Counter-Strike 2 recently went live and with that, CS:GO got removed from the Steam store, leaving CS2 as the only Counter-Strike game that you can officially play. With a number of changes being made to CS2, CS:GO’s vibrant community server scene has suffered a bit of a setback, as server owners are left scrambling to bring their CS2 community servers back to the way they were in CS:GO.
Despite the fact that the community isn’t as large (yet) as it was in CS:GO, there are still plenty of community servers that you can join in CS2, and in this article we’ll tell you how to join them.
How To Join CS2 Community Servers
To join a CS2 community server, all you need to do is follow the steps outlined below:
- Step 1: Launch your CS2 game via Steam.
- Step 2: Click on the “Play” button located at the top of the screen.
- Step 3: Navigate to the “Globe” icon located to the right of “Practice” underneath “Play”.
- Step 4: Locate the “Internet” tab on the left and click on it.
- Step 5: Click on “Counter-Strike 2” in the dropdown menu on top of the window.
- Step 6: Click on the “Search” button on the right. This will turn into a cross once you’ve clicked it. Clicking this cross will stop the search.
This will provide you with a list of all applicable servers. From here, you can use additional options to sort the servers by map, latency, player count, etc. Once you have found a server that you like, simply double-click on it to join.
How To Join CS2 Community Servers Via Console
Players can also join CS2 community servers by using the developer console. To use this method you will need to obtain the address of the server that you want to join, and enable the developer console in CS2. If you don’t know how to enable or open the console, you can check out our guide: HOW TO: Open Console in CS2.
Once your developer console is enabled and you have the server address, all you need to do is open the console by pressing the “~” key, type in “connect” followed by the server address, and then press “Enter”. This should connect you directly to your server provided that it has empty player slots.
Example:
Connect cs2dmffa.datho.st:26446How To Find CS2 Community Servers
When it comes to finding and discovering CS2 community servers, there are a couple of ways that you can go about it. The best and easiest method by far is to search for them on Reddit and other social media platforms. Both the main CS and CS2 subreddits are excellent places to find like-minded players and a great way to discover new Community servers.
Regardless of whether you are looking for skin servers, deathmatch servers, or surf servers: chances are that Reddit has got you covered. You can also search Google. There are also entire websites and organizations dedicated to CS2 community servers, such as Xplay.gg.
How To Add CS2 Community Servers to Favorites
As time passes by, the number of CS2 community servers will increase, and finding the servers that you love playing on may become a bit difficult. Luckily, players are able to mark their favorite servers and save their choices for a later session without having to go through the arduous process of finding the server again.
To add a server to favorites, all you need to do is right-click on the desired server and choose the “Add server to favorites” option. This will enable you to access this server quickly from the “Favorites” tab.
Types of CS2 Community Servers
Community servers have always been an important pillar of CS:GO and with the launch of CS2, it was only a matter of time before they popped up for the CS:GO’s successor. There are many different kinds of CS2 community servers online already, so let’s take a closer look at some of the more popular options out there.
Retake Servers
Retake was one of the more popular modes for CS:GO so it is only natural that the mode itself has transferred over to CS2. In Retake, Terrorists spawn at one of the bomb sites, and the C4 is planted automatically. The Counter-Terrorist forces are then tasked with making their way through to the C4, while the Terrorist forces are tasked with defending the bomb and the site. What makes Retake mode exciting is the fact that players aren’t able to purchase the weapons like in a regular match.
Retake focuses exclusively on post-plant scenarios, giving you valuable practice in a part of the game that has historically been hard to practice properly.
CS2 Retakes Server List:
Connect cs2retake.datho.st:26218
Connect cs2retake.ggwp.cc:26527
Connect cs2retake.globalelite.club:26156
Connect cs2retake.gamergod.net:26688
Deathmatch Servers
In deathmatch servers, you’re quite simply playing deathmatch. Community deathmatch servers are different from Valve servers in the sense that they have more players in them and are more geared towards pace and speed and last for hours instead of minutes. People drop in and out, and there’s usually no spawn protection and the likes, so community DM servers are excellent for warming up or practicing your aim. Just treat it as such: a warmup or training. Don’t try to go for a good kill/death ratio or try to ‘win’ the game: that’s not what these servers are meant for.
