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How to Set Up a CS2 Retake Server: Valve's Retakes Mode or the cs2-retakes Plugin

Run a CS2 retake server: Valve's built-in Retakes mode (game type 0, mode 5) or the cs2-retakes plugin, with Startup values, paths and commands.

Updated October 28, 2026
Counter-Strike 2

There are two ways to run a CS2 retake server. The first is Valve's own Retakes mode, which came back to CS2 on 22 October 2025 and is built into the game. The second is the community cs2-retakes plugin for CounterStrikeSharp, which most retake community servers use because you can configure everything: spawns, team sizes, queue priority for VIPs and weapon allocation. This page covers both, with the exact Startup values and file paths for a GameServerKings CS2 server.

Checked 28 October 2026

Game-file details come from CS2's own gamemodes.txt and retake map files as they stood on 23 September 2026. The latest CS2 update at the time of writing was 22 October 2026. Plugin details are for cs2-retakes 3.1.1 (16 September 2026).

Which Option Should You Use?

Valve's Retakes mode cs2-retakes plugin
Install Nothing. It's part of the game Metamod:Source + CounterStrikeSharp + the plugin
Maps The 11 maps that ship with retake spawn data (below) 11 bundled map configs, and you can add spawns for any map in the game
Players Valve's mode is set for 7 players (a 4v3) 9 by default, up to 10
Configurable Valve's convars only Team ratio, scramble, queue, VIP priority, autoplant, allocators
Breaks after CS2 updates Only if Valve changes it Can do, like every plugin

If you want a quick retake server for friends, try Valve's mode first. If you're building a public retake community, use the plugin.

Option 1: Valve's Built-In Retakes Mode

Valve's 22 October 2025 update notes say it was "Adding Retakes as official game mode supporting Defusal Group Alpha and Defusal Group Delta maps on official matchmaking servers". The mode is defined in the game's own gamemodes.txt, which ships with every server:

  • Retakes is game type 0 (classic), game mode 5.
  • It is set to 7 players ("maxplayers" "7").
  • It runs three configs in order: gamemode_casual.cfg, gamemode_casual_server.cfg and gamemode_retakecasual.cfg.

Your server's Startup tab already has both values as fields. To switch to Retakes:

  1. Stop the server.
  2. On the Startup tab, set Gametype to 0 and Gamemode to 5. On our servers the defaults are 0 and 1, which is Competitive.
  3. Set Map to a map that has retake spawn data, for example de_mirage.
  4. Set Max Players to 7 if you want Valve's 4v3.
  5. Start the server.

Maps with retake data. The game ships a maps/<map>_retake.txt spawn file for these 11 maps: de_ancient, de_ancient_night, de_anubis, de_cache, de_dust2, de_inferno, de_mirage, de_nuke, de_overpass, de_train and de_vertigo. The game ships no retake spawn file for other maps.

What the mode sets. Valve's gamemode_retakecasual.cfg sets 15 rounds (mp_maxrounds 15), a 7-second freeze time and defuse kits for everyone. It also fills empty slots with bots (bot_quota 10, bot_quota_mode fill). To play without bots, type bot_quota 0 in the Console tab once the map has loaded. The mode's configs run again on every map change, so check it after a map change too.

We haven't run Valve's Retakes mode on our own servers yet

The values above come from the game's own files, not from testing on our servers. If the server starts in normal casual rounds instead of retakes, use the plugin below, which doesn't depend on Valve's mode. Let us know what happened so we can update this page.

Option 2: The cs2-retakes Plugin

cs2-retakes by B3none is a CounterStrikeSharp plugin based on splewis's CS:GO retakes. It has been updated through 2026. Version 3.1.1 is the current release.

1. Install Metamod:Source and CounterStrikeSharp

The plugin needs both. Follow How to install plugins on a Counter-Strike 2 server. It covers the gameinfo.gi line, the with-runtime build of CounterStrikeSharp and making yourself an admin. Check that meta list answers in the Console tab before you go on.

