What command installs the Counter-Strike: Source server with SteamCMD?

As the steam user, run steamcmd +force_install_dir ' ' +login anonymous +app_update 232330 validate +quit (Steam App ID 232330).

Dedicated Server: Counter-Strike: Source Dedicated Server Setup on Linux

Learn how to set up a Counter-Strike: Source Dedicated Server on your Linux VPS for seamless game hosting → Find out more

10 November 20262 min read1 Views0 helpful

Introduction

Do you have a Linux VPS and want to install the Counter-Strike: Source Dedicated Server on it? You’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll explain step by step how to install this service on your Linux server using SteamCMD. We’ll use Ubuntu as an example, but the process is very similar on other distributions.

Dedicated Server: Counter-Strike: Source Dedicated Server Setup on Linux

Preparation

First, connect to your VPS via SSH. If you need help, see our SSH Getting Started guide. You’ll also need to set up SteamCMD on your Linux server the first time you use it. Follow our SteamCMD Linux Setup guide, and make sure SteamCMD is fully set up before continuing.

Installation

Code

sudo -u steam -s
cd ~

Once you’re logged in, you can start the installation with the following command. It uses SteamCMD to install the server directly in the steam user’s directory:

Code

steamcmd +force_install_dir '/home/steam/css-ds' +login anonymous +app_update 232330 validate +quit

Please be patient while the download finishes—it can take a while for larger games. If everything worked, you’ll see a confirmation message.

Configuration

You’ve now completed the basic installation of your Counter-Strike: Source server. You can adjust additional server settings directly in the startup file.

Go to your root directory. From there, navigate to the cfg folder and open the server.cfg file. You can adjust the server options there.

Code

nano /home/steam/css-ds/cstrike/cfg/server.cfg

Register a GSL Token

To let other players join your server, you need to generate and add a Game Server Login Token (GSLT). This token authenticates your server with Steam. Create your GSLT at http://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers using Game ID 232330 for Counter-Strike: Source.

Then add the token to your server startup parameters with +sv_setsteamaccount <TOKEN>.

Start and Connect to the Server

Now for the important part: start your server. Go to the game’s main directory and run this command:

Code

./srcds_run -console -game cstrike -secure +maxplayers 22 +map de_dust +sv_setsteamaccount XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You should now see logs in the terminal confirming that the server has started successfully. Note that the first startup may take a little longer while everything is set up. Alternatively, you can connect directly by entering [your_ip_address]:2456 in the search bar at the bottom of the server list.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve successfully installed and configured your Counter-Strike: Source server on your VPS! As a next step, we recommend following our Linux Service Setup guide. It will help you set up your new Dedicated Gameserver as a service, with benefits such as automatically starting the server at boot, automatic updates, easy management, and access to logs and much more!

If you have any questions or run into problems, our support team is here to help every day—don’t hesitate to contact us! 🙂

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

You need SSH access to your Linux server and a one-time SteamCMD setup (see the “SteamCMD Linux Setup” guide).

As the steam user, run steamcmd +force_install_dir '<path>' +login anonymous +app_update 232330 validate +quit (Steam App ID 232330).

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Dedicated Server: Counter-Strike: Source Dedicated Server Setup on Linux

Introduction

Preparation

Installation

Configuration

Register a GSL Token

Start and Connect to the Server

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Software

Preparation

Installation

Configuration

Register a GSL Token

Start and Connect to the Server

Conclusion

Game Server

Servers & Hosting

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Resources

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