CS2 Deathmatch Server List:
Connect cs2dmffa.datho.st:26446
Connect cs2dmffa.ggwp.cc:26821
Connect cs2dmffa.gamergod.net:26564
Connect cs2dmffa.globalelite.club:26118
Connect 5.9.145.87:27038
Connect 147.135.31.104:27021
Skin Servers
If you played CS:GO, then you are probably aware that CS:GO had its own dedicated skin servers. Counter-Strike 2 skin servers are essentially the same thing. They are special community servers that allow players to inspect any and all skins completely free of charge (also see How To Use Any Knife in CS2) and any interference from other players. On these dedicated servers, players can see how their favorite skins will appear in the game before deciding on whether to pull the trigger and buy them. This can be done by generating an inspect code for a specific item, copying the inspect link, or in some cases, selecting the skin directly on the server. Since CS2 is still a relatively new game, there aren’t a ton of servers available, however, there are a few which we will post below.
CS2 Skin Server List:
Connect inspect.epidemic.gg
Connect inferno.epidemic.gg
Connect vertigo.epidemic.gg
Connect dust2.epidemic.gg
Connect ancient.epidemic.gg
Connect nuke.epidemic.gg
Connect esportfireskin.datho.st:28267; password esportfire
Connect esportfireeu2.datho.st:28314; password esportfire
Connect esportfireus.datho.st:27617; password esportfire
Connect esportfireas.datho.st:28793; password esportfire
AWP Deathmatch Servers
AWP Deathmatch is another popular CS2 mode and is pretty self-explanatory. These servers are exactly the same as regular deathmatch servers, however, players are only able to use AWPs. The AWP deathmatch servers are an excellent way to practice your AWP skills and an extremely fun experience for all AWP enthusiasts.
CS2 AWP Deathmatch Servers Server List:
Connect 82.202.162.186:27017
Connect 65.21.92.214:27025
Connect 157.90.94.173:27024
Connect 51.68.194.214:27015
Aim Servers
Aim servers are special maps specifically designed for players to test their aim. These maps usually consist of various types of challenges specifically created to test the player’s reflexes, accuracy, and firing skills with different weapons. Aim maps also usually allow players to tweak different aspects of the map itself in order to increase or decrease the challenge and are an excellent way for players to practice and improve their skills. It is worth noting that playing on Aim servers will require you to download Aim maps.
CS2 Aim Map Servers Server List:
Connect cs2aim.datho.st:26836
Connect cs2aim.ggwp.cc:26425
Connect aim.pracc.club:26273
Fun Servers
Counter-Strike 2 can be a very competitive game, and while some players just play for fun and don’t care much about their rank, there is no denying that being bested and getting eliminated over and over can become frustrating. This is why it is important to take a break and just relax and maybe talk with your fellow players. This is where other CS2 modes and servers come in.
There are many different types of servers for the game that focus on other aspects of CS2 besides aiming and shooting and are focused more on players having fun with each other rather than playing against each other. Below are examples of a few different types of fun CS2 servers that you can try out. However, please keep in mind that in order to play on some of them, you will be required to download additional CS2 maps.
Surf Servers:
Connect cs2surf.datho.st:26435
Connect cs2surf.ggwp.cc:26479
CS2 Glass Floors, 128 Tick Server:
Connect 37.230.210.75:27015
CS2 Bunny Hop Server:
Connect 37.230.210.185:27015
CS2 AWP Lego Server:
Connect 212.12.15.54:27017
CS2 Zombie Server:
Connect 216.52.148.47:27015
CS2 1v1 Server:
Connect 212.12.15.54:27016
Conclusion
All in all, there are many excellent CS2 community servers out there already, and there is no doubt that as time passes, more and more community servers of all kinds will pop up. Regardless of whether you are looking for a competitive deathmatch server, a fun bunny hop server, or anything in between, there is an option for you out there.
Nikola
Nikola is a freelance writer for ProSettings.net.
