Practice makes perfect in a game like Counter-Strike. That is why it is important for players to train in all aspects of the game, including Retake situations, also known as after-plants. During Retake situations, the game is at a very fast-paced and intense state, giving a huge thrill to players. If you are looking to play games in the Retake game mode, here are some of the best CS2 Retake servers you can try joining.
What Is A CS2 Retake Server?
A Retake server is a community server hosted by individual players or groups instead of an official Valve matchmaking server everyone is used to playing on. As the name suggests, Retake servers are solely focused on providing players with the experience of playing the Retake game mode.
Retake Game Mode Explained
The Retake game mode focuses on the second half of a typical Counter-Strike round, when the bomb is planted. After the bomb has been planted, the game falls into a “Retake” state, where Terrorists must defend the bomb site from Counter-Terrorists who are trying to break in and defuse the bomb.
Retake situations require players to communicate effectively and use the resources they have to win the round, and the bomb ticking adds extra pressure to players since there is a limited amount of time. As a result, the retake game mode is very effective for players who are looking to train various aspects of their gameplay such as positioning, utility usage, and clutching under pressure.
How To Join CS2 Retake Servers
Now that we’ve understood what Retakes and Retake servers are, you might be enticed into trying out a game of it yourself. Since the Retake game mode is not available in regular matchmaking, you must join community servers that are hosted by individual players.
Almost all retake servers are free to join, but you will need a proper internet connection since it is still an online game. Here is how you can join a CS2 Retake server normally.
- Launch Counter-Strike 2.
- Click on the “Play” button, but instead of Matchmaking, click on “Community Server Browser”.
- Now, it’s time to filter the servers. In the text box provided, type “Retake” so only Retake servers will be displayed on the list of servers.
- Once you have found a server you would like to join, just double-click on the server name and the game should load you into it.
Before joining a server, we recommend checking your latency to the server to ensure that the location is not far away, giving you high ping while playing. However, you can directly connect to a server if you have its valid IP address. If you have the IP address at the ready, you can follow the steps below.
- Launch Counter-Strike 2, and have the server IP copied to your clipboard.
- Open your Counter-Strike developer console using the tilde key (~). If you do not have it enabled, you must activate it through the in-game settings.
- Once the console is opened, type in “connect” and follow up the command with a space and the server IP. For example, “connect [Server IP]”.
- After the command is ready, simply hit your Enter key. If the IP is correct and the server is up and running, you will immediately load into the server.
Best CS2 Retake Servers List
Now that we are experts on Retake servers and how to join them, let’s go over a list of the best Retake servers with good reputations. Reputation is important as you don’t want to join an empty Retake server since there will be nobody to play against. Here are the top three Retake servers that are still active in Counter-Strike.
Xplay.gg CS2 Retakes
The Xplai.gg platform is probably the largest Retake server in the game, as they usually have hundreds of active players on their servers at a time. This ensures you can easily find a populated server that will have opponents and teammates to play with.
One of the coolest parts about the Xplay.gg website is where you can look for Retake servers to join through their website. Their website provides a list of active servers, along with a live count of how many players are currently on it. Additionally, you can see the Average FACEIT Level to decide whether the competition is too easy or too difficult for you.
Cybershoke.net CS2 Retakes
Cybershoke.net is a relatively big player in Counter-Strike community servers, which is why the website hosts servers in dozens of different countries, mainly prioritizing European and North American servers.
You can also play on all Active Duty maps, as well as maps that have been moved to the Reserve Pool such as Overpass. You can also navigate through their hundreds of servers using the website, filtering the server locations to help you find the best connection.
BrutalCS CS2 Retakes
BrutalCS is another prominent platform for Counter-Strike servers, and a great place for you to practice retakes. It is most prominent in the European region, and doesn’t have too much presence elsewhere, so keep that in mind!
On top of functional Retake servers, BrutalCS also has servers on various game modes such as KZ, Surf, Duels, and FFA Deathmatch. However, due to the server’s popularity, there are scammers that are using the BrutalCS name as a phishing scam, so make sure you are on their official website!
Bonus: CS2Browser.com Server Finder
Though the three servers we covered earlier should be enough for an excellent Retake experience, those servers might not operate in less popular regions that you might reside in.
If you are looking for more servers to play on, you can use the CS2Browser.com website. This website’s sole purpose is to help players find community servers to play on.
You can filter your search results to specific game modes, in this case, Retakes. Additionally, you can also select regions and locations to ensure you will have a good connection when logging into the server.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Retakes are an amazing way for players to practice and warm up for their matchmaking sessions. Retake games skip the boring part of Counter-Strike where both teams are playing passively and taking map control, and instantly puts you straight to the intense action everyone lives for.
Retakes are a great way to train yourself to perform under pressure and perhaps even put yourself in clutch situations. Playing on these servers will not have any impact on your matchmaking ranks, so don’t be scared to try playing against players who are above your level.
If you are interested in playing on Retake servers, you can try joining one of the three websites we have included above, although their primary focus is in the European regions. If you reside in Asia or America, you might want to use the CS2Browser website to find servers close to your area.