Counter-Strike: Source server hosting
Your own CS: Source server for dust2, surf, jailbreak or 5v5 nights
Counter-Strike: Source server hosting with full config access, your own map rotation and room for SourceMod plugins. Steam server token made for you at setup.
Staying longer? Subscribe and get 50% off your first month
- DDoS protected
- 24/7 support
- Live the moment you pay
- Split the billUp to 10 friends, own cards
- Custom plansAny RAM up to 32 GB
- Prepaid or monthly3 days to 1 year
- Live in 60 secondsNo setup, no waiting
- Cancel any timeNo contracts, ever
Pick your Counter-Strike: Source plan
Every plan is live the moment you pay. Upgrade or cancel from your dashboard any time.
Starter
2 GBThen $4.99/mo. $0.17 a day.
- 2 GB RAM
- 2 vCPU cores
- DDoS protection included
- 24/7 support
Standard
4 GBThen $9.99/mo. $0.33 a day.
- 4 GB RAM
- 2 vCPU cores
- DDoS protection included
- 24/7 support
Pro
8 GBThen $19.99/mo. $0.67 a day.
Splitting with 3 friends? $6.02 each/mo
- 8 GB RAM
- 2 vCPU cores
- DDoS protection included
- 24/7 support
What comes set up on a Counter-Strike: Source server
Steam token handled
We make the Steam server token for your server at setup, so it lists in the browser from the first start.
SourceMod and Metamod
Upload Metamod:Source and SourceMod to the cstrike folder for admin menus, map votes and plugins.
Surf, bhop and custom maps
Run any custom map pool, from surf and bhop to jailbreak, zombie escape and classic bomb defusal.
Private 5v5 scrims
Set a password in server.cfg and keep a quiet room for your team's practice and pickup games.
A look inside Counter-Strike: Source
Real screenshots from the game. Click any of them to see it full size.
How much RAM does a Counter-Strike: Source server need?
Find the row that sounds like your group and we will point you at the right plan.
| Your server | RAM | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Private 5v5 or a small vanilla server | 2 GB | Starter$4.99/mo |
| 24 to 32 slots with SourceMod plugins | 4 GB | Standard$9.99/mo |
| Surf, zombie or jailbreak with a big map pool | 8 GB | Pro$19.99/mo |
This is the panel. Click around.
This is the Counter-Strike: Source panel you get. Click any button, or type a command.
Counter-Strike: Source Server
play.gamezservers.com:7777
[12:00:00] Starting Counter-Strike: Source server
[12:00:03] Loading world
[12:00:06] Server started on port 7777
[12:00:09] Ready for players. Try a button.
Power
How to join your Counter-Strike: Source server
- 1
Enable the developer console in Options, Keyboard, Advanced.
- 2
Start Counter-Strike: Source and press the tilde key to open the console.
- 3
Type
connectand press Enter.203.0.113.24 - 4
If the server has a password, type
passwordfollowed by the password from server.cfg before you connect.
Common problems
Custom maps download slowly or not at all? Set sv_downloadurl to a web host with your maps so players get them fast instead of from the game server.
Changes to server.cfg not showing? Restart from the panel, or run exec server.cfg in the console.
Plugins not loading after an update? Valve updates can break Metamod and SourceMod. Grab the latest builds from their sites and upload them again.
Set rcon_password in server.cfg so you can run admin commands from your own game console.
Server not responding
Make sure the server is online. Servers sleep after 4 days with nobody playing, and anyone with access can start them again from the dashboard in one click.
Use the server address
Do not use localhost, 127.0.0.1 or your own IP from a home hosting guide. Copy the exact address of the server.
No port forwarding or firewall changes
Opening ports on your router is only for hosting a server at home, so there is nothing to change to join this one. If Windows asks whether to let the game through the firewall, choose Allow.
Modding your Counter-Strike: Source server
CS: Source runs on Metamod:Source and SourceMod, with thousands of plugins on AlliedModders and custom maps on GameBanana. Everything goes in the cstrike folder over SFTP.
Counter-Strike: Source server hosting, explained
Counter-Strike: Source is Valve's 2004 rebuild of Counter-Strike on the Source engine, and its community servers never went away. The core is still terrorists against counter-terrorists on bomb and hostage maps, but most of the life today is in custom modes: surf, bhop, jailbreak, zombie escape, deathrun, gun game and minigames. Plenty of players still prefer its movement and feel to anything newer.
