How to Set Up a Competitive (5v5) CSS Server
Configure CSS for competitive 5v5 scrims with proper match settings, knife round plugin, overtime, and demo recording.
Competitive CSS
CSS still has an active competitive scene — leagues, scrims, and ladder matches happen regularly. The setup is manual compared to modern CS2 Matchmaking, but gives you full control over ruleset, demos, and server settings.
Match Config
Create cstrike/cfg/match.cfg with your competition ruleset:
mp_roundtime 1.92
mp_freezetime 15
mp_maxrounds 30
mp_halftime 1
mp_overtime_enable 1
mp_overtime_maxrounds 6
mp_overtime_startmoney 10000
sv_alltalk 0
mp_friendlyfire 1
mp_autoteambalance 0
mp_limitteams 0
sv_cheats 0
sv_pure 2
mp_buytime 15
mp_startmoney 800
mp_maxmoney 16000
mp_c4timer 35
log on
sv_logfile 1
mp_roundtime 1.92 — the standard CSS competitive round time (1 minute 55 seconds).
mp_halftime 1 — enables halftime side swap at 15 rounds.
mp_overtime_enable 1 with mp_overtime_maxrounds 6 — runs OT as best-of-6 rounds (first to 4 wins each OT half) if the match is tied at 15-15.
mp_overtime_startmoney 10000 — standard OT starting money; gives both teams a fair start regardless of economy state.
Execute when a match starts:
rcon exec match.cfg
Warmup Config
Create cstrike/cfg/practice.cfg for warmup:
sv_cheats 1
mp_roundtime 60
mp_freezetime 0
mp_maxrounds 0
mp_limitteams 0
mp_autoteambalance 0
sv_infinite_ammo 2
mp_startmoney 65535
sv_cheats 0
Toggle as needed before the match:
rcon exec practice.cfg
rcon exec match.cfg
Knife Round
A knife round determines which team picks sides. The knife_round SourceMod plugin automates this: it runs a knife-only round at match start, the winner gets a !stay or !switch prompt, then the match config kicks in.
Download knife_round.smx from AlliedModders forums and place it in cstrike/addons/sourcemod/plugins/. The plugin auto-detects when to run the knife round based on the score being 0-0.
Recording Demos
Record match demos from the server console:
record match_team1_vs_team2_de_dust2
Demos save to cstrike/ root as .dem files. Stop recording:
stoprecord
Players can also record client-side demos using the same commands in their own console. For official matches, server-side demos are more authoritative.
Map Pool
Standard CSS competitive maps (the Source engine versions, not CS2 ports):
de_dust2
de_inferno
de_nuke
de_cbble
de_train
de_mirage
de_cache
de_overpass
Note: these are the CSS versions of these maps. de_mirage and de_cache were originally CSS maps that later came to CS:GO/CS2.
sv_pure 2 for Matches
For competitive play, enforce sv_pure 2 so no client runs custom models or visual tweaks:
sv_pure 2
sv_consistency 1
This is already in the match.cfg above.