Game server hosting
Counter-Strike 2 server hosting
Counter-Strike 2 server hosting on high-clock EPYC cores in Finland: 4 GB RAM from €10.99/month, VAT included, online about 60 seconds after checkout. Metamod:Source, CounterStrikeSharp and SourceMod all supported, with GSLT and Workshop map hosting configurable from the panel.
Stripe-secured payments · unused wallet credit refundable · no minimum term, cancel any time · EU company, VAT LT100016340412
Hosting Counter-Strike 2
What actually matters on a Counter-Strike 2 server
CS2 is RAM-light and single-thread hungry. The simulation leans on one core, so clock speed decides whether the server holds a clean 64-tick when a smoke goes up and eight players fire at once; extra cores and extra gigabytes do very little for it. The real operational work is keeping pace with Valve: patches land often, clients auto-update and then refuse to join an outdated server, and an update can reset game/csgo/gameinfo.gi and invalidate Metamod and CounterStrikeSharp gamedata signatures on the same night. There is also no world save to protect. A CS2 server is its cfg files, its Workshop map list and its plugin MySQL data, so that is what backups actually need to cover.
What 4 GB realistically runs
4 GB is generous for a 10 to 12 slot competitive, retake or practice server. Vanilla CS2 sits comfortably under 2 GB; a full Metamod plus CounterStrikeSharp stack with MatchZy, ranks and skins backed by the included MySQL database, plus GOTV recording, typically lands around 2 to 3 GB. The .NET runtime CounterStrikeSharp loads accounts for a few hundred MB of that on its own. Community 24 to 32 slot deathmatch, surf or KZ servers also fit, though headroom narrows as the plugin list grows and the Workshop rotation gets heavier, since Source 2 custom maps are larger than their CS:GO equivalents. If you are aiming at 64 slots with a heavy plugin stack and a second GOTV instance, email [email protected] before launch and we will resize the same day. Worth knowing: the CS2 server files run to tens of gigabytes, so the first install and each post-patch update is a genuine SteamCMD pull rather than a quick download, and GOTV demos accumulate on disk until you prune them.
After checkout
Getting your Counter-Strike 2 server running
- 1
Add your GSLT before the first start
Create a Game Server Login Token at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers using App ID 730, paste it into the sv_setsteamaccount startup variable in the panel and restart. Without it the server boots but stays invisible in the community browser and refuses connections from outside your own network. Tokens are revoked after roughly 30 days of inactivity, and if the Steam account behind them picks up a game ban the token dies with it, so keep a note of which account issued yours.
- 2
Set the game mode in the startup line, not server.cfg
CS2 takes its mode from game_type and game_mode passed at launch (+game_alias competitive, casual, deathmatch or wingman). Mode-specific convars belong in cfg/gamemode_competitive_server.cfg rather than server.cfg, because the gamemode_*.cfg files exec after server.cfg. That exec order is why hand-edited mp_maxrounds, mp_overtime_enable and friends look like they reset themselves on every map change.
- 3
Add a Steam Web API key for Workshop maps
Custom and community maps come from the Workshop, which needs a Steam Web API key passed as -authkey in the startup line. With that set you can boot straight into a map using host_workshop_map <id>, or run a rotation with host_workshop_collection plus workshop_start_map. Maps are pulled on demand, so the first load of a large surf, KZ or bhop map takes noticeably longer than a stock Active Duty map.
- 4
Install Metamod:Source, then your plugin framework, then back up gameinfo.gi
Metamod:Source is the base loader. CounterStrikeSharp is where most current CS2 plugins live (MatchZy for 5v5 pugs with knife round, pause and demo upload, plus rank and skin plugins), SourceMod's CS2 support is still catching up, and CS:GO-era SourcePawn plugins do not carry across unmodified. Installing Metamod means adding its search path line to game/csgo/gameinfo.gi. Save a copy of that file somewhere safe: Valve updates overwrite it, every plugin silently stops loading, and restoring one line brings them all back.
Mods & how far you can go
Run any Counter-Strike 2 setup you want
- Online in about 60 seconds
- 1-click mod & plugin installer
- Full file access (SFTP + web editor)
- Automated backups
- Free MySQL database
- DDoS protection included
- Console, metrics & crash auto-restart
- RAM upgrades on request, same day
Test your latency to our network
Measures the round trip from your connection to our EU-Central edge, right now.
