A Counter-Strike 2 server has two ports. The game port carries the game over UDP, answers the server browser on the same number, and takes RCON admin connections over TCP. The SourceTV port is for spectators and demo recording, and carries them only once SourceTV is switched on, which it is not by default. On PlayNHost both ports are assigned and open for you. Players only need the Server Address from the Overview page.
Which ports does a Counter-Strike 2 server use?
| Port | Protocol | Valve's default | On your PlayNHost server | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game port: players connect here | UDP | 27015 | The Primary port | Server Address on Overview, and Ports & Network |
| Query: the server browser asks it about your server | UDP | The game port | The same Primary port | Nothing to set |
| RCON: admin tools connect here | TCP | The game port | The same Primary port | The port in the Server Address |
| SourceTV port: spectators and demo recording, only while SourceTV is on | UDP | 27020 | A port of its own | SourceTV port in Game Settings |
Valve's Counter-Strike 2 dedicated server page calls -port the "game/query port" and points to Valve's page on Source dedicated servers for ports. That page lists 27015 over TCP and UDP for "game transmission, pings and RCON", and 27020 over UDP for SourceTV. Valve's RCON protocol page, written for Source servers, adds that RCON listens on TCP, and that it moves with the game port when -port changes it.
SourceTV port is marked Read only in Game Settings. Every time your server starts, the panel passes your game port with -port and your SourceTV port with -tv_port, so Counter-Strike 2 uses the numbers the panel shows.
Valve's Counter-Strike 2 command list gives tv_enable, the command that "Activates SourceTV on server", a default of false, and the panel does not switch it on. So nothing is broadcast on the SourceTV port until SourceTV is turned on.
Valve's Source page also lists 27005 over UDP as the client port and 26900 over UDP as the Steam port, which it marks as outgoing. Players never type either one, and the panel does not give your server separate numbers for them.
Why is my Counter-Strike 2 port usually not 27015?
Each PlayNHost server gets its own ports from the machine it runs on, so many servers can share one IP address. 27015 and 27020 are Valve's numbers for a server you run yourself. Your server's numbers are usually different, so always give players the Server Address the panel shows, never a number from a guide for home servers.
Where do I find the address and ports in the panel?
- Open your server in the panel. On the Overview page, find the Server Address row on the server card and click the copy icon next to it. It is the IP and the game port, for example
203.0.113.10:25600. - For the full list, click Ports & Network in the left menu. Give this to your players shows the same address with a copy button.
- Look under All ports. The port with the Primary badge, described as The port players connect to, is the game port. It is also the query port and the RCON port.
- To find the SourceTV port, click Settings in the tabs above the page, then Game Settings, and compare the other row's number with SourceTV port.
- To label a row, open the ... menu at the end of it, choose Rename, type a Description such as
SourceTV, and click Save Changes. The row now shows your description instead of No description.
Counter-Strike 2 servers have no Play with friends card, so the Server Address row is where you copy the address from.
How do players connect to a Counter-Strike 2 server on PlayNHost?
Players turn on the developer console in Counter-Strike 2, open it with the tilde (~) key, type connect followed by the Server Address, for example connect 203.0.113.10:25600, and press Enter. If you set a Join password, they type connect 203.0.113.10:25600; password yourpassword with your own address and password. Players never type the SourceTV port to play. The full steps are in How to join your Counter-Strike 2 server.
Do I need to open ports on my router or firewall?
No. The machine your Counter-Strike 2 server runs on accepts connections from the internet on the ports the panel gives to servers, for both TCP and UDP, and both Counter-Strike 2 ports are among them. The panel says so under All ports: Every port accepts TCP and UDP. That covers the game port's UDP traffic and its TCP RCON. Your players' home routers let outgoing connections through, so they do not open anything either.
Valve's Source page tells you to set up your router and firewall for incoming connections. That is for a server you run at home. With a hosted server it is not your job.
What does the firewall not allow?
Only the ports listed under All ports reach your server from outside. A plugin that opens a listener of its own, such as a web page on a port it picks, cannot be reached unless it uses one of them. If your plan includes extra ports, All ports shows Add a port. The machine chooses the new port's number, as the panel says: Port numbers are assigned by the machine your server runs on - you can name a port, but not choose its number. Set the plugin to that number, then restart the server so the new port is in use. If there is no Add a port button, your plan includes no extra ports, so open a ticket and say which plugin needs one.
Can I change which port is the primary, or remove one?
Keep the game port as Primary, and leave both ports in place. Make primary in a row's ... menu moves only the game port, while SourceTV port stays where it is, so the game and SourceTV would then be started on the same number.
The menu can also offer Remove port on the SourceTV row. Do not use it: the server would still be started with that number as its SourceTV port, and a removed port goes back to the machine, where another server can get it.
How does RCON work on a Counter-Strike 2 server?
RCON is the remote console of Valve's servers. On Counter-Strike 2 it uses TCP on the same number as the game port, so the Server Address is also your RCON address. RCON stays off until you type a password into RCON password in Game Settings and restart: the panel turns RCON on only when that field has a value.
From your own game console, type rcon_address followed by the Server Address, then rcon_password followed by your password, then put rcon in front of any server command. Outside RCON tools connect with your server's IP, the game port and the RCON password. The commands are in How to become admin on your Counter-Strike 2 server.
Common Counter-Strike 2 port problems and fixes
Nobody outside can join, and the server is not in the list
This is usually not a port problem. Valve says players can only join a server that has a Game Server Login Token. Without one, the Console shows this line from the panel when the server starts: No Steam account token (GSLT) is set on this server. Create a token for App ID 730 on Steam's game server account page, paste it into Steam Game Server Login Token in Game Settings, and restart. The token problems, including a server that stays on Starting, are in Counter-Strike 2 server problems and fixes.
A friend cannot connect with the address
- Copy the Server Address again from Overview, with its port. The SourceTV port never works for joining.
- Check that the badge says Online and that the Console shows
Connection to Steam servers successful. - If you set a Join password, the player must add
; passwordand the password after the address. - School, work and public networks can block game ports. Ask the player to try another network.
My RCON tool cannot connect
- Set an RCON password and restart the server. Without one, RCON is off and nothing answers.
- Use the port in the Server Address, over TCP, not the SourceTV port.
- If you changed the RCON password while the server was running, restart it: the panel gives the game the password when it starts, so the new one is used only after a restart.
Good to know
- Every setting is listed in Counter-Strike 2 server settings: every option explained.
- Moving from another host changes the address and ports. Send players the new Server Address: How to move your existing server to PlayNHost.
- The Ports & Network page itself is explained in How to find your server's ports and IP address.
