The classic game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been around since 2012, and despite its age, is often still the most played game on Steam. In fact, in February 2023, the average player count was over 800,000. So there's no doubt that the game still enjoys immense popularity. But what if you'd like to host your own CS:GO server, rather than relying on Valve? Not only can you modify the game and settings to your liking, but you can also control who gets to play.
The benefits of hosting a CS:GO server
From improved latency to complete privacy, there are many benefits to hosting your own Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) server:
Customisation
If you'd like to play CS:GO beyond the limitations of the base game, hosting your own CS:GO server will allow you to mod it as you like. Unlike Valve's own servers which forbid the use of mods, having your own server will give you free rein to change things as much or as little as you'd like.
Choose who you play with
Whether you're Silver I or Global Elite, standard matchmaking is often the simplest way to find a game against players of equal skill. But what if you'd like to play exclusively with your friends? With your own CS:GO server, you'll have total control over who can and can't join. Perfect for curating your own private server community.
Privacy and security
It may seem obvious, but gaming on your very own server is often far safer than playing on public servers. Being able to choose exactly who you play with is a simple way to ward off any trolls or unsavoury characters. Plus, you'll be gaming on servers hosted in ISO 27001 certified data centres, so you'll be safe as houses. The only thing you'll need to worry about is the enemy's AWP.
Latency
Like all FPS games, CS:GO is at its best when your ping is as low as possible. If you're lagging, you won't hit the broad side of a barn. Hosting your own CS:GO server will ensure low ping and keep your aim sharp. To help keep your latency as low, select a server as close to you as possible. The only exception would be if your server's community is based elsewhere, then you should choose a server closer to them to offer an optimal experience. They'll be more likely to keep playing too.
The perfect CS:GO server hosting: dedicated servers or cloud?
When we talk about gaming servers, there are numerous options on the market. More often than not, dedicated servers are the most popular choice, however cloud servers have been waiting in the wings for many years now – so, could it be their time to shine?
Dedicated servers
Historically, the most popular option for gaming has been dedicated servers; either through paying a hosting provider, or using a spare computer in your own home. Having a machine that’s only used for hosting a game server has always been relied upon as being the lowest-latency option. However, as there’s no contention experienced with other people’s services, the game can use all of the server’s resources to run.
Cloud servers
Cloud servers are becoming more and more prevalent as an option for gaming providers. A cloud server offers amazing resource flexibility, and the chance to scale up or down at the drop of a hat. They’re also extremely fast and offer the user lots of customisable options too.
Which server is best for CS:GO?
Although dedicated servers run on their own machine, they come with the caveat that if the machine or the connection to it goes down, the game will stop working. In a competitive environment, this can be catastrophic. In a cloud server setup, however, the load is shared between multiple different machines monitored by a load balancer. If one of those machines fails, the load will simply be redistributed among the other machines, and the game will remain available.
By nature, a game server is going to experience fluctuations in load – such as by the amount of players, or what game mode is being played. Cloud servers can adapt to this, allocating more or less resources to the game as necessary. However, a dedicated server provides a fixed amount of resources, and this can be an issue if the game’s needs exceed them.
So although you may be tempted to stick with a trusty, traditional dedicated server, cloud servers argue a few great benefits too. Overall, a dedicated server is great for those who are certain on the level of resources they require. However, if you are not certain, then a cloud server is a much better choice due to its scalability features.
Host a CS:GO server with us
Installing CS:GO on a server takes a bit of know-how, but we’ve made it easy with our One Click installer. When you add a Cloud Server to your CloudNX panel, you can select the ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’ install, then follow the instructions to get your server up and running.
Interested in checking out one of our gaming servers? Talk to our sales team. They'll be able to help you every step of the way, and get you online in no time.
