Back then, Counter-Strike was primarily a LAN-based game, with just a few online servers available… and if you want to bring back the memories from the good old days, this guide is for you, because we are going to teach you how to play CS:GO with friends offline.
This guide will bring you a complete overview on what’s necessary to play CS:GO on LAN without internet, as well as specific instructions on how to set up your LAN server so you can play with your friends or bots.
Without anything more to add, let’s start.
What Do You Need to Play CS:GO Offline?
Before you can play CS:GO offline with your friends, you need to make sure you have everything it takes to accomplish it:
- The game must be already installed in your PC or laptop (non-negotiable, evidently)
- You must be already logged in your Steam account (otherwise you’ll be asked to log in when trying to launch CS:GO, and without an internet connection, it will be impossible to correct)
- You need to set up IP assignment to “Manual” and adjust it accordingly to make it possible to play CS:GO with friends offline
- You need to make sure all the computers from your friends are capable of pinging each other (in simple words, they can connect and understand each other)
- You need to pick the most powerful computer available for being the server of the CS:GO LAN match
This is the foundation you need to be able to play CS:GO offline with your friends, and hence what you must do in the first place. We will go step by step so you can have it all ready in record time, so you can play offline with your friends today and any other time you wish to.
1. CS:GO Must Be Already Installed
This is a non-negotiable as we have already pointed out, and there’s no way to fix it offline. If you don’t have the game pre-installed, it won’t be possible to play it offline, unless you restore the connection for a while until CS:GO is downloaded and installed. There’s no other way to fix it, unfortunately, because since it’s a 64GB+ file, no mobile hotspot will be able to support it.
2. Steam Account
Even if you have the game pre-installed, if you failed to log into your Steam account before going offline, you won’t be able to play on LAN with your friends. When trying to launch it, CS:GO will prompt you to log into your Steam account, and unless you can restore your internet connection for a bit, it won’t be possible to fix it.
If you were already logged in, it will simply show you a message stating it is “Unable to Sync” when trying to launch CS:GO, and all you need to do is to click on “Play Anyway” and it will launch automatically.
3. Setting the IP Assignment to Manual
This part of the tutorial is more technical, as you will have to adjust your IP settings to be able to play offline on LAN. Here’s what you need to do:
- Open Settings: Click the Start menu and select the gear icon labeled “Settings”
- Network & Internet: Choose “Network & Internet” from the list
- Select Ethernet Adapter: Click “Properties” for your Ethernet adapter. Ensure you choose the correct one and not the WiFi adapter
- IP Settings: Find the “IP settings” section, where IP assignment is set to “Automatic (DHCP)”
- Edit Settings: Click “Edit.”
- Manual IP Setup: Change the drop-down from “Automatic” to “Manual,” enable IPv4, and in case it’s not set up automatically, we recommend you to set the IP as 192.168.1.100 and the DNS as 192.168.1.1
By following these steps, you will make sure all of your friends’ computers can connect to the offline server to play CS:GO on LAN. If you’re not the one hosting the offline server, share this with your friend who will be acting as the host of the game.
However, we need to make sure our configuration is working, and to verify this, we invite you to check the next step.
4. Verifying the Computers Can Work Offline Together
Here you have the easiest way to verify if yours and all of your friends’ computers can work offline together (see and understand each other without problems):
- Search for “Command Prompt” on Windows
- Open the Command Prompt
- Input ping [your-friend-IP-address]
- Press “Enter”
- If everything is right, it will return a response expressed in numbers and milliseconds
- If you get back “Request timed out”, it means you need to double-check your manual IP settings (as well as your friend(s)).
If everything looks good here, congrats. You all are ready to play CS:GO offline on LAN like the good old days of 1.5 and 1.6… however, it’s important to remember you need to pick a capable computer for acting as the server. We will talk about it in the next step.
5. Picking the Most Powerful Computer for Hosting the CS:GO Offline Match on LAN
Before we proceed to explain how to set up a local server for playing CS:GO offline, it’s critical to take into account that you should select the most capable computer or laptop for hosting the match… otherwise you will experience constant lags.
To make the gameplay experience as smooth as possible for everyone, especially considering that you’re playing on LAN so you can’t forget high PING, select a computer that meets the following specs (or better):
- Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: A 4-core CPU, comparable to or superior to the Intel Core i5 750
- Memory: 8GB RAM or more
- Graphics Card: A GPU with at least 1GB of VRAM, compatible with DirectX11, and supporting Shader Model 5.0 or better
- Storage Space: 85GB (minimum)
Now that the foundation is ready, let’s see how you can set up your own CS:GO (CS2) offline server, so you can host your private offline matches with your friends.
