Deploy and Host

Counter-Strike 2 Dedicated Server — one-click deploy with persistent volume, CSTV support, and zero-downtime updates. Powered by joedwards32/CS2.

After deploying and completing the playit.gg setup, open CS2 → Play → Community Server Browser → Add Server: `` (the IP:port playit.gg assigns).

System Requirements

Disk: 30GB+ dedicated volume (CS2 base install ~20GB, grows with maps/workshop content)
Memory: 2 GB RAM minimum (4 GB+ recommended for >10 players)
Network: UDP port 27015 (game), TCP port 27020 (CSTV, optional)
Steam: Valid Game Server Login Token required

About Hosting

This template runs a CS2 dedicated server wrapped around the upstream Docker image. Game data persists on a Railway volume mounted at /home/steam/cs2-dedicated — configs, maps, and logs survive deploys and restarts.

The entrypoint runs as root on boot to chown the Railway volume (root-owned by default) to the steam user, then drops privileges before launching the server. Railway uses TCP port 27015 for healthchecks since the game port is UDP and Railway doesn't support UDP healthchecks.

Prerequisites:

A Steam Game Server Login Token from steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers

Key environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
`SRCDS_TOKEN`	required	Steam Game Server Login Token
`CS2_SERVERNAME`	`cs2 private server`	Server hostname
`CS2_MAXPLAYERS`	`10`	Max simultaneous players
`CS2_RCONPW`	`changeme`	RCON password
`CS2_STARTMAP`	`de_inferno`	Starting map
`CS2_MAPGROUP`	`mg_active`	Map group
`CS2_GAMETYPE`	`0`	Game type (0=Classic, 1=Arms Race, 2=Demolition)
`CS2_GAMEMODE`	`1`	Game mode (0=Casual, 1=Competitive, 2=Wingman)
`CS2_CHEATS`	`0`	Enable cheats (0=off, 1=on)
`TV_ENABLE`	`0`	Enable CSTV/SourceTV (0=off, 1=on)
`TV_PORT`	`27020`	CSTV port

Connecting Players (UDP via playit.gg)

Railway's public network only exposes TCP/HTTP — CS2's game traffic is UDP, so players connect through the bundled playit tunnel agent instead of the Railway domain.

The template deploys two services:

cs2 — the game server (UDP :27015 game, UDP :27020 CSTV, TCP :27015 RCON, persistent volume)
playit — the playit.gg agent, which makes outbound connections to playit.gg's edge and tunnels player traffic over Railway's private network to cs2.railway.internal:27015

One-time setup (after deploy)

Create a free account at playit.gg
Account → Agents → Add Agent → copy the secret key
In Railway, open the playit service → Variables → paste the key as SECRET_KEY
In playit.gg → Tunnels → Add Tunnel:
- Type: UDP
- Local address: cs2.railway.internal
- Local port: 27015
If you enabled CSTV (TV_ENABLE=1), add a second tunnel the same way with local port 27020
Give players the allocation address playit.gg assigns — they add it in CS2 → Play → Community Server Browser → Add Server

Ports

Port	Protocol	Description
27015	UDP	Game port (via playit.gg tunnel)
27015	TCP	RCON (if enabled, via Railway TCP proxy)
27020	UDP	CSTV/SourceTV (via second playit.gg tunnel)

Why Deploy

Persistent game data: configs, maps, and logs survive deploys via Railway volume
Zero-downtime updates: redeploy without losing server state
SourceTV support: broadcast matches with built-in CSTV
Full config control: 32+ env vars for maps, gamemodes, logging, and more

Common Use Cases

Host a competitive CS2 server for ranked practice
Run a private community server with custom maps and mods
Set up a CSTV relay for tournament broadcasting
Test custom configs and gamemodes without local Docker setup

Dependencies for

Deployment Dependencies

A Railway account
A Steam Game Server Login Token (free from steamcommunity.com)
A free playit.gg account (for the UDP game tunnel — required for players to connect)