Editing server.cfg: CS2 Server Settings Explained

Your CS2 server reads its settings from a file called server.cfg, and learning a handful of key values there lets you set the server name, a password, the game mode, and the round rules exactly how you want them.

2 min read · Updated Sep 24, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Where server.cfg lives

The main config file is game/csgo/cfg/server.cfg. The easiest place to edit it is Server properties under Game tools in your server menu at customer.guavahost.com, which opens it as plain text with a Save changes button. You can also open it on the Files tab. If it is not there yet, create it: the Files tab has no new file button, so make a server.cfg on your computer and upload it into game/csgo/cfg/ with Upload files, or create it over SFTP. CS2 runs the commands in this file automatically each time a map loads, so it is the right home for settings you always want on.

Before a big edit, take a backup on the Backups page. Restoring later overwrites current files, so a snapshot is a quick undo button.

The essential settings

Add these lines to server.cfg, one per line, each value in quotes where shown:

• hostname "My GuavaHost CS2 Server" sets the name shown in the browser.
• sv_password "letmein" makes the server private. Leave it empty (sv_password "") for a public server.
• rcon_password "somethingLong" lets you send admin commands remotely. Keep it long and secret.
• sv_lan "0" keeps the server visible on the internet rather than LAN only.
• sv_cheats "0" should stay off for normal play.

Choosing a game mode and type

CS2 picks a mode from two values, game_type and game_mode, which work as a pair:

• Competitive: game_type 0, game_mode 1
• Wingman (2v2): game_type 0, game_mode 2
• Casual: game_type 0, game_mode 0
• Deathmatch: game_type 1, game_mode 2
• Arms Race: game_type 1, game_mode 0
• Custom: game_type 3, game_mode 0

Set the pair that matches the mode you want. Custom is the base for most community plugins and practice setups.

Round and economy settings

These common values shape how a match feels:

• mp_maxrounds "24" sets the rounds in a match.
• mp_roundtime "1.92" and mp_roundtime_defuse "1.92" set round length in minutes.
• mp_freezetime "15" is the buy time before a round starts.
• mp_startmoney "800" and mp_maxmoney "16000" control the economy.
• mp_friendlyfire "1" turns team damage on.

A word on tickrate

You may have read that you must pay for a "128 tick" CS2 server. That advice is left over from CS:GO. CS2 replaced fixed tickrate with a sub-tick system, where the game records the exact moment you fire or move regardless of the server tick. There is no -tickrate setting to change in CS2, and every GuavaHost CS2 server already uses sub-tick, so you are not missing anything by leaving it alone.

Applying your changes

Most values load when a new map starts. To apply them right away, open the Console tab and type exec server.cfg, or restart the server with Restart at the top of the server page. A few settings, like hostname, only take full effect after a map change or restart, so when in doubt, restart.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• cs2
• server.cfg
• configuration
• game-modes
• tickrate

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