Counter-Strike: Source Server Hosting
Counter-Strike: Source server plans
Pick the plan that fits your community. Every plan deploys instantly and can be resized later from the control panel.
Starter
A small dust2 pub or a private server for your group, up at 3am as well as Friday night.
- RAM
- 1 GB
- NVMe
- 5 GB
- CPU
- 0.5 vCore
Standard
A public rotation with SourceMod and the admin plugins a regular crowd needs.
- RAM
- 2 GB
- NVMe
- 5 GB
- CPU
- 1 vCore
Ultimate
ZombieMod, jailbreak and other content-heavy rotations that fill up and stay full.
- RAM
- 6GB
- NVMe
- 10 GB
- CPU
- 2 vCores
Included with every plan
Save up to 17% with longer billing periods
Built for Counter-Strike: Source: your mode, your rotation, your plugins
Nobody rents a CS:S server for the 2004 game. They rent it for the mode running on top, so what matters is whether that stack keeps loading and whether players get your content.
Twenty years of SourceMod plugins still load here
CS:S never left Source 1, which is the whole reason the mature SourceMod toolchain still attaches to it — Counter-Strike 2 is Source 2 and has nothing for it to hook. ZombieMod, jailbreak, surf and bhop are plugins on your file tree. Installing SourceMod plugins
One file keeps your rotation and your map votes agreed
The server takes its rotation from a plain list of map names, one per line, in the file mapcyclefile points at. SourceMod's nextmap plugin reads the same setting, so one edit keeps the engine and the vote in step. The boot map is a panel field. Adding and rotating maps
Custom skins or a locked-down pub, and switching is one line
sv_pure forces every client's materials, models and sounds to match yours — right for a competitive pub, and the exact setting that stops custom content on a themed one. Valve warn level 1 checksums every whitelisted file on first load. server.cfg, sv_pure and the whitelist · Adding admins with SourceMod
No contracts • Cancel anytime • 72-hour money-back guarantee
Powerful Server Management
Every server comes with our feature-rich game panel — manage your server from anywhere with no technical expertise required.
Live Server Console
Monitor your server in real time with a built-in console, live CPU, memory, and network graphs, plus one-click start, restart, and stop controls.
Full File Manager
Browse, upload, edit, and manage all your server files directly from the panel — no FTP client needed. Drag and drop uploads, bulk actions, and more.
Startup Configuration
Fine-tune every aspect of your server with an intuitive variable editor. Selects, toggles, and validated inputs replace fragile command-line flags.
One-Click Backups
Create on-demand or scheduled backups with one click. Lock critical snapshots, download them for offsite storage, or restore any of them yourself.
Network & Allocations
Every server gets a dedicated port allocation behind always-on DDoS filtering. Ports are assigned when the server is built and matched to our firewall rules, so the ones your server needs are open before you log in.
Global Server Network
Pick a data center close to your players. The times below are measured live from your own connection, not quoted from ours. View all locations.
Counter-Strike: Source servers deploy from four locations. Dallas sits in the middle of North America and is the usual default for a community spread across the United States. Ashburn covers the East Coast and is the shorter hop for players in the eastern states and eastern Canada. London serves the UK, Ireland and the western edge of Europe, and Frankfurt sits central for Germany, the Nordics, the Benelux countries and most of Eastern Europe. Between them the four cover North America and Europe end to end.
The figures beside each city were measured by your own browser a moment ago, so read them as a fair guide to what players near you will see rather than a number we picked. If you choose the wrong one, moving is free: open a ticket and support migrates your server files to any available location at no charge.
What our customers say
“Extremly fast responds time. They always are willing to help and go beyond if a problem do appear. I highly recommend this hosting provider”
Galanor
CEO, Galanor LLC
“This is the first time in my life that someone actually tried to help around this world of VPS/dedicated servers. Rene isn't good, he is amazing! Gave total attention, made recommendations. I am looking forward to migrate my services to GameServerKings because of Rene. I appreciate the attention once again.”
