--- title: "Free Counter-Strike: Source Server Hosting | 1up" url: https://1up-servers.com/en/counter-strike-source/ lastmod: 2026-11-02 --- # Free CS: Source server, in 60 seconds. De_dust2 and the classic maps on the Source engine, with your Steam token (GSLT) if you have one. No card. [Create a CS: Source server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/?game=css)[24/7 from €3.00](https://1up-servers.com/en/pricing/) - New versions on release day - No card - Low-ping regions **Counter-Strike: Source**Available Nodes ready · start the first oneaverage start 62 s ~15 ms Guide · CS: Source ## Counter-Strike: Source server hosting, free or paid Counter-Strike: Source is the 2004 remake of Counter-Strike on the Source engine: terrorists against counter-terrorists, bomb sites and hostage rescues on maps such as de_dust2, cs_office and de_inferno. Its community never left, and a server of your own is the easiest way to play with the people you know. We run Valve's official srcds build for it, starting on de_dust2 with 16 slots. This server is light: about 200 MB of memory once the map has loaded and around 2.3 GB of files. That lets Counter-Strike: Source run on every plan, Free included, with 1 GB of RAM and 5 GB of disk. ### How to set up a Counter-Strike: Source server 1. Choose Counter-Strike: Source on the create screen; it fits on the Free plan and on every paid one. 2. To give the server its own Steam login, generate a token for app ID 240 and paste it, or leave the field empty. 3. Type the opening map, de_dust2 unless you change it, and a player limit between 2 and 32. 4. Name the server and, for a private match, add a password; the name can change later without a restart. 5. Launch it, switch on the developer console in the advanced keyboard options of the game and enter connect plus the address and port of the panel. ### Finding the server again Once you have played on it, open the server browser, go to History and add the server to Favorites, so the whole clan reaches it in one click. With a password set, the game prompts for it as each player joins. Map prefixes tell the mode: de_ maps are bomb defusal and cs_ maps are hostage rescue, and the opening map in the Game tab decides what the first round plays. ### Rounds, maps and your own config Round time, buy time, friendly fire and the other mp_ variables belong in cstrike/cfg/1up-owner.cfg, which the server executes on every start right after our defaults. The panel handles the map, the slots, the password, the server name and the token. Lines that keep the server reachable and protected, such as the name, the password and logging, are written after your file and always win. ### Memory and disk for Counter-Strike: Source 1 GB of memory covers a 16-player server on the stock maps with a wide margin, and 2 GB is there for 32 players or a long rotation. The install stays small, so 5 GB leaves space for logs and for the configs that every backup keeps. ### Admin tools in the panel The console in the panel kicks by name or by user ID with a reason, bans a Steam ID for the minutes you choose, lifts bans with removeid, broadcasts with say and switches the map with changelevel. Bans hit the disk immediately and survive restarts. In the Activity mode of the console, kills, deaths, the leaderboard and chat come straight from the round logs. ### Common questions on a fresh server Cheats, pausing, votes and file uploads such as custom sprays are disabled when the server is created, the safest start for a public game. If your group wants votes, add sv_allow_votes 1 to 1up-owner.cfg and restart. When a player gets a wrong password message, compare it with the password in the Game tab, and remember that a new password only applies after a restart. [Free Counter-Strike Server: Source and 1.6, Step by Step](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/free-counter-strike-server/) Versions ## CS: Source versions - latestDefault Switch versions from the panel: we back the server up first and tell you what will be left behind. Loaders ## CS: Source 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 ## CS: Source server data | Minimum RAM | 1 GB | | --- | --- | | Recommended RAM | 2 GB | | Disk | 5 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 CS: Source server need? CS: Source 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 FAQ · CS: Source ## Questions about CS: Source servers Yes. With 1 GB of RAM it fits the Free plan, with no card. Paid plans keep it online around the clock and add memory for bigger rotations. From the blog ## CS: Source guides [All articles](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/) - [Counter-Strike: Source6 min Free Counter-Strike Server: Source and 1.6, Step by Step Run a free Counter-Strike server for Counter-Strike: Source or 1.6: Valve's servers, what the Free plan holds, maps and slots, your own cvars, joining with connect, and bans from the panel. Baurtock · Oct 8, 2026](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/free-counter-strike-server/) ## Your CS: Source world, in 60 seconds. Free to start. No card. [Create a free CS: Source server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/?game=css) Keep exploring ## Similar games - [SCP:SL server](https://1up-servers.com/en/scp-secret-laboratory/) - [CS: Condition Zero server](https://1up-servers.com/en/counter-strike-condition-zero/) - [Day of Defeat server](https://1up-servers.com/en/day-of-defeat/) - [Team Fortress Classic server](https://1up-servers.com/en/team-fortress-classic/) Counter-Strike: Source is a trademark of Valve. 1up-servers is not affiliated with Valve.