What command installs the Half-Life 2 server through SteamCMD?

As the steam user, run steamcmd +force_install_dir ' ' +login anonymous +app_update 232370 validate +quit (Steam App ID 232370).

What is a GSL token, and where can I get one?

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 one at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers using the correct Game ID (232370), then add it to your server startup parameters.

Dedicated Server: Half-Life 2 Dedicated Server Linux Setup

Learn how to quickly and easily set up a Half-Life 2 Dedicated Server on your Linux VPS → Find out more

10 November 20262 min read0 Views0 helpful

Introduction

Do you have a Linux VPS and want to install the Half-Life 2 Dedicated Server on it? You’re in the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk you through installing this service on your Linux server with SteamCMD. We’ll use Ubuntu as an example, but the process is very similar on other distributions.

Dedicated Server: Half-Life 2 Dedicated Server Linux Setup

Preparation

First, connect to your VPS via SSH. If you need help, follow our Getting Started with SSH 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 logged in, you can start the installation with the following command. This installs the server directly through SteamCMD as the steam user:

Code

steamcmd +force_install_dir '/home/steam/hl2-ds' +login anonymous +app_update 232370 validate +quit

Please be patient while the download completes—it may take a while for larger games. If everything goes well, you’ll see a confirmation message.

Configuration

You’ve now completed the basic installation of your Half-Life 2 server. You can adjust additional server settings directly in the startup file.

Go to your root directory. You’ll find the server.cfg file in the cfg folder. Open it to edit the server options.

Code

nano /home/steam/hl2-ds/hl2mp/cfg/server.cfg

Register a GSL Token

To let other players connect to 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 232370 for Half-Life 2.

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

Start and Connect to the Server

You can now start your server. Go to the main game directory and run this startup command:

Code

./srcds_run -console -game hl2mp -secure +maxplayers 10 +map dm_runoff +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 using the search at the bottom of the server list and entering [your_ip_address]:2456.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you’ve successfully installed and configured your Half-Life 2 server on your VPS! As a next step, we recommend our Linux Service Setup guide. It explains how to set up your new Dedicated Gameserver as a service. This offers many benefits, such as automatic server startup on 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 232370 validate +quit (Steam App ID 232370).

In the server.cfg file at /home/steam/hl2-ds/hl2mp/cfg/server.cfg.

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Dedicated Server: Half-Life 2 Dedicated Server Linux Setup

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

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