Counter-Strike is mostly known for its competitive game mode, where players grind to rank up and improve their skills. However, we can all agree that these ranked matches can get pretty stressful at times, and a short break from them is required.
The best way to cool off and take breaks between matches is to hop on community servers to play various game modes aside from ranked modes in CS:GO. In this article, we’ll go over everything you need to know about Counter-Strike Global Offensive community servers.
What Are Community Servers In CS:GO?
Community servers in CS:GO are essentially game servers that are not hosted by Valve, but instead, regular players or third-party organizations within the community. Community servers normally feature different game modes such as surfing, bunny hopping, 1v1s, retakes, and much more.
Community servers usually feature custom plugins that make such game modes work. It is a great way to stray away from competitive Counter-Strike for a little bit and enjoy other game modes that can help you cool your mind.
Alternatively, there are also community servers that are hosted with the sole purpose of helping players improve. There are game modes such as “Headshot Only Deathmatch” and “Retake” that help players improve their aim or decision making in high-pressure situations.
Community servers have pretty much become an important part of how Counter-Strike is developed, as players can explore other interesting game modes aside from playing ranked modes every single time they play CS:GO.
How To Join CS:GO Community Servers?
If you’re interested in joining community servers, we have two ways to join them. Let’s go over each of them.
Using The CS:GO Client
The most common and easiest way of joining community servers is directly through the CS:GO client. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can join community servers.
- Launch Counter-Strike and then click on the “Play” button at the top of your screen.
- Next, click on the “Browse Community Servers” button, which appears in the form of a globe.
- Now, you should see the Counter-Strike Global Offensive servers list.
- You can use the search bar to type in keywords such as “surf” or “retake” to narrow down your search to the game mode you are looking for.
- Once you have found a server you’d like to join, simply double-click it and you will load straight into the game.
In the CS:GO servers list, you can see basic information surrounding the server, such as what game mode it offers, how many players are on the server, what the maximum number of players are, and your latency (ping). We recommend joining community servers close to your area so you won’t suffer from high ping.
Using The CS2Browser Website
If you have tried the first method, you might agree with us that the community server browser interface isn’t the best. Instead of using the in-game server browser, you can instead use a very useful website called CS2Browser to look for servers instead. Here’s how you can use the CS2Browser to join community servers.
- Go to the CS2Browser website.
- Now, you will immediately see a list of CS:GO community servers.
- Use the filtering tools provided to narrow down your searches. You have a text box and a handful of buttons to help you.
- Once you have found a server you want to join, click on it.
- Clicking on a server will take you to the server page.
- The final thing to do is to click the “Join Server” button.
- Your browser will ask you for permission to launch Counter-Strike, simply accept it.
The awesome part about CS2Browser is that the website has superior filtering tools. Right off the bat, you can choose what category of servers you are looking for, from zombie escape, surf, bunny hop, KZ, deathmatch, retake, and much more.
Next, you can also filter the servers by regions and locations to ensure you can find a server close to you for satisfactory ping. And finally, you can also use their “Full Servers” filter to hide all servers that are full, as you won’t be able to join them anyway.
Additionally, you can also add community servers to your “Favorites” list so you can quickly find them again when you want to get back in there.
Using The Server IP Address
The final way to join community servers is through their IP address directly. If your friend gives you an IP address to a community server, here’s what you need to do.
- Copy the server IP address to your clipboard.
- Launch Counter-Strike and open your console by pressing the “~” key.
- Next, type in the command “connect [Server IP]”.
- Finally, hit Enter.
To perform this method, you must have your developer console enabled, which can be done through your in-game settings menu. Additionally, you will replace “[Server IP]” with the actual IP address of the server. Normally, joining FACEIT games will require you to perform the same procedure.
What Types Of Community Servers Are There In CS:GO?
As mentioned earlier, there are a ton of community servers that offer various game modes for you to enjoy. Let’s go over some of the most common types of community servers.
Surf
Surfing is a movement-related game mode where players will slide on ramps. Surfing is a great way to practice your air strafing movements, but most importantly, it is amazing to just relax and take a breather.
Bunny Hop
Bunny hop servers will put you in bunny hop maps with obstacles and routes. Instead of having to manually time your jumps, auto bunny hopping is enabled in these servers, so all you need to do is hold down your space bar.
KZ
KZ is essentially Counter-Strike’s version of parkour. You will train your movement and jumping skills to go through KZ maps where you have to climb to the top through various obstacles. Most professional Counter-Strike players love this game mode.
Deathmatch
Aside from Valve’s official Deathmatch servers, community Deathmatch servers provide a better experience. There are plugins that only allow players to get kills using headshots, helping players train their aim and headshot percentage.
Retake
Retake servers are amazing for practice. In retake servers, players are immediately placed into post-plant situations, where the Terrorists have planted the bomb, and the Counter-Terrorists will try to defuse it. Retake is great for players looking to practice high-pressure situations.
Zombie Escape
Zombie escape is the game mode that is least-related to Counter-Strike. As the name suggests, you and a bunch of people will try escaping from zombies. You can savage for weapons and hide inside buildings to avoid dying.