Setting Up a LAN Server for Playing CS:GO with Friends Offline
Setting up your own LAN server for playing CS:GO offline is much easier than you think, as you only need to follow 3 simple steps, and here you have them all.
1. Launch CS:GO Offline
The first step is launching CS:GO offline. We have already talked about it, so just open the game, click on “Play Anyway” when prompted the offline warning, and follow the next steps from this tutorial. If you’re unable to launch it, chances are you’re missing game files or you’re not logged into your Steam account (no way to fix it unless you can connect to the internet for a moment).
2. Configure the Local Server for CS:GO LAN
If you have the most capable computer for acting as the server for the CS:GO offline match, go ahead and configure the local server by creating the match, selecting the map, choosing the right game mode and inputting the commands you want. For example, if you want all users to be able to use cheat commands, you need to input sv_cheats 1 via console.
If not, share these instructions with your friend who has the most powerful computer or laptop, to make sure everyone can enjoy a top-tier CS:GO LAN experience.
3. Join the Local CS:GO Server via Console
Now that the server is ready, everyone can join it to start playing offline, and here’s how you can do it:
- Hit the “~” key to open the developer console
- Input connect [ip-address-of-the-offline-server]
- The player will be automatically connected to the offline server
Share the instructions with the rest of your friends, so everyone can join the match now to start playing offline without restrictions. And once everyone has joined and selected their team, simply input “mp_restartgame 1” to restart the game and let the fun begin!
Evidently, you must have enabled the developer console beforehand to be able to follow this quick tutorial. If you haven’t done it, no problem, here’s how to activate it:
- Launch CS:GO
- Go to the game settings
- Find “Enable Developer Console” and set it to “Yes”
- Now you can launch the developer console by hitting the “~” key, allowing all the players to join the offline server for playing CS:GO
Now you have absolutely everything ready to play CS:GO offline on LAN with your friends, so set up that server and get the fun started!
Bonus: Playing CS:GO Offline with Bots
If you have none for playing CS:GO offline, there’s no problem, as you can always play with bots, be it for fun or practice… and it’s much simpler to accomplish than having to set up a local server and following all the steps we have previously described.
In short, here’s how you can play CS:GO offline with bots:
- Launch CS:GO offline as instructed
- Click on “Play Anyway” to play CS:GO offline
- Click on “Practice with Bots”
- Select the map
- Select the mode and other settings
- Now you start playing with bots offline without problems
And playing with bots offline will become a lot more fun once you learn how to use all the bots commands at your disposal. We have an article exclusively dedicated to them on CSDB.GG we recommend you to check out.
Can I Access My Inventory When Playing CS:GO Offline?
No, you won’t be able to access your inventory when playing CS:GO offline. As it requires synchronization with your Steam account (hence it needs an active internet connection), it will remain unavailable while you’re offline.
This is one of the downsides of playing CS:GO offline, but you don’t really need it for this purpose, so there’s no need to worry about it. Just have fun playing with your friends offline, and since it’s your own server, you can use all sorts of commands that are usually forbidden in public online matches, so take advantage of commands like givecurrentammo, sv_gravity, sv_infinite_ammo, impulse and many others.
Will I Get Rewards When Playing CS:GO on LAN Offline?
No, just like you cannot access your inventory when playing offline, being able to get rewards and save your progress also requires an active connection to the internet. In fact, when launching CS:GO offline, it will show you a message stating: “If you play now, you may not have previous game progress and you may permanently lose it”.
The warning says it all, so if you aren’t worried about not getting rewards and not being able to save your progress, you can go ahead and play offline. And especially if you’re doing it just for fun with your friends, there’s no need to worry about it.
Can I Play CS2 Offline?
Absolutely yes, you can play CS2 offline without problems. Just like in CS:GO, if you already have the game pre-installed, the files will be available in your computer or laptop, allowing you to launch CS2 without a connection to the internet, be it to play with your friends or with bots.
All you need to do is to follow the same instructions we have provided for playing CS:GO on LAN without internet, and you will have no problems playing the new version of the game offline, be it with friends or on your own.
Conclusion
Now you have all the instructions and information you need to play CS:GO offline on LAN with your friends, so all you need to do is to take action to start playing now, because we have even answered the most frequently asked questions about this topic.
However, if you still need more information on how to play CS:GO with friends offline, we invite you to leave a comment with your questions below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.