2. Upload the plugin

  1. Download RetakesPlugin-3.1.1.zip from the plugin's GitHub releases. That build includes spawn configs for 11 maps. The -no-map-configs build is for servers where you want to place every spawn yourself.
  2. The zip contains an addons/ folder. Upload it into game/csgo/ on your server over SFTP, so the files end up in:
game/csgo/addons/counterstrikesharp/plugins/RetakesPlugin/
game/csgo/addons/counterstrikesharp/shared/RetakesPluginShared/
text
  1. Restart the server.

On first start, the plugin creates its config file under addons/counterstrikesharp/configs/plugins/RetakesPlugin/. It also creates two server configs in cfg/cs2-retakes/. retakes.cfg runs on every map start and sets the convars retakes needs. retakes_unload.cfg puts them back when the plugin is unloaded.

3. Settings worth changing first

All of these are in the plugin's config file. The defaults are from the plugin's README.

Setting Default What it does
MaxPlayers 9 Players in the game at once (2 to 10). Above that, players wait in a queue. More players need more spawns
MinimumPlayers 0 Humans needed before retakes start. 0 turns this off
TerroristRatio 0.45 Share of players put on T
RoundsToScramble 5 Rounds won in a row before teams are scrambled
IsAutoPlantEnabled true The bomb is already planted when the round starts
EnableFallbackAllocation true The plugin's built-in weapon allocation. Set it to false if you install a separate allocator
QueuePriorityFlag @css/vip, priority 0 Lets players with a flag take a queued player's slot

The README recommends a separate weapon allocator for a better experience, for example Yoni's cs2-retakes-allocator. If you install one, set EnableFallbackAllocation to false so the two don't both hand out weapons.

4. Admin commands

These need the @css/root flag unless noted. Admin flags are set up in CounterStrikeSharp's admins.json (see 545).

Command What it does
!forcebombsite A / B Play every round on one site. !forcebombsitestop goes back to random
!scramble Scramble teams next round (@css/admin)
!showspawns A / B Show the spawns for a site and enter spawn editing
!addspawn CT N / !addspawn T Y Add a spawn where you stand. Y or N marks whether a T spawn can be the planter
!removespawn Remove the nearest spawn
!hidespawns Leave spawn editing
!mapconfigs / !mapconfig <name> List map configs, or load a specific one
retakes_enabled 0 Convar: pause retakes without unloading the plugin, for example to practise grenades. 1 turns it back on

Retakes on a map without a config

For a map that isn't one of the 11 bundled ones, load it, type !showspawns A, walk to each spot and use !addspawn, then do the same for B. Add enough spawns for your MaxPlayers. For loading Workshop maps, see how to add Steam Workshop maps.

Players Can't Find the Server

A retake server is only useful if people can join it. For it to show in the community server browser you need a Game Server Login Token in the Steam Gameserver Login Token field. Players can also join directly with connect IP:port in their console, using the address shown at the top of your panel. If they can't connect at all, work through Players Can't Connect to My Server.

Weapon skins are a separate risk. Don't add plugins that give players skins or knives they don't own. Valve has permanently banned server tokens for that, and 545 explains the rules. Handing out stock weapons, which is what retakes allocators do, is fine.

You can run either setup on a GameServerKings CS2 server. Gametype, Gamemode, Map and Max Players are all editable on the Startup tab.

FAQ

What is the game mode number for Retakes in CS2?

Game type 0, game mode 5, according to the gamemodes.txt that ships with CS2 (checked 23 September 2026). On our servers those are the Gametype and Gamemode fields on the Startup tab.

Does a CS2 retake server need plugins?

Not since 22 October 2025, when Valve added Retakes as an official mode. You need the cs2-retakes plugin for anything beyond Valve's defaults: more than 7 players, VIP queue priority, custom spawns on extra maps, or your own weapon allocator.

Why does my retake server keep adding bots?

Valve's gamemode_retakecasual.cfg sets bot_quota 10 with bot_quota_mode fill. Type bot_quota 0 in the Console tab after the map loads.

Is SourceMod's retakes plugin compatible with CS2?

No. SourceMod doesn't run on CS2, so the CS:GO plugin won't load. cs2-retakes is a separate plugin written for CounterStrikeSharp.

How many players can a CS2 retake server have?

Valve's mode is set for 7. The cs2-retakes plugin allows up to 10 in the game, with everyone else waiting in its queue.

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