CS2 Server Setup on ChicagoServers: Panel, Login Token, Mode, Map
A Counter-Strike 2 dedicated server is a separate process from the game client. It needs a map, a game mode and a Game Server Login Token, and players join with the in-game console. People who host on their own machine install it with SteamCMD and write a launch command by hand. On a ChicagoServers server that is not your job: the panel installs and updates the server files, starts the server and assigns its ports, and you choose the options in labelled fields on the Startup tab.
This guide was checked against Valve's CS2 dedicated server documentation and the game's own shipped files on 2026-11-03, and matched to the ChicagoServers control panel. It keeps the game-level detail (app ID, what each launch parameter means, ports, version locking) because it explains why each panel field exists, and many tutorials still describe CS:GO, which used a different app ID and different binaries. If you do not have a server yet, Counter-Strike 2 server hosting gives you one ready in minutes.
- Open your server in the panel, then the Startup tab. Fill in Server name, Game mode, Map, Game server login token, Join password and RCON password, click Save startup, then Restart.
- There is nothing to install. The panel installs and updates the server. CS2's Steam app ID is
730(the same ID as the game); the old CS:GO server ID740does not apply. You need730when you create a login token. - Ports are assigned by the panel and listed under Startup, Network. You do not open a firewall. The game's default is
27015, used over UDP (game traffic) and TCP (RCON). - A public server needs a Game Server Login Token. See the GSLT guide for how to create one. It goes in the Game server login token field, not on a command line.
- After every Valve update, click Update now on the Steam update bar at the top of the server page. A server on the old build cannot be joined by players on the new version.
On this page
What you need before you start
On a ChicagoServers CS2 plan the hardware and the install are covered, so your checklist is short.
| Item | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Server | A ChicagoServers CS2 server | The panel installs the game files. No SteamCMD, no start script. |
| Panel login | panel.chicagoservers.co | Sign in, then click your server under Your servers. |
| Login token | A GSLT for app ID 730 | Required for a normal internet server. Created on your Steam account, and you supply it yourself. |
| App ID | 730 | The CS2 server is installed from the same app ID as the game. CS:GO servers used 740, so older scripts and tutorials need changing. |
| Network | Assigned by the panel | Shown on the Startup tab, Network. See the ports section below. |
For reference, these are the figures Valve publishes for a CS2 server. On ChicagoServers your plan and the panel already cover them, but they explain why a CS2 server is a heavy install and why plugins, demos and logs need headroom.
| Item | Valve's figure | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Disk space | About 60 GB download, 65 GB recommended | Valve's wiki lists these figures. |
| Memory | 2 GB minimum | Valve's stated minimum. Busy servers with plugins use more. |
| CPU | x86-64-v2 with POPCNT and SSE4.2 | Practically any modern 64-bit processor. |
| Operating system | Windows 10 or 11, or Linux with glibc 2.31 or newer | Ubuntu 20.04, Debian 11 and Enterprise Linux 9 are the oldest versions Valve names. |
The ChicagoServers CS2 plans are provisioned in typically a few minutes and you supply your own GSLT.
How to set up your server on ChicagoServers
Everything happens on the server's Startup tab. Each field replaces a launch parameter that a self-hosted server would need, and every change applies at the next start.
- Create your login token
Create a Game Server Login Token for app ID
730on your Steam account. One token per server. The GSLT guide walks through it. - Open the Startup tab
Sign in at panel.chicagoservers.co, click your server under Your servers, then open the Startup tab.
- Fill in the fields
Server name is the name in the server list. Pick the Game mode, then the Map the server should start on (or a Map group). Paste your token into Game server login token. Set a Join password if the server should be private, and an RCON password if you will manage it remotely. Passwords have a Show button.
- Save and restart
Click Save startup (the bar appears once something changed), then Restart at the top of the page.
- Check the Console tab
Open the Console tab and read the startup output. You should see the map load and the server finish starting. Then continue with the first-start checks below.
