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Play CS 1.6 with friends without Hamachi or Radmin VPN

Run the server at an address your friends can reach, share the IP and port, and keep strangers out with a password or private access.

Audience
New to running a server
Last checked
Steps
6
Reading time
4 min
On Hostsrc
Includes the steps for a Hostsrc server

You can play CS 1.6 with friends without Hamachi or Radmin VPN if the server runs at an address they can reach over the internet. There are two ways. Host it on your own PC and forward UDP port 27015 on your router, or run it on a hosted server. Your friends then join with connect and the address.

Hamachi and Radmin VPN put everyone on a virtual LAN, so a game started on one PC shows up for the others. A server with a public address needs neither. It also keeps running when the person who started it leaves.

To keep strangers out, set a server password. On Hostsrc you can also close the server to the public with private access.

Before you start

  • For your own PC: access to your router's settings, and an internet connection with its own public IPv4 address.
  • For a hosted server: its address and port.
  • The game installed for everyone, on the same version.

Steps

  1. Step 1: Choose where the server runs

    On your own PC, it costs nothing, but your PC and connection must stay on while you play. It works only if your provider gives you a public IPv4 address and you can forward a port.

    On a hosted server, it runs without your PC and has an address friends can reach from the start. Go to step 3.

    Note

    Some providers share one public address between many customers, called CGNAT. If the WAN address in your router doesn't match the address a "what is my IP" site shows, port forwarding won't work, and a hosted server is the way to go.

  2. Step 2: On your own PC: start a dedicated server and forward the port

    Start the server with sv_lan 0, so it accepts players from outside your network. A dedicated server (HLDS) keeps running when you leave the game, unlike New Game in the menu.

    In your router, forward UDP port 27015 to your PC's local IP address. Allow the server through your PC's firewall when it asks. The start line below is for Windows. On Linux, use ./hlds_run with the same options.

    Shell
    hlds.exe -console -game cstrike +sv_lan 0 +port 27015 +maxplayers 12 +map de_dust2

  3. Step 3: Get the address and port

    On your own PC, the address is your public IPv4 address, followed by :27015. On a hosted server, copy the address and port your host shows.

    Network page with the server address highlighted and the Click to copy tooltip

    Panel as of

    On Hostsrc

    A server with a dedicated IPv4 uses port 27015. A server without one shares an address with other servers and gets a random port, so always copy the address with its port. Performance and Premium include a dedicated IPv4, and Essential can add one for €2/month. In the control panel, open Network and click the address to copy it with its port.

  4. Step 4: Send your friends the address

    Your friends open the console and type connect with the address and port. The guide to connecting by IP covers favourites and the common errors.

    Console
    connect 203.0.113.24:27042

  5. Step 5: Keep it to your friends with a password

    Set a join password in cstrike/server.cfg, as in the first block below. Leave sv_password empty for a public server.

    Your friends then type the password in the console before they connect, as in the second block.

    cstrike/server.cfg
    sv_lan 0sv_password "pick-a-password"rcon_password "a-different-long-password"
    Console
    password "pick-a-password"connect 203.0.113.24:27042

    Warning

    Use a different, long rcon_password. Anyone who has it controls the server.

  6. Step 6: On Hostsrc: use private access instead

    Private access lets you close any server to the public and let in only the players you choose, such as friends, testers or a scrim team. Every Hostsrc customer server has it. For now, our support team turns it on for you: open a ticket (opens in a new tab) and ask for private access. Then open Network in the control panel, choose the Firewall tab and press Add my current IP, so you can join first. For each friend, press Add rule, paste their IP address into Source, add their name under Description and press Add rule. Each friend can find their own IP address by searching "what is my IP". You can add up to 5 players yourself, and more with support's help. Changes apply within a few seconds. If a friend can't join later, their home IP address may have changed: add the new one.

    Allow a source form in the control panel with the Source field highlighted

    Panel as of

Troubleshooting

Friends see "LAN servers are restricted to local clients (class C)"

The server runs with sv_lan 1. Set sv_lan 0 in server.cfg or on the start line, then restart the server.

It works for you but not for your friends

You are probably testing with your local address, such as 192.168.1.10, which works only inside your home network. Give friends your public address. If they still can't join, check the port forward, the firewall and CGNAT (step 1).

Friends get "Connection failed after 4 retries"

Nothing answered on that address and port. Check that the server is running, that UDP 27015 is forwarded to the right local IP, and that the firewall allows it. On a hosted server, check that your friends typed the port.

The password prompt never appears

Set the password in the console before connecting, as in step 5. Joining from favourites also shows the prompt.

The server closes when you leave the game

You started it with New Game, which runs the server inside your game. Use a dedicated server (step 2) or a hosted one.

Links

Counter-Strike 1.6 server hosting

From €5.99/month for 14 players

Frankfurt or Bucharest. Final price, no VAT added.

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