Community servers in Counter-Strike have single-handedly taken the game beyond the standard matchmaking system by allowing players to explore custom maps and try out self-crafted skins. With the migration of CS:GO to the new Source 2 engine in the form of CS2, many gamers are left wondering whether the new sequel supports community servers. Let’s find out!
Are There Community Servers In CS2?
At the time of writing this article, CS2 community servers are hosted only on Steam. This means that you’ll be presented with an empty list upon searching for servers in the in-game browser, as community servers are yet to arrive in CS2.
This marks a significant change from how community servers used to work in CS:GO, leaving many players under the impression that their beloved servers have been deleted forever. Quite the contrary, you can play on community servers by just following a few simple steps.
How To Join Community Servers In CS2?
You can join community servers in CS2 by following the steps below:
- Launch CS2 and inside the Play menu, click on the globe icon.
- You’ll receive a prompt about the community servers. Press Ok to continue.
- Select Counter-Strike 2 using the drop-down menu and click on the magnifier. You should now see all the available CS:GO and CS2 servers.
- Sort the list by Game to make it easier to spot Counter-Strike 2.
- Select your desired server and press Connect to join it in the game.
This method, however, doesn’t work if you try to join a custom map server. While this limitation has left many players wishing for a return to the previous version of the game, we can do just that to join our favorite CS:GO servers.
How To Join CS:GO Community Servers In CS2?
If you’re itching to play a surf game in one of your favorite community servers of CS:GO, you can do so by following these steps:
- Right-click on Counter-Strike 2 in your Steam game library and click on Properties → Betas.
- Click on the toggle corresponding to Beta Participation and select csgo_legacy – Legacy Version of CS:GO. This should prompt an update to begin. The size of the update is around 12 GB so it’ll take a while.
- Once completed, launch CS2 from Steam. You should see 3 launch options, choose Play Legacy Version of CS:GO.
- Once CS:GO has been launched, click on the play button below the CS:GO logo on the left side of the screen.
- Click on the Practice With Bots drop-down menu and select Community Server Browser. You should now be able to see all the community servers available.
- Simply select the server you want to join and click on Connect.
It is important to note that this is a makeshift method, and will only work until January 1, 2024, after which support for the legacy version of CS:GO will end. Now, you might be wondering when Valve will officially add community servers to CS2, just like CS:GO. Luckily, we have a rough estimate.
When Are Community Servers Coming To CS2?
While Valve hasn’t given an official date for the addition of community servers in CS2, support for community servers will be added “soon” according to Steam Support.
CS2 marks Valve’s shift from the Source engine to the new, well-refined Source 2 engine. Shifting to another game engine means reimplementing the entire game from the ground up, which as you can guess, is not an easy feat. Therefore, Valve and community server creators simply need more time to launch their work for a Source 2 engine.
However, the ambiguity surrounding the server integration time frame has led to speculation among players on Reddit, with some claiming that it might be months or even years before Valve is able to add community server support into the game.
Conclusion
The absence of community servers in CS2 has definitely resulted in some dismayed faces in the CS community. However you can either collect the IP addresses of your favorite servers or revive CS:GO from the dead, at least till it is still supported. If you found this guide helpful, make sure to check out these other articles from our team: Can You Play Wingman Mode In CS2? and How To Reduce Latency In Counter-Strike 2 Using NVIDIA Reflex?