Getting started with your Counter-Strike: Source server

Counter-Strike: Source launched on 1 November 2004 and it never really went anywhere. It runs on Source 1, the original Source engine, and that single fact decides almost everything about how you administer a CS:S server today — including the fact that the mature SourceMod toolchain still works on it.

This guide covers first boot, how players join, which ports the server uses, and where the files live.

What happens on first boot

1. Open your Counter-Strike: Source server in the panel.
2. Click Start.
3. Watch the console output. The install is small by modern standards, so first boot is quick compared to a CS2 or Rust server.
4. Once the server has loaded a map, it will answer queries and appear to players.

A server that has not loaded a map will not answer

Valve's dedicated server documentation is explicit that servers do not respond to queries until a map is loaded. If the server process is up but nothing can see it, check that a map actually loaded before you start debugging your network.

How do I connect to my Counter-Strike: Source server?

The reliable route is the in-game server browser, because it does not depend on console access:

1. Launch Counter-Strike: Source.
2. Open Find Servers.
3. Switch to the Favorites tab.
4. Choose Add a Server, and enter your server's IP address and port, for example 203.0.113.10:27015.
5. Refresh, then double-click the server to join.

If you have the developer console enabled, the connect command takes the same address:port pair and joins directly.

Which ports does a Counter-Strike: Source server use?

Your GameServerKings CS:S server uses port 27015 by default, over UDP. Valve's Source Dedicated Server documentation lists the full set that SRCDS officially requires:

On a managed server the port is assigned for you and the firewall is already open — you only need this table if you are diagnosing a connection problem or planning a SourceTV relay.

Game traffic is UDP, RCON is TCP

Port 27015 is listed as TCP/UDP because the two are used for different things on the same number: gameplay and queries ride UDP, while the RCON protocol is TCP. A firewall rule that only permits UDP will give you a server players can join but not one you can administer remotely.

Where are the Counter-Strike: Source server files?

CS:S uses cstrike as its mod folder. AlliedModders' installation documentation uses this exact folder as its worked example, and it is the folder every guide, plugin and config path will refer to.

So the file most people are looking for is at cstrike/cfg/server.cfg. Full detail is in Counter-Strike: Source server.cfg configuration.

What should I set up first?

In rough order of how much difference each makes:

1. Config — set your server name and passwords in server.cfg. See Counter-Strike: Source server.cfg configuration.
2. Admin access — install Metamod:Source and SourceMod and add yourself as root admin. See How to add admins to a Counter-Strike: Source server with SourceMod.
3. Maps — set up a map cycle and, if you run custom maps, FastDL. See How to add and rotate maps on a Counter-Strike: Source server.
4. Plugins — the reason most people run CS:S in the first place. See How to install SourceMod plugins on your Counter-Strike: Source server.

FAQ

Which port does Counter-Strike: Source use?

27015, and on a GameServerKings server that is UDP by default. Valve's documentation lists 27015 as TCP/UDP because RCON uses TCP on the same port number while gameplay and queries use UDP. SourceTV, if you enable it, uses 27020/UDP.

Where is server.cfg on a Counter-Strike: Source server?

cstrike/cfg/server.cfg. The cstrike folder is the CS:S mod directory, and every config, map and addon path is relative to it.

Can I run SourceMod on Counter-Strike: Source?

Yes. AlliedModders' Required Versions page lists Counter-Strike: Source as supported on the current stable release of both Metamod:Source and SourceMod. This is the single biggest practical advantage CS:S has over newer Counter-Strike titles for a server owner, and it is covered in How to add admins to a Counter-Strike: Source server with SourceMod.

Is administering Counter-Strike: Source the same as Counter-Strike 2?

No, and the difference is larger than the shared name suggests. CS:S is Source 1 and runs SourceMod, which bundles an admin system, a permission model and an admin menu in one package. Newer Counter-Strike titles built on Source 2 do not run SourceMod at all — AlliedModders lists SourceMod on Counter-Strike 2 as Unsupported — so their admin tooling has to be rebuilt from other projects. If you have administered a Source 1 server before, your knowledge transfers directly to CS:S.

Why can nobody see my server?

Work through it in this order: confirm a map has actually loaded, since a server with no map loaded will not answer queries at all; confirm players are using the right address:port; and confirm they are querying the port the panel shows rather than assuming 27015.

Do I need to install anything to run a plain public server?

No. A stock CS:S server runs and takes players with nothing added. Metamod:Source and SourceMod are what you install when you want per-person admin permissions, chat commands, map voting and plugins — see How to install SourceMod plugins on your Counter-Strike: Source server.

What to read next

• Counter-Strike: Source server.cfg configuration — where each config file lives and what executes when
• How to add admins to a Counter-Strike: Source server with SourceMod — admin flags, immunity and the full command set
• How to install SourceMod plugins on your Counter-Strike: Source server — installing, enabling and debugging plugins
• How to add and rotate maps on a Counter-Strike: Source server — map cycles, FastDL and map voting

---

Made with 💜 by GameServerKings