Fits your load
VPS Growth
4 vCPU, 8 GB DDR5, 80 GB NVMe, 6 TB traffic
₹3,560$37.49/mo
Deploy GrowthAbout GrowthCounter-Strike 2 server requirements
What a Counter-Strike 2 server needs in CPU, memory, disk and bandwidth, by player count. Change the numbers for your own server; the sources are listed below.
What it needs
- CPU
- 2 coresSingle-thread heavy: clock speed matters more than core count.
- Memory
- 6.5 GB
- NVMe storage
- 60 GB
- Traffic per month
- 1.1 TB
- Busiest upload
- 10 Mbit/s
On Clouduxe
Room to grow
VDS MicroCore
2 dedicated cores, 8 GB DDR5, 100 GB NVMe, 8 TB traffic
₹4,970$52.49/mo
- 2 dedicated cores instead of 4 shared vCPU: the game's main thread gets cores no other customer uses.
- 20 GB more NVMe.
- Headroom for busy evenings, more players, and the mods and updates you add later.
By player count. Without plugins (metamod/counterstrikesharp); each step up in the calculator adds memory, disk and sometimes a core.
| Players | CPU | Memory | NVMe | Traffic a month | Fits your load | Room to grow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2 cores | 6.5 GB | 60 GB | 1.1 TB | VPS Growth | VDS MicroCore |
| 16 | 3 cores | 7.5 GB | 60 GB | 1.8 TB | VPS Growth | VDS FusionCore |
| 20 | 3 cores | 8.5 GB | 60 GB | 2.3 TB | VPS Pro | VDS FusionCore |
| 24 | 4 cores | 9.5 GB | 60 GB | 2.7 TB | VPS Pro | VDS FusionCore |
| 32 | 5 cores | 11 GB | 60 GB | 3.6 TB | VDS OmniCore | VDS PrimeCore |
| 64 | 8 cores | 18 GB | 60 GB | 7.3 TB | VDS PrimeCore | VDS TitanCore |
Traffic assumes 35% of the player cap online on average across the month; change it under Assumptions in the calculator.
Where the numbers come from. Published figures first, then how the calculator turns them into a model.
Published requirements
Minimum system requirements are: 2 CPUs, 2GiB RAM
2-4 physical cores are sufficient for a single CS2 server... For a single server with 10-16 players at 128 ticks, a minimum of 8 GB RAM is recommended
Best server for CS2: choosing a host for 128 tick - Valebyte
Plugin-Heavy Servers (20-32 players): CPU: 4 fast threads, RAM: 8 GB, Storage: 80 GB+ SSD/NVMe
Counter-Strike 2 Server Specs: CPU, RAM & Hosting Needs - LinuxBuz
If you plan to run multiple servers or have a large online player count (18+ players), it's better to aim for 16 GB RAM and above
Best server for CS2: choosing a host for 128 tick - Valebyte
How the model is built
- Memory
- 4 GB plus 220 MB per player. Base 4 GB matches the recommended minimum for a stable single instance (source 3). Slope tuned so 10-16 players lands near the 8 GB figure hosting guides give for 128-tick servers at that size (source 1), and 20-32 players lands near the 8 GB plugin-heavy figure from source 2; extrapolated upward for larger player counts using source 1's '16 GB+ for 18+ players / multi-instance' guidance.
- CPU
- 2 cores, one more for every 10 players. Sources agree clock speed and single-thread performance matter more than core count for one instance (source 1: '2-4 physical cores are sufficient... focus on single-thread performance'). 2 cores covers the 10-16 player bracket; scaling up an extra core roughly every 10 players approximates the jump to 4 fast threads for the 20-32 player plugin-heavy bracket (source 2). Beyond 32 players is extrapolated, not directly sourced.
- Disk
- 35 GB for the server plus 25 GB for saves and backups, on SSD or NVMe. CS2 install is roughly 35 GB; the widely cited 60 GB minimum (source 0's Docker image and several hosting guides) leaves room for workshop maps, SourceTV/GOTV demo recordings, and logs. NVMe/SSD is repeatedly called critical for 128-tick performance (source 1).
