. The server binary, the app id, the launch string — enough changed that copy-pasting a 2023 tutorial gets you a server that won't boot. Here's what actually works today. It's lighter than Rust: a 12–16 slot competitive server is happy with 2 GB and two cores. **TL;DR:** ```bash # deps + steam user apt update && apt install -y steamcmd lib32gcc-s1 tmux adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" steam sudo -iu steam # CS2 dedicated server is app 730, anonymous steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/cs2 \ +login anonymous +app_update 730 validate +quit # launch (needs a GSLT — see below) cd /home/steam/cs2/game/bin/linuxsteamrt64 ./cs2 -dedicated -port 27015 +map de_dust2 \ +sv_setsteamaccount YOUR_GSLT_TOKEN +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 ``` Details below. Same SteamCMD pattern as [/rust-dedicated-server-linux/](https://blog.sudowl.com/rust-dedicated-server-linux/). ## Install SteamCMD and the server Deps as root, everything else as an unprivileged `steam` user: ```bash apt update apt install -y steamcmd lib32gcc-s1 tmux adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" steam sudo -iu steam ``` If `apt` can't find `steamcmd`, enable multiverse + i386 and accept the license non-interactively: ```bash add-apt-repository multiverse && dpkg --add-architecture i386 && apt update echo steam steam/question select "I AGREE" | debconf-set-selections apt install -y steamcmd ``` CS2's dedicated server is **app id 730** — the same id as the game, pulled anonymously. No Steam account needed for the download itself: ```bash steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/cs2 \ +login anonymous +app_update 730 validate +quit ``` It's \~35 GB. Keep `validate` in the command; Valve pushes frequent updates and a truncated pull gives you a server that starts and then VAC-kicks everyone. ## You need a GSLT This is the step people miss. A public CS2 server **must** authenticate with a Game Server Login Token, or it runs but never shows up in the browser and rejects connections after a while. Get one (free) at Steam's Game Server Account Management page — [steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers](https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers?ref=blog.sudowl.com) — using app id **730**. You get a token string; pass it as `+sv_setsteamaccount`. One token per server. Don't share a token across two running servers — Steam invalidates it and both drop. ## The launch string, decoded CS2's binary lives deep in the tree and takes cvars as `+key value`, engine flags as `-flag`: ```bash cd /home/steam/cs2/game/bin/linuxsteamrt64 ./cs2 -dedicated -usercon \ -port 27015 \ +sv_setsteamaccount YOUR_GSLT_TOKEN \ +map de_dust2 \ +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 \ +hostname "Diengdoh CS2 | Competitive" \ +rcon_password "use-a-real-one" \ +sv_lan 0 ``` `game_type` \+ `game_mode` together pick the ruleset — `0 1` is Competitive, `0 0` is Casual, `1 2` is Deathmatch. Get them wrong and you'll swear the map is loading the wrong rules; it's these two. `-usercon` enables RCON at all; without it `rcon_password` does nothing. Server config that you don't want on the command line goes in `game/csgo/cfg/server.cfg` (yes, still `csgo/`), read automatically at map load. ## Ports and ufw The game port is **27015 UDP** (and TCP for RCON). That's the one that has to be open: ```bash ufw allow 27015/udp ufw allow 27015/tcp # RCON, if you expose it ufw allow from 203.0.113.10 to any port 27015 proto tcp # better: lock RCON to your IP ``` As always, don't hand RCON to the whole internet — it's full server control. Firewall basics: [/ufw-firewall-rules-ubuntu/](https://blog.sudowl.com/ufw-firewall-rules-ubuntu/). ## Plugins: Metamod + CounterStrikeSharp Vanilla is fine for a pug server. For admin commands, custom modes, retakes and the rest, the modern stack is **Metamod:Source** (the loader) plus **CounterStrikeSharp** (write plugins in C#). SourceMod, the CS:GO workhorse, still isn't fully there for CS2 — CounterStrikeSharp is where the active development is. Install order matters: Metamod first, then CounterStrikeSharp on top. Drop both into `game/csgo/addons/`, add the Metamod line to `gameinfo.gi` as their docs show, and confirm with `meta list` in the console. The number-one "plugins don't load" cause is a missing or mis-indented `gameinfo.gi` edit — Valve resets that file on some updates, so re-check it after a patch. ## systemd unit `tmux` for a quick test; systemd for anything real so it restarts on crash and survives reboots: ```ini # /etc/systemd/system/cs2.service [Unit] Description=Counter-Strike 2 Dedicated Server After=network-online.target Wants=network-online.target [Service] Type=simple User=steam WorkingDirectory=/home/steam/cs2/game/bin/linuxsteamrt64 ExecStartPre=/usr/games/steamcmd +force_install_dir /home/steam/cs2 +login anonymous +app_update 730 validate +quit ExecStart=/home/steam/cs2/game/bin/linuxsteamrt64/cs2 -dedicated -usercon -port 27015 \ +sv_setsteamaccount YOUR_GSLT_TOKEN +map de_dust2 +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 \ +hostname "Diengdoh CS2" +rcon_password "use-a-real-one" Restart=on-failure RestartSec=10 KillSignal=SIGTERM TimeoutStopSec=60 [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target ``` ```bash systemctl daemon-reload systemctl enable --now cs2 journalctl -u cs2 -f ``` The `ExecStartPre` re-validates on every start so you're never a patch behind — drop it on a modded box where a surprise update would break your addons mid-session. More on units: [/systemd-service-unit-file/](https://blog.sudowl.com/systemd-service-unit-file/). ## Gotchas - **No GSLT, no public server.** Runs locally, invisible in the browser, drops players. It's the first thing to check when "the server works but nobody can join". - **Wrong `cs2` path.** The binary is under `game/bin/linuxsteamrt64/`, not the install root. Old CS:GO `srcds_run` scripts point at a launcher that no longer exists. - **`game_type`/`game_mode` mismatch.** These pick the ruleset, not the map. Competitive is `0 1`. Wrong pair = "why is buy time / round logic wrong". - **35 GB and monthly-ish updates.** Size the disk for the install plus a workshop map or two, and expect Valve to push updates that occasionally require re-touching `gameinfo.gi`. - **VAC kick loop after an update.** Always a half-finished `app_update`. Re-run with `validate`. ## Verify ```bash ss -tulpn | grep 27015 # port bound? journalctl -u cs2 --no-pager | grep -i "GC Connection established" # talking to Steam ``` In game, open the console and `connect your-ip:27015`. If it's in the community browser with your hostname, GSLT and ports are right. Building a game host? The same SteamCMD + systemd recipe runs [/valheim-dedicated-server-linux/](https://blog.sudowl.com/valheim-dedicated-server-linux/) and the heavier [/rust-dedicated-server-linux/](https://blog.sudowl.com/rust-dedicated-server-linux/); for Minecraft networks see [/minecraft-java-server-linux/](https://blog.sudowl.com/minecraft-java-server-linux/). --- ### Related posts - [Factorio Headless Server on Linux](https://blog.diengdoh.com/factorio-headless-server-linux/?ref=blog.sudowl.com) - [Rust Dedicated Server on Linux](https://blog.diengdoh.com/rust-dedicated-server-linux/?ref=blog.sudowl.com) - [7 Days to Die Dedicated Server on Linux](https://blog.diengdoh.com/7-days-to-die-dedicated-server-linux/?ref=blog.sudowl.com)