Running your own server is how you get a mode nobody else runs, or a private room for scrims with your team. You control the map rotation, the config, round times and who gets admin. The panel sets the starting map and auto update, and we make the server's Steam Game Server Login Token for you at setup, so it registers properly and shows in the browser from the first start.
Most of what makes a CS: Source community lives in plugins. Upload Metamod:Source and SourceMod into the cstrike folder and you get admin menus, map votes, bans and thousands of plugins from AlliedModders. Custom maps come from GameBanana and go in the maps folder. Set a fast download URL as well, so new players aren't stuck waiting while the game server sends them every map file.
CS: Source is an old engine and needs little memory. A vanilla server for a private 5v5 or a small public room runs on 2 GB. A 24 to 32 slot server with a SourceMod stack fits 4 GB, and 8 GB is for surf, zombie or jailbreak servers with a big map pool and heavy plugins. If you outgrow a plan, switch to a bigger one in the panel and the cost is prorated.
Counter-Strike: Source server guides
Counter-Strike: Source7 min readCS:S Server Not Showing in the Server List? How to Fix It
Your Counter-Strike: Source server runs but nobody can find it. Check the Steam token, sv_lan, port 27015, the version and browser filters, in that order.
ReadCounter-Strike: Source6 min readHow to Host a Counter-Strike: Source Server (SRCDS Guide 2026)
Host a CS:S dedicated server: SteamCMD app 232330, the srcds start line, server.cfg, a Steam token for app 240, ports 27015 and your map cycle.
ReadCounter-Strike: Source5 min readHow to Install SourceMod on a Counter-Strike: Source Server
Install Metamod:Source and SourceMod on CS:S, check they load with meta list and sm version, make yourself admin and add plugins like map votes.
ReadIncluded on every plan
- Always on DDoS protection
- 24/7 support from real people
- Low ping game hardware
- Live the moment you pay
- Your own address and port
- Live console with full access
- One click game actions
- One click backups
- Upgrade or cancel any time
Common questions
How many players can a Counter-Strike: Source server have?
The engine supports up to 64. Most maps play best at 16 to 32, and you can cap the visible slots with sv_visiblemaxplayers in server.cfg.
Do I need a Steam Game Server Login Token?
The server needs one to list properly, but you don't have to make it. We create the token for your server at setup.
Can I install SourceMod and custom maps?
Yes. Upload Metamod:Source, SourceMod and your maps into the cstrike folder with the file manager or SFTP. You have full file access.
How do I make myself an admin?
With SourceMod installed, add your SteamID to addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini and change the map. You can also set rcon_password in server.cfg.
How do I change the map?
Set the starting map in the panel, or change it live with changelevel followed by the map name. For a rotation, edit mapcycle.txt.
How do I make my server private?
Add sv_password followed by your password to server.cfg and restart. Players then enter it in the console with password before connecting.
Can I run surf or bhop?
Yes. Upload the maps and a timer plugin, then tune settings like sv_airaccelerate in server.cfg. Surf servers usually set it very high.
Does CS: Source need a strong server?
No. It is a 2004 engine and very light. 2 to 4 GB covers almost every setup, and only big modded map pools need more.
Is GamezServers affiliated with Counter-Strike: Source?
No. You rent and control your own dedicated Counter-Strike: Source server. GamezServers is not affiliated with the game's developer or publisher.
Can my friends and I split the cost?
Yes. At checkout choose "Me and my friends" and up to 10 people each pay their own share with their own card, on any plan length, from 3 days to a year. It is not a payment plan: nobody pays in parts over time, each friend simply pays their own share. You pay yours, send each friend their link, and the server starts straight away. Each share includes a $1 payment fee.
Can I build a custom plan?
Yes. Every game has a Build your own page: pick any amount of RAM up to 32 GB, any length from 3 days to 1 year, prepaid or a subscription, plus your server type and settings. A custom size costs 15% more per GB than the standard plans next to it.
Can I pay once instead of a subscription?
Yes. Pick Prepaid and pay once for 3 days, 30 days, 6 months or a year. Nothing renews: when the time is up the server pauses and keeps its world for 14 days. Add time or switch to a subscription from your panel any time. Short rentals cost more per day, since every server is set up from scratch.
How fast is setup, really?
Your server starts building the moment Stripe confirms payment. Most are online in under a minute, and the address and login appear on your dashboard automatically.
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GamezServers is not affiliated with Valve. Counter-Strike: Source and its art are trademarks of their respective owners.