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04Game guides

Rent and set up a CS2 server – guide

How to set up your Counter-Strike 2 server at Nexthosting – plans, login token (GSLT), joining with connect, game modes, Workshop maps and MetaMod.

In short

For a publicly listed CS2 server you need a free Game Server Login Token (GSLT) from Steam. You enter the mode, map and player count in the panel, and the name and password in server.cfg. Players connect with connect IP:Port in the console. The Performance plan has MetaMod and CounterStrikeSharp prepared.

The process in four steps

Section titled “The process in four steps”
From purchase to your first match
  1. OrderStarter or Performance
  2. Server startsEnter the token
  3. after payment
  4. Copy the addressIP and port in the panel
  5. Connect in the gameConsole: connect

Plans and prices

Section titled “Plans and prices”

As of October 2026. Current prices: CS2 in the shop.

Plan Price per month RAM vCores Storage Ports Backups Special feature
Starter €14.99 4 GB 2 80 GB 2 2 FastDL and Workshop, subdomain
Performance €19.99 8 GB 4 80 GB 2 5 MetaMod and CounterStrikeSharp, subdomain
Custom configuration from €8.22 free free free – – includes own IP and flexible term

The number of players is unlimited; you set the maximum with a start parameter. For busy community servers the shop recommends Performance or a custom configuration.

First steps

Section titled “First steps”
  1. Create a free GSLT (app ID 730) at Steam under steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers and enter it in the panel. A publicly listed server will not run without a token.
  2. Open the panel (Opening the panel) and the Startvariablen (startup variables) under Konfiguration → Start: game mode, map, maximum players. You enter a Workshop map by its ID.
  3. Enter the server name and password in game/csgo/cfg/server.cfg.
  4. Restart, copy the address and connect.

Available modes according to the shop: Competitive, Wingman, Deathmatch, Casual, Arms Race, Practice (its own practice.cfg to reload), plus tournament setups with GOTV and surf or bhop physics via your own config. With the sub-tick system, the tick rate is fixed at 64 and cannot be changed.

hostname "My CS2 server"
sv_password ""
rcon_password "a-long-secret-password"

How players join

Section titled “How players join”

Start CS2, enable the developer console in the game settings and enter connect 195.201.57.54:27015 (your address and your port). If there is a password: password your-password beforehand, or connect IP:Port; password your-password.

Plugins: MetaMod and CounterStrikeSharp

Section titled “Plugins: MetaMod and CounterStrikeSharp”

With the Performance plan, MetaMod and CounterStrikeSharp are prepared. On the Starter plan you install plugins yourself via SFTP (Files, editor and SFTP). You upload your own configs (autoexec, server.cfg, map list) or edit them in the editor.

Admin and RCON

Section titled “Admin and RCON”

You enter commands in the panel console (Console and controls) or via RCON with the password from your server.cfg. You schedule restarts in the scheduler (Schedules and restarts).

Typical problems

Section titled “Typical problems”
Problem Solution
Server does not show up publicly GSLT is missing or has expired: create a new token and enter it
Workshop map does not load Check the ID, restart the server
Plugins do not run Check MetaMod and CounterStrikeSharp first; the version must match the game
Server stalls after an update Restart it so that it updates

Frequently asked questions

Section titled “Frequently asked questions”

What tick rate does the server have?

Section titled “What tick rate does the server have?”

CS2 uses sub-tick: the server runs at 64 tick, and a higher tick rate cannot be set.

Do I need a GSLT?

Section titled “Do I need a GSLT?”

For publicly listed servers, yes; it is free.

Are backups included?

Section titled “Are backups included?”

Starter has 2 backup slots, Performance 5 (Backups and databases).

Further reading

Section titled “Further reading”