Igor garcia
“I've been with GSK and Cosmic guard for nearly 2 years now, They are very professional, helpful and quick to fix any issues. They normally can get a tech in same day to fix and hardware issues. We've had 2 cpu's burn out and they replaced them (after diagnosing the issue) Fast and free Extra big should out to Alexander hes the goat <3”
Josh from flowstate
Counter-Strike: Source dedicated servers — for communities that never left
Source communities are long-lived and they sprawl: a 24/7 map server, a surf server, a jailbreak server, each with its own SourceMod build and its own regulars. A dedicated machine is where the whole set runs together on one box, instead of a plan per server, and where the cores are yours when all of them fill on the same evening.
One server is not that. A shared plan runs it with SourceMod on top and changes slots without a migration.
Run it on our game panel
Hand us the machine and we deploy it onto the same GameServerKings panel you already know — one-click installs, mods, backups, and 24/7 support, managed on your behalf.
Or manage it yourself
Prefer full control? Take root access and run it your way. The box is yours end to end — we just keep the hardware and network humming underneath.
Counter-Strike: Source Knowledge Base
Guides for installing, configuring, and troubleshooting your Counter-Strike: Source server.
Counter-Strike: Source
Choose how your server plays and how strict it is about custom skins, and learn why a saved edit does nothing.
Go from a first Start click to friends joining, and know where to look when nobody can see the server.
Keep the rotation fresh, let players vote on what comes next, and make custom maps download fast enough to join.
Give yourself kick and ban powers on your own server, then hand the same to the friends you trust to run it.
Turn on the extras that are already sitting there unused, add new ones, and fix the ones that refuse to load.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Counter-Strike: Source server hosting with GameServerKings
How much does it cost to run a Counter-Strike: Source server?
A Counter-Strike: Source server here starts at $4.50 a month. The price tracks the resources you pick:
- Starting
- 0.5 vCore · 1 GB RAM · 5 GB storage
- $4.50/mo
- Fully loaded
- 2 vCores · 6GB RAM · 10 GB storage
- $15.40/mo
- Dedicated IPv4
- Optional add-on
- +$5.00/mo
- Longer terms
- Paid annually or up front
- 5–17% off
How quickly will my server be ready?
Your Counter-Strike: Source server is provisioned automatically within about a minute of payment. You'll receive login credentials to your inbox so you can connect straight away.
Do game updates install automatically?
Yes. Your Counter-Strike: Source server is kept on the current game build automatically — you don't need to patch it by hand or open a ticket when the game updates.
Can I install mods and plugins?
Absolutely. You have full file access via our control panel and FTP/SFTP. Install any mods, plugins, or custom configurations — we don't restrict what you run on your server.
What if I need to upgrade my resources?
Upgrading is instant. You can change your memory, storage, or CPU priority from your client area at any time without any downtime or server migration.
Is DDoS protection included?
Yes. Every Counter-Strike: Source server includes enterprise-grade DDoS mitigation at no extra charge. We absorb attacks at the network edge — your players won't notice a thing.
Are backups included?
Yes, and in two ways. Your Counter-Strike: Source server is backed up automatically every 24 hours to off-site storage, so there is a recent copy to fall back on if the machine itself fails — you do not have to set anything up for that. On top of it, every plan includes five backup slots in the control panel that are yours to use: take one with a single click before a wipe, an update or a mod install, or set a schedule so they run on their own, and restore or download any of those five whenever you like. Neither costs extra.
Do I need a dedicated IP?
Only if you want one. A dedicated IPv4 address gives your Counter-Strike: Source server its own entry in the in-game server browser and puts it on the game's default port, so players can connect by typing just the IP address. Without one your server shares an IP with other servers and uses its own port instead — it runs exactly the same and your friends can still join, they just need the IP and the port together. It costs $5.00 a month if you decide you want it.
Do you offer a money-back guarantee?
We offer a 72-hour money-back guarantee. If you're not satisfied for any reason within the first 72 hours, contact us and we'll issue a full refund — no questions asked.
Can I switch server locations?
Yes. Contact our support team and we'll help you migrate your server data to any of our available locations at no charge.
Still have questions?
Our support team is available 24/7 and typically responds in under 5 minutes.
Open a support ticketDeploy Your Counter-Strike: Source Server.
Join thousands of gamers who trust GameServerKings for reliable, high-performance server hosting.
No contracts • Cancel anytime • 72-hour money-back guarantee
Need more power? Check out our bare metal dedicated servers.