Run a CS2 dedicated server on the Windows or Linux PC you already have. NodeMesh installs it, sets the launch options and keeps it running. Counter-Strike 2 is in Beta on NodeMesh, and we haven't run it on our own hardware yet.
Free on your own PC — one host, no time limit.
Sign up, then paste one command from your dashboard on the PC that will run the server — PowerShell on Windows, a terminal on Linux. The agent installs as a service and pairs with your account.
Choose the game in the panel. NodeMesh downloads the dedicated server, sets it up and starts it, and you watch every step in the live console.
Switch on the traffic relay for the server and the panel gives you a public address. Send it to your friends: their traffic goes through the relay to your PC, so you never open a port on your router.
The memory figures are for the game server alone. If you also play on the same PC, the game itself needs its own memory on top.
Turn on the developer console in Settings > Game, open it with the ~ key and run connect followed by the address the panel shows you. We don't know yet whether a join through the NodeMesh relay works: if it does not, forward port 27015 (UDP and TCP) on your router and share your own address.
The server is a large download, roughly 74 GB, so NodeMesh wants 80 GB of free disk before it creates one. Valve says a Game Server Login Token (GSLT) is required for other players to join: it is free from your own Steam account and goes into the Config tab, where it is never shown back after saving. The game port carries both the UDP game traffic and the RCON connection, and the RCON password is generated for you. There is no world to back up. Workshop maps and plugins are not installed by NodeMesh yet, and SourceTV is off. On Windows, Valve's wiki says the Steam client itself must be installed on the PC.
One host — your own PC — is free with no time limit, for up to 5 game servers: the web panel and console, the config editor, the mod manager, auto-restart on crash and the traffic relay. Extra hosts cost credits.
See pricing →Beta: you can create this server today, but we have not run it on our own hardware yet. Expect rough edges, and tell us what you find.
No. The dedicated server comes from the same free Steam app as the game and NodeMesh downloads it anonymously, so no Steam login is stored on your PC. Your players need the game, which is free as well.
Valve's documentation says yes, for other players to be able to join. It is free from your own Steam account (App ID 730). The server starts without one, but we don't yet know what players see in that case.
Valve's wiki lists 2 GB of RAM as the minimum. We ask for 2 GB, suggest 4 GB and 2 CPU cores as our own starting point, and require 80 GB of free disk for the roughly 74 GB install.
Valve documents both. On Linux the host needs glibc 2.31 or newer (Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 11 and later). On Windows, Valve's wiki says the Steam client has to be installed. NodeMesh has not run it on either yet.
Yes, for one host. Running game servers on your own PC is free with no time limit — up to 5 servers, traffic relay included. You only pay, in credits, if you add more hosts.
Create an account, install the agent and pick the game. One host is free with no time limit.
Create a free account