The mode you choose maps to the game's game_type and game_mode pairs, which are listed in the server.cfg and game modes guide. Settings that belong to the game rather than the launch, such as round counts and bots, go in the config files on the Configs tab, which that guide also covers.
Launch parameters and the panel fields behind them
Valve's documentation and most tutorials describe the server through launch parameters. Parameters that start with a dash configure the process; parameters that start with a plus are console commands executed on startup, in the order they are written. You never type these on ChicagoServers, but the table shows what each one does and where its setting lives in the panel.
| Parameter | What it does | On ChicagoServers |
|---|---|---|
-dedicated | Runs the server instead of the game client | Always applied. Valve's wiki lists it as required. |
-console | Keeps the server console available | Handled by the panel. Use the Console tab. |
-usercon | Allows remote RCON over the game port (community documentation) | No Startup field. Set the RCON password field; if an external RCON client is refused with the right password, contact support. |
-port 27015 | Game and query port | Assigned by the panel. See Startup, Network. |
-ip 203.0.113.10 | Binds the server to one address | Handled by the panel. |
-maxplayers 10 | Number of player slots | Set from your plan. If the server ends up with fewer slots than you expect, the map's spawn count can also cap the player limit. |
+game_type +game_mode | Selects the mode. Put them before +map | Game mode field. Full table in the server.cfg and game modes guide. |
+game_alias | Sets both values from a preset name such as competitive or deathmatch | Covered by the Game mode field. |
+map de_dust2 | First map to load | Map field, or Map group. Workshop maps use Workshop map ID and Workshop collection ID. |
+sv_setsteamaccount | Your Game Server Login Token | Game server login token field. |
+exec server.cfg | Runs a config file at startup | Not needed. The default server.cfg is normally read anyway, and you edit it on the Configs tab. |
-insecure | Starts without VAC | No Startup field. Not for public servers. |
Ports
Valve's general dedicated server documentation lists 27015 as the default for game traffic, pings and RCON, over both TCP and UDP. On a ChicagoServers server the panel assigns the ports, so use the address shown at the top of your server page (IP and port, click to copy) rather than assuming 27015. The panel also handles the network side, so you do not open anything in a firewall or router.
| Port | Protocol | Used for | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
27015 (default) | UDP | Game traffic and server queries | Yes |
27015 (default) | TCP | RCON | Yes if you use an external RCON client; the Console tab handles RCON for you |
27020 (default) | UDP | GOTV (SourceTV) spectators and relays | Only if you enable GOTV |
Each server you run in the panel has its own ports and needs its own token. For anything beyond the game's own ports, such as a plugin's web page, use Extra ports: on the Startup tab, Network, leave Port empty for the next free one, pick the Protocol, fill in What it's for, click Reserve port, then set that port in the plugin's config and restart. The panel opens nothing on those ports itself: the game or plugin uses them.
ChicagoServers CS2 servers include 40Gbps DDoS protection, which sits in front of the game port. See DDoS protection for details.
First-start checks and connecting
A server that starts without errors can still be misconfigured. Work through these checks the first time, in order.
- Read the startup output on the Console tab. You should see the map load and the server finish starting. Community documentation reports lines such as a successful connection to Steam servers and a VAC secure mode message when the token is accepted. If those lines are missing, or the output shows an anonymous login, check the Game server login token field.
- Run
statuson the Console tab. Type it and press Send. It prints the hostname, the map, the player count and the address the server is listening on. - Check the mode and cvars. Send
game_type,game_modeandsv_lan. For an internet serversv_lanmust be0. - Enable the developer console on your own game. In CS2 settings, turn on the developer console option, then press the console key (usually the backtick).
- Connect by address. From the client console, type the server's public IP and port, as shown at the top of the server page.
- Test from outside your network. If a friend on another connection cannot join but you can, check the join password and whether the server is on the current game version (see the updating section). If both are fine, open the Troubleshoot tab or contact support.
connect 203.0.113.10:27015If the server has a join password, set it first with password yourpassword and then connect. Servers with an accepted token can also show up in the in-game community server browser, but listings can lag behind, so direct connect is the quickest way to test.
