Counter-Strike 2
Host your own Counter-Strike 2 server on Lanzinha — competitive, casual, Wingman, or a full bot match. Like CS 1.6, CS2 is match-based: there's no world to save, so each room is a fresh server you configure and close when you're done.
- The per-room settings for a CS2 server
- Why CS2 needs a GSLT token, and where to get one
- How bots and match modes work together
Match-based, no world
CS2 keeps no state between rooms — there's no world to pick or restore. You open a room, choose your mode and map, and play. When the room stops nothing is carried over. Want friends to always join the same address? Give the room a custom address; the match itself is still fresh each time.
You need a GSLT token
CS2 requires a Game Server Login Token (GSLT) — a free token from Steam that authorizes a dedicated server. You can't start a CS2 room without one.
- Go to steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers (you need a Steam account in good standing).
- Create a token for the Counter-Strike 2 app.
- Paste the token into the GSLT field when you open the room.
Keep your GSLT private. Lanzinha writes it into the server config for that room only and never logs it or shows it back to you. CS 1.6 does not need a GSLT — this is CS2 only.
Room settings
When you open a Counter-Strike 2 room you can set:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Server name | The name players see when they connect. |
| Match mode | A preset: Casual, Competitive MR12, Wingman 2v2, Retakes, Deathmatch, or Custom. |
| Map | The starting map, from the active-duty pool. Defaults to de_mirage. You can also set a map pool. |
| Slots | How many players can join (2–32, capped by your plan's recommended player count). |
| Password | Optional. Empty = open server; set one to keep it private. |
| Bots | On/off, with a bot quota and difficulty. |
| GSLT | Your Steam Game Server Login Token (required — see above). |
Bots and match modes
Bots are real in CS2, but a couple of rules keep matches sensible:
- Competitive MR12 and Wingman reject bots — if you pick one of these modes, the bots toggle turns itself off. Use Casual or Custom if you want bots.
- The bot quota must leave room for humans — you can't fill every slot with bots.
- Bots don't count toward the meter. You're billed by room time, not by how many bots are in the server, so bots never make a room cost more.
VAC and GOTV
- VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) is always on for CS2 — there's no per-room toggle, so every CS2 room runs VAC-secure. (The on/off VAC toggle is a CS 1.6 feature.)
- GOTV is the spectator/broadcast relay; CS2 opens its GOTV port automatically so you can watch or record matches.
Workshop and custom-map uploads, and extra plugin packs (MatchZy / CounterStrikeSharp), aren't available yet — rooms run the vanilla CS2 server with the built-in maps.
Connecting
When your room is ready, the session page shows the connect address with a Copy button
and an Open in Steam button (which launches steam://connect). You can also paste
connect <address> into the CS2 console. CS2 runs on the standard game port over UDP. See
Connecting to your server.
CS2 servers use a larger disk than CS 1.6, but you still only pay for the time the room runs — see Billing. The room auto-stops a few minutes after the last player leaves; turn on keep-alive if you want it to stay up between matches.
→ Related: Counter-Strike 1.6 · Supported games · Connecting