This is an HTTPS round trip to our web edge, which typically reads a little higher than in-game ping. Treat it as an upper bound, not a promise.
How much RAM do you need?
Your Counter-Strike 2 plan ships with 4 GB. Player counts below are the practical limit before tick-rate suffers — mods and plugins matter more than raw player count.
| RAM | Players | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | 1–4 | Vanilla worlds, small co-op, Terraria |
| 4 GB | 5–15 | Vanilla+ with plugins, light modpacks, most survival servers |
| 6 GB | 10–25 | Mid-size modpacks, Satisfactory and 7 Days to Die worlds |
| 8 GB | 20–40 | Heavy modpacks, ARK with mods, busy community servers |
Picked the wrong size? Email us and we will resize your server the same day — you keep the world, the files and the address.
How ordering works
- 1
Create a free account
Email and password at client.puranode.com. No card needed to look around.
- 2
Add credit
Top up your wallet by card through Stripe. Your balance pays for servers as they renew.
- 3
Pick your server
Choose the game and plan — it installs automatically and is online in about 60 seconds.
Your servers live in the client panel at client.puranode.com — a separate app from this site, run by the same company.
Stripe handles the card
Payments run through Stripe. Puranode never sees or stores your card number.
VAT included
The price you see is the price you pay. No tax added at the last step.
No minimum term
Billed every 30 days. Cancel from the panel any time — no cancellation fee.
Credit is refundable
Unused wallet credit can be refunded to your original card on request.
MB VARIANTAI · company code 306133252 · VAT LT100016340412 · Lithuania, European Union. Refunds & cancellation
FAQ
Counter-Strike 2 server hosting — FAQ
Why can't anyone find my CS2 server in the community browser?
Nine times out of ten it is the GSLT. CS2 needs a Game Server Login Token for App ID 730, set through sv_setsteamaccount, before it will accept internet connections or list itself publicly. Check that the token is present and still valid (they lapse after about 30 days of inactivity and are revoked if the linked Steam account gets a game ban), that sv_lan is 0, and that you are giving players the panel's connect address with the game port rather than the GOTV port. If the console shows a Steam logon failure at startup, the token is the culprit.
Do you offer 128-tick Counter-Strike 2 servers?
No, and neither does anyone else honestly. CS2 replaced the CS:GO tickrate model with subtick, so servers run at 64 tick while inputs are timestamped between ticks. The old 64 versus 128 argument does not map onto Source 2, and tickrate-enabler hacks tend to cause movement and timing oddities and break with each Valve update. What actually decides how the server feels is single-core clock speed and stable frame timing on the host, which is why we run EPYC with NVMe storage in Finland rather than chasing a number.
My plugins stopped loading after a CS2 update. What happened?
Almost always one of two things. Either the update overwrote game/csgo/gameinfo.gi and removed the Metamod search path line, in which case restoring that one line and restarting fixes everything at once, or Metamod, CounterStrikeSharp or SourceMod needs a rebuild because the new server binary moved the signatures their gamedata points at. The second case is a waiting game on the upstream project, not something a restart cures. Keep a copy of gameinfo.gi outside the game directory, check the console for Metamod load errors first, and use the automated backups to roll a plugin config back if an update leaves the server crash-looping on start.
How much does a Counter-Strike 2 server cost?
Counter-Strike 2 server hosting at Puranode starts at €10.99 per month for a 4 GB server, VAT included. It's a flat price — what you sign up at is what you renew at, with no setup fees and cancel anytime.
How quickly is my Counter-Strike 2 server online?
Your Counter-Strike 2 server is created and fully installed automatically, usually in about 60 seconds after checkout. You then open the panel, press start and copy your connect address.
Can I install mods and plugins on my Counter-Strike 2 server?
Yes. Counter-Strike 2 supports SourceMod, MetaMod, Plugins, Custom maps and Competitive & community — install from a one-click menu or upload your own files over SFTP. There is no artificial limit.
Where are the servers located?
Puranode runs on EPYC + NVMe hardware in the EU (Finland), which gives low latency for European players. Puranode is operated by MB VARIANTAI, an EU company in Lithuania, and prices include VAT.
Can I move my existing Counter-Strike 2 server to Puranode?
Yes. Upload your existing world and config over SFTP, or contact us and we'll help migrate it — free for the first setup.
Deploy your Counter-Strike 2 server now
Create a free account, add credit and your server is online in about 60 seconds.