- Bandwidth
- 1000 kbit/s of upload per player. Source 3 states 'at least 10 Mbps upstream per 10-player server at 128 tick', which is 1000 kbps per player. This lines up with the server's own sv_maxrate cap of 786432 bytes/s (~768 kbps) per client that source 3 also lists, plus separately reported real-world CS2 client data usage in the hundreds of MB per hour. Treat this as upload bandwidth from the server.
- Plugins (Metamod/CounterStrikeSharp)
- Memory times 1.2 for some and 1.5 for heavy; a heavy load also adds a core.
Valve has not published an official numeric hardware table for CS2 dedicated servers (its Developer Wiki page for dedicated servers is a stub covering setup, not sizing). All numbers here come from a widely used community Docker deployment guide and hosting/setup guides, which disagree with each other by roughly 2x on RAM and bandwidth. The mods (plugin) multipliers are a reasonable estimate, not from a specific source, since no source gives an exact plugin overhead percentage. Competitive 5v5 play is 10 players; up to 64 is supported for casual/deathmatch-style community servers but real capacity is also limited by map spawn points and the active game mode's own player cap.
Before you set it up. The ports it listens on and what the guides say drives its load.
Ports
| Port | Protocol | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 27015 | UDP | game traffic |
| 27015 | TCP | RCON / SourceTV relay |
| 27020 | UDP | SourceTV/GOTV |
| 27050 | TCP | optional alternate RCON port |
Game server hosting: every game we size, the protection each one gets, and the plan for it.
DDoS protection is on every Clouduxe plan. How Prism protects Counter-Strike 2 servers.
What drives the load
- Core count matters less than clock speed and single-thread performance; the game logic for one server instance runs on a single thread.
- 128-tick servers use roughly double the CPU of 64-tick servers, and use noticeably more bandwidth per player than the old CS:GO defaults.
- Budget disk space beyond the base install for workshop maps, SourceTV/GOTV demos, and logs, which grow quickly on active community servers.
- Plugin frameworks (Metamod, CounterStrikeSharp) and running multiple server instances on one box are the main things that push RAM and CPU needs up.
Counter-Strike 2 server questions
How much RAM does a Counter-Strike 2 server need?
About 6.5 GB for 10 players and 18 GB for 64, before plugins (metamod/counterstrikesharp). Base 4 GB matches the recommended minimum for a stable single instance (source 3). Slope tuned so 10-16 players lands near the 8 GB figure hosting guides give for 128-tick servers at that size (source 1), and 20-32 players lands near the 8 GB plugin-heavy figure from source 2; extrapolated upward for larger player counts using source 1's '16 GB+ for 18+ players / multi-instance' guidance.
How many CPU cores does a Counter-Strike 2 server need?
2 for 10 players, 8 for 64. The server is single-thread heavy, so the clock speed of one core matters more than how many cores it has. Sources agree clock speed and single-thread performance matter more than core count for one instance (source 1: '2-4 physical cores are sufficient... focus on single-thread performance'). 2 cores covers the 10-16 player bracket; scaling up an extra core roughly every 10 players approximates the jump to 4 fast threads for the 20-32 player plugin-heavy bracket (source 2). Beyond 32 players is extrapolated, not directly sourced.
How much bandwidth does a Counter-Strike 2 server use?
About 1000 kbit/s of upload per connected player, so 10 Mbit/s with 10 players online and about 1.1 TB a month if 35% of that cap is online on average. Source 3 states 'at least 10 Mbps upstream per 10-player server at 128 tick', which is 1000 kbps per player. This lines up with the server's own sv_maxrate cap of 786432 bytes/s (~768 kbps) per client that source 3 also lists, plus separately reported real-world CS2 client data usage in the hundreds of MB per hour. Treat this as upload bandwidth from the server.
Which Clouduxe plan should I pick for Counter-Strike 2?
For 10 players, VPS Growth fits the load and VDS MicroCore leaves room to grow. Every plan includes DDoS protection: 17 Tbps of upstream mitigation plus Clouduxe Prism on the server.
Other games. The same calculator, sized from each game's own documentation.
All calculatorsHost Counter-Strike 2 on VPS Growth.
Sized for 10 players, with DDoS protection included. Or talk to us about a bigger server.