Across the different versions of Counter-Strike, community servers have helped players improve, relax, and have fun in game modes other than official matchmaking. The release of CS2 has seen a decline in community servers since there isn’t an official server browser in the game anymore. However, this doesn’t mean community servers have fallen off in quality; they still have plenty to offer.

How Do You Join a Community Server?

Since Valve removed the official community server browser, joining a community server is a bit trickier than before. The easiest way is to google the type of server you want to join, find the “Copy Connect IP” button, and paste that IP into your in-game console.

If you’re brand new to the game, you probably have to go into your settings and search for the “Enable Developer Console” option. Switch it to “Yes” and you should be able to open the console using the tilde key “~”.

Now that you know how to join community servers, let’s look at some of the best ones out there.

Retakes

Xplay Retakes servers. Copy the connect IP by clicking the small copy icon on the top right of each server listing.

If there’s one type of community server I’ve spent the most hours on, it’s retakes. They are simple but endlessly addicting: Ts spawn into a bombsite with the bomb already planted, while CTs start in the usual positions you’d see in a real retake scenario. To make it more balanced, the CTs usually have one or two extra players.

Yes, I know that Valve recently added official retakes, but the community servers are much more polished. My go-to retake servers in North America are the ones by Xplay. Their servers have compact spawns, so the gameplay of each round is much faster paced than official retakes. They also allow you to customize your own weapon choices and even a skin changer (so you can finally play with the dragonlore you dream of).

The best part about community servers is that the player quality is usually a lot higher than official matchmaking. In my opinion, the best way to improve in CS2 is to play with and watch better players. Even if you can’t seem to get a kill in community servers, do not be discouraged. Spectate the top fragger of the server and take notes on their micro movement, adjustments, and pre-aim.

Deathmatch

CS2 Warmup Servers. Click on your region to see even more options.

Similarly, community deathmatch servers usually have higher skilled players so you can learn to peek (and get peeked) by good players. The community deathmatch servers that everyone uses are by Warmup Server. Just google “CS2 warmup server” and you should get to their website with IPs for servers around the world. Some servers are rifle-only while others rotate through pistols, force buy weapons, and rifles for both normal and headshot only modes. If you’re lucky (especially if you’re in Europe), you can even find pro players on these deathmatch servers!

The one downside is that sometimes, the players in these servers are so good that you go 10 lives without even having the chance to shoot back. However, never be discouraged and learn from every death: How did the enemy peek you? Did they crouch to throw off your aim? Did you commit to a spray when you should have tapped?

Skin Inspect

Eventually in your CS2 journey, you will come across a skin that you really like. Before buying it, make sure you check it out on one of the many skin inspect servers. These servers provide a map that allows you to look at any skin you want and play with their animations. Some popular skin inspect servers include the ones by epidemic.gg and CS2inspects.

Personally, I prefer Nuke since nothing beats the shiny glow on your skin from the sun in the outside yard. After you join a skin inspect server, find the skin you want to see on a website such as CS2inspects.com. Look for and copy the ‘Give’ command (it should look something like “!g” followed by a long string of numbers). Paste the command in the chat while you're on the skin inspect server and the skin should be applied. There are tons of customization options for these commands from choosing the wear, pattern, and even what stickers are on the skin!

Surf/Bhop

Last of all, we have movement servers for Bhop and Surf enjoyers. After all, nobody wants to download their own Bhop/Surf map and figure out the commands in order for them to work smoothly. Instead, just search “CS2 Bhop/Surf” and you will find providers such as Xplay or Cybershoke with locations all around the world. The best part about these servers is that unlike DMs/retakes, you don’t need to worry about servers being full or not having enough players.

Conclusion

Across every version of CS, community servers have stood the test of time and remained a core part of what makes the game unique. Even though Valve has removed the in-game community server browser, the quality of servers is still great and the scene is still very much alive. So next time you launch CS2, don’t just queue Premier/FaceIt and call it a day. Find a retake or DM server to warm up and integrate it into your regular routine. Your mechanics will sharpen and the game will feel almost too easy. Once you're done grinding, relax by joining a surf server or inspecting the millions of unique skins and sticker crafts people have come up with. After all, community servers are where you experience the side of CS2 that keeps you hooked for thousands of hours.