How to host private matches with friends in CS2

Private matches with friends in Counter-Strike 2 are the perfect way to test everyone’s skills in an environment filled with banter and fun. Alongside skirmishes, you can also use these matches to try out new strategies as well as play custom game modes.

Private CS2 matches can be especially more fun when you have a large friend circle. If your friend circle is wide enough to fill out all the available slots in a CS2 match, then these matches can be more entertaining than ranked games. In private matches, you have more control over the game settings, can experiment with different strategies, and can enjoy a more relaxed and friendly environment.

How do you create CS2 private matches with friends?

To create a private match in CS2, you need to navigate to the Play tab in the game’s main menu. Under Play, choose Matchmaking and then select Private Matchmaking.

After choosing Private Matchmaking, you can create a Private Matchmaking Pool and send your code to your friends, or you can join others’ Private Pools by entering their codes. Alternatively, you may also use Steam Groups while creating private C2 matches.

Creating a private dedicated server in CS2 is another option. However, it’s important to note that the free version of these servers is offline. This means that you’ll need to be in a LAN (Local Area Network) environment to use them properly. In other words, you and your friends will need to be physically close to each other and connected to the same network to play on these servers.

In most cases, private matches will often assemble themselves. Personally, whenever our party size starts growing over five, we decide to switch to creating a private match. To make this process easier, everyone invites someone from their friends list and we get 10 people in a private matchmaking pool in less than 10 minutes.

The whole process makes me remember the good old internet cafe era of the Counter-Strike series where players would only get to play against whoever was in the cafe at that time. Gaming has come a long way since then, but beating a LAN-like experience is still hard.