Counter Strike: Global Offensive is a first-person shooter designed for multiplayer play. It offers various game modes, all available online.
Since becoming free-to-play in December 2018, players can compete against others on both public and private servers.
There are many advantages to having your own private CS:GO server. One of the main benefits is the ability to control who joins your games, keeping cheaters out, and, most importantly, setting your own rules.
Installing Counter Strike: Global Offensive
First, connect to your server via an SSH connection. If you haven’t done this before, it’s recommended to follow our guide to securely connect using the SSH protocol. For a local server, simply move to the next step and open your server’s terminal.
Preliminary Steps
Before installing SteamCMD, ensure that the lib32gcc1 package is installed on your server.
To install this package, run the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install lib32gcc1
Downloading and Installing SteamCMD
Now that everything is prepared, it’s time to install SteamCMD. However, it’s advised not to install it as the root user, as any issues could affect the entire system.
To proceed, create a new dedicated user:
$ sudo useradd -m steam
Then switch to the new user by typing:
$ su - steam
Create a directory for the installation:
$ mkdir ~/Steam && cd ~/Steam
This will ensure all files are installed in the new directory ~/Steam
.
Next, download the latest version of SteamCMD from the Valve server:
$ wget https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
The downloaded file is a .tar
package that needs to be extracted before running.
To unpack the file, use the command:
$ tar xf steamcmd_linux.tar.gz
You can now run SteamCMD by typing:
./steamcmd.sh
If everything is set up correctly, you will see the Steam prompt, recognizable by the word “Steam>” that appears regardless of what you type.
Downloading the CS:GO Server
At the Steam prompt, log in using your Steam account credentials:
$ login <UserID> <password>
Replace <UserID>
and <password>
with your actual Steam account details.
To create a directory for the CS:GO server, type:
$ force_install_dir ./cs_go/
Now you can download and install the CS:GO server with this command:
$ app_update 740 validate
The number 740 refers to the app ID for the CS:GO dedicated server.
The download process may take a few minutes. Once complete, you’ll need to create a game server account.
To do this, go to the following link:
https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers
You’ll see two fields:
- In the first field, enter the app ID, which is 730.
- In the second field, you can add a note visible only to you.
Click Create to generate a key for your server.
Once these steps are completed, you’re ready to start your dedicated server.
Starting the Server
To launch the server, there’s a specific command for each game mode. First, navigate to the cs_go
directory, then enter the appropriate command for the game mode you want. Don’t forget to add the Steam game server key after +sv_setsteamaccount
.
Classic Casual Mode
$ ./srcds_run -game csgo -console -usercon +game_type 0 +game_mode 0 +mapgroup mg_active +map de_dust2 +sv_setsteamaccount THISGSLTHERE -net_port_try
Classic Competitive Mode
$ ./srcds_run -game csgo -console -usercon +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 +mapgroup mg_active +map de_dust2 +sv_setsteamaccount THISGSLTHERE -net_port_try
Deathmatch Mode
$ ./srcds_run -game csgo -console -usercon +game_type 1 +game_mode 2 +mapgroup mg_allclassic +map de_dust +sv_setsteamaccount THISGSLTHERE -net_port_try
To further customize your gaming experience, refer to the official Valve Wiki for CS:GO:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Counter-Strike:_Global_Offensive_Dedicated_Servers
It contains everything you need.