Free Counter-Strike 1.6 server, in 60 seconds.
The original Counter-Strike on de_dust2, for the friends who never left it. No card.
- New versions on release day
- No card
- Low-ping regions
Counter-Strike 1.6Available
1 servers online right nowaverage start 56 s
Counter-Strike 1.6 server hosting on the original engine
Counter-Strike 1.6 is the version that made the game famous, still running on GoldSrc, the engine of Half-Life. Many players never switched: the movement, the sounds and maps like de_dust2, de_nuke and cs_assault are exactly as they remember them. We run Valve's HLDS, the Half-Life Dedicated Server, with the cstrike mod, opening on de_dust2 for 16 players.
It is the lightest game we host: about 150 MB of memory and under 1 GB of files. Counter-Strike 1.6 therefore runs on every plan including Free, needing only 1 GB of memory and 2 GB of storage. GoldSrc predates Steam game server tokens, so the wizard asks for no token at all.
Launching your Counter-Strike 1.6 server step by step
- Pick Counter-Strike 1.6 when you create a server; even the Free plan can host it.
- Name the server; this is the name players read in the server list.
- Decide the opening map and how many players fit, anywhere from 2 to 32.
- Add a password only for a private game, then start the server and watch the console until it reports a successful connection to Steam.
- In Counter-Strike 1.6, turn on the developer console under Options, Keyboard, Advanced if it is off, press the tilde key and type connect with the address and its port.
Getting into the game
Players join through the console or through Find Servers, where the Favorites tab accepts an address typed by hand. A password set in the Game tab is requested on connect. Renaming the server goes live straight away; the map, the slots and the password apply on the next start. Prefixes still mean what they did in 2003: de_ for planting the bomb, cs_ for rescuing hostages and as_ for escorting the VIP on as_oilrig.
server.cfg and a file of your own
We rewrite cstrike/server.cfg at every boot, so edits there are lost. Your own lines go in cstrike/1up-owner.cfg: mp_timelimit, mp_freezetime, mp_friendlyfire or any other cvar. HLDS reads it after our defaults and before the lines we must control, which set the hostname, the password and the logs.
Resources for a GoldSrc server
The engine dates from 1999 and sits at about 150 MB when idle, so 1 GB gives a wide margin even with a full house. 2 GB is far more than the game needs; the spare room holds the logs plus banned.cfg and listip.cfg, which every backup includes.
Admin without remote rcon
Remote rcon stays off: the panel talks to HLDS through its own console, so there is no rcon password to leak. From there you can say, kick by name, ban a Steam ID for some minutes or for good with banid, unban with removeid, list bans with listid and move to another map with changelevel. Every ban lands in banned.cfg at once, and the Players tab reads the status table to show each Steam profile, hours played and VAC record.
Fixing a new Counter-Strike 1.6 server
A vote kick needs every player on the server, because mp_kickpercent is set to 1; lower it in 1up-owner.cfg for majority votes. Pausing and uploads of custom sprays and decals are off too. If the panel does not show the server as running yet, read the console: the very first start also downloads the game, and a typo in 1up-owner.cfg shows up there as an unknown command.
Versions
Counter-Strike 1.6 versions
- latestDefault
Switch versions from the panel: we back the server up first and tell you what will be left behind.
Loaders
Counter-Strike 1.6 loaders and templates
- VanillaVersion latestThe game exactly as the studio ships it.
Pick the template when you create the server: we install it, configure it and hand it over running.
Data
Counter-Strike 1.6 server data
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB |
|---|---|
| Recommended RAM | 2 GB |
| Disk | 2 GB |
| Port | Assigned to each server; the panel shows it |
| Free plan | Yes |
| 24/7 from | Casual · €3.00/month |
| Crossplay | No switch in the panel |
| Mods | No one-click catalogue |
| Templates | Vanilla |
Requirements
How much RAM does your Counter-Strike 1.6 server need?
Counter-Strike 1.6 boots on 1 GB and has room to spare on 2 GB. This is the RAM each plan gives you and whether the game fits in it.
- Up to 4 friends, no plugins2 GBFREE
- Up to 6 players, 24/7, no one-click plugins2 GBCASUAL
- Up to 10 players with plugins4 GBSTARTER
- Up to 30 players or mid-size modpacks8 GBPRO
- Up to 32 players and several worlds at once16 GBSTUDIO
- Heavy modpacks and large communities32 GBULTRA
Questions about Counter-Strike 1.6 servers
Counter-Strike 1.6 guides
Your Counter-Strike 1.6 world, in 60 seconds.
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Counter-Strike 1.6 is a trademark of Valve. 1up-servers is not affiliated with Valve.