Play Steam Workshop maps on your CS2 server

Host any Workshop map or collection by its ID: run host_workshop_map in the Console, or add it to Custom Parameters so it loads on every start.

4 min read · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Your CS2 server can host any Steam Workshop map by its ID. Run one command from the Console to load a map right now, or add it to Custom Parameters on the Startup tab so the server loads it every time it starts. You never upload map files yourself: the server downloads them from the Workshop, and players get them automatically when they join.

Find the Workshop ID

1. Open the Counter-Strike 2 Workshop at steamcommunity.com/app/730/workshop/ and click the map you want.
2. Look at the address bar. The Workshop ID is the number after ?id=, for example steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1234567890 has the ID 1234567890.
3. Copy that number.

Collections have IDs in exactly the same place. A map ID and a collection ID are not interchangeable, so note which kind of page you copied from. The item also needs to be public: a private Workshop item cannot be downloaded by your server.

Load a map right now from the Console

On the Console tab, run:

host_workshop_map <id>

Replace <id> with the map's Workshop ID. The server downloads the map if it does not have it yet, then changes to it. Expect a short pause the first time while the download finishes. Running the command again later is also how you pick up a newer version if the author updates the map.

This lasts until the server restarts. After a restart, the server goes back to the map in the Map field on the Startup tab.

Make a Workshop map load on every start

1. Open the Startup tab.
2. Find Custom Parameters and add +host_workshop_map <id>, using your map's ID. If the field already has something in it, add a space and put this after it.
3. Restart the server from the Console tab and watch it download and load the map.

The Map field on the Startup tab is for the built-in maps, such as de_dust2, and cannot take a Workshop ID. That is why Workshop maps go in Custom Parameters instead. If after a restart the server is sitting on the map from the Map field rather than your Workshop map, run host_workshop_map <id> once from the Console and let us know so we can take a look.

Host a whole collection

A Workshop collection is the closest thing CS2 has to your own map pool, and it is the better choice for a community server.

1. On the Steam Workshop, create a collection, add the maps you want and make it public.
2. Copy the collection's ID from its address bar, the same way as a map.
3. On the Startup tab, add +host_workshop_collection <collection id> to Custom Parameters.
4. Restart the server.

The server downloads every map in the collection and uses them as its map group, so between matches it rotates through your collection. To add or remove maps later, edit the collection on Steam and restart the server. Test each map before adding it, because one broken map can cause trouble for the whole collection.

CS2 has no working option to pick which map in a collection the server starts on. Once it is up, switch to the one you want with the commands below.

Switch between Workshop maps

Once maps are downloaded, you do not need their IDs to move between them:

• ds_workshop_listmaps lists every Workshop map the server currently has.
• ds_workshop_changelevel <map name> switches to one of them, using the name from that list rather than the number. It does not download anything again.

The familiar changelevel and map commands are meant for the built-in maps like de_mirage. For Workshop maps, use ds_workshop_changelevel with the name, or host_workshop_map with the ID.

You can run all of these from the panel's Console tab, or remotely over RCON if you have set an rcon_password in server.cfg.

Do you need a Steam Web API key?

In CS:GO, servers needed a Steam Web API key, passed with -authkey, to download Workshop content. CS2 servers usually download Workshop maps without one. You do still need a Game Server Login Token for a public server, so set that up first with our GSLT guide.

If Workshop downloads keep failing even though the ID is right and the item is public, add a key:

1. Sign in at steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey and create a Steam Web API key.
2. On the Startup tab, add -authkey YOUR_KEY to Custom Parameters.
3. Restart the server.

Keep that key private. Anyone with access to your Startup tab, including sub-users you have given that permission, can read Custom Parameters.

Pick a game mode that suits the map

Many community maps are built for a particular style of play, such as aim, surf, 1v1 or bhop, and do not work well as a standard competitive match. The Game Type and Game Mode fields on the Startup tab set the mode the server starts in. The map's Workshop page usually says what it expects. Editing server.cfg lists the common Game Type and Game Mode pairs, and practice, retake and surf servers has ready-made settings for surf maps.

Troubleshooting

• The map never loads. Check you used a map ID with host_workshop_map and a collection ID with host_workshop_collection, and that the item is public and has not been removed.
• It worked, then went back to de_dust2 after a restart. You loaded it from the Console only. Add it to Custom Parameters so it survives restarts.
• Players take a long time to join. Each player downloads the map the first time they join. Large maps take a while, and later joins are quick.
• Downloads fail every time. Add a Steam Web API key as described above.

Take a snapshot on the Backups tab before big changes to your startup settings, so you can roll back in one click.

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

• cs2
• workshop
• maps
• host_workshop_map
• collection
• custom-maps

Host a Counter-Strike 2 server From $2.99/mo, with instant setup and DDoS protection.

Still need help? Our team is online 24/7 to answer questions.

Contact support