Updating the server
CS2 servers are version-locked to the client. When Valve ships an update, the game updates on players' machines straight away, and a server that is still on the old build stops being joinable. A community thread about a server that vanished from the lists after working for a week ended with the cause being exactly this: connecting showed a client-out-of-date message, and updating the server fixed it.
- Look at the Steam update bar
At the top of your server page, the Steam update bar says whether an update is out.
- Click Update now
A running server stops and starts again by itself.
- Repair if needed
If files may be damaged, click Validate on the update bar, or use Update and validate files on the Settings tab. Fresh game files on Settings replaces the game's files and keeps your world.
- Branch on the update bar switches to another game version. Make a backup first.
- To update on a timer, add a task on the Schedules tab with the Update the game (Steam) step, for example Send console commands as a warning, Wait 5 minutes, then update and restart. The CS2 tab also has automatic updates.
- If you use Metamod:Source or CounterStrikeSharp, update them from the Updates tab and check them after each game update. Community documentation reports that updates can replace
gameinfo.giand remove the Metamod line, which stops plugins loading. The plugins guide covers the fix.
Common first-run problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Server runs but does not appear in the server list | Missing, wrong or duplicate GSLT, or sv_lan 1 | Check the Game server login token field on Startup and your token, then Save startup and Restart. |
| You can join locally but friends cannot | Server out of date, a join password, or a wrong address | Click Update now if the update bar shows an update. Check the Join password field. Use the IP and port from the top of the server page. |
| RCON commands are ignored | Empty RCON password, or an external client refused | Fill in RCON password on Startup. On the Console tab RCON is handled for you. The RCON guide has the details. |
| Server starts in the wrong mode or map | Game mode or Map not saved, or a Workshop field also set | Check the Startup fields, click Save startup, then Restart. |
A name or password set in server.cfg keeps reverting | The panel writes the name, passwords and ports from Startup at every start | Change it in the Startup field instead. |
| Server will not start or keeps crashing | A bad plugin, a corrupt file, or an outdated build | Open the Troubleshoot tab, read the last lines on Console, undo the last plugin added, Update now or Validate. |
| Update stalls or fails midway | An interrupted download or a damaged file | Click Validate on the Steam update bar, then check Troubleshoot. Contact support if it repeats. |
Frequently asked questions
What is the Steam app ID for a CS2 dedicated server?
Use 730. Valve's wiki says CS2 merged the client and server into one app ID, so the server installs from the same ID as the game. The CS:GO dedicated server used 740, and that ID is not for CS2. On ChicagoServers the panel installs the files for you; you need 730 when you create your login token.
Which ports does a CS2 server use?
The game default is 27015, over UDP for gameplay and TCP for RCON, and 27020 over UDP for GOTV if you enable it. On ChicagoServers the panel assigns the ports and shows them on the Startup tab under Network, so you do not open a firewall. Use the address at the top of your server page to connect.
Do I need a GSLT to run a CS2 server?
For an internet server, yes. Without a token a server cannot log in to Steam as a persistent game server and, according to server operators, falls back to a restricted anonymous mode. Only LAN servers with sv_lan 1 skip it. Create the token for app ID 730 and paste it into the Game server login token field on the Startup tab.
How much RAM and disk does a CS2 server need?
Valve's wiki lists 2 GB of RAM as the minimum and 65 GB of storage, with about 60 GB to download. Plugins, demos and logs add to both. On ChicagoServers your plan covers the resources, and the Analytics tab shows how much CPU your server uses over time.
How do I update a CS2 dedicated server?
When the Steam update bar at the top of your server page says an update is out, click Update now. A running server stops and starts again by itself. Servers must match the current client version, so do this after every Valve update, or schedule it on the Schedules tab.
Do I need to run cs2.exe or cs2.sh myself?
No. The panel starts the server and builds the start command from your Startup fields. If you ever host on your own machine, Windows uses game/bin/win64/cs2.exe with the Steam client installed, and Linux uses game/cs2.sh with glibc 2.31 or newer and a steamclient.so link in ~/.steam/sdk64/.