Counter-Strike: Source

Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike	2000
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero	2004
Counter-Strike: Source	2004
Counter-Strike Neo: White Memories	2005
Counter-Strike Online (series)
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	2012
Counter-Strike 2	2023

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) release of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Counter-Strike: Source is a multiplayer first-person shooter game in the Counter-Strike series.

General information

Article on the official Valve Developer Community wiki

GitHub Issue Tracker for Counter-Strike: Source and other Source-based games

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Initially included with all purchases of Half-Life 2. These copies can bypass Steam if you launch `hl2.msi` directly. Later got a standalone release on 4 CDs/1 DVD.
Steam		Initially could not be purchased separately and was instead included with all purchases of Half-Life 2. Received a standalone digital release later. ^{[Note 1]}

All versions require Steam DRM.

Essential improvements

Skip intro videos

Use the `-novid` command line argument.

Enable dynamic C4 lights

Use a console command
Open the in-game console with a `~` key. Type `cl_c4dynamiclight 1` into it and press `↵ Enter`.

Restore missing cubemaps on maps with HDR lighting support

After Half-Life 2's "20th Anniversary Update" all of the Source based games were also updated with the improvements made to the engine for the occasion. This update, however, removed pre-compiled cubemaps from all of the base maps that support HDR lighting.

Recompile cubemaps manually^[5]

Open a map with HDR lighting support, that is included with the game by default.
Open the in-game console with a ~ key.
Type all of the commands listed below into it and press ↵ Enter for each.

sv_cheats 1
building_cubemaps 1
buildcubemaps
building_cubemaps 0
restart

Notes

This must be done for every map with HDR lighting support individually.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\cstrike\cfg\^{[Note 2]} HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Valve\Source\cstrike
macOS (OS X)	<path-to-game>/cstrike/cfg/
Linux	<path-to-game>/cstrike/cfg/
Steam	<Steam-folder>\userdata\<user-id>\240\

It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud		Syncs settings.

Video

In-game general video settings.

In-game advanced video settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen		Has native 21:9 support.^[6]
4K Ultra HD		Interface scales poorly.
Field of view (FOV)	Default FOV is 90. See Field of view (FOV) for information on changing it.
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed	Use the `-window -noborder` command line arguments
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	Up to 16 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)	Double buffered ^[7]
60 FPS and 120+ FPS	300 FPS cap by default. With console, can change `fps_max` up to `1000`; use `0` for uncapped framerate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	Rendered image uses SDR color space. In-game HDR option refers only to HDR Rendering.
Color blind mode	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.

Field of view (FOV)

default_fov #^{[citation needed]}

Unless a server has cheats enabled the game will be forced to the default FOV.

Open Settings from the main menu
Go to the Keyboard tab
Press the Advanced button at the bottom of the popup
Check the box that says Enable Developer Console (~)
Open the console using ~.
Input sv_cheats 1 to enable cheats and then default_fov #. Replace # with your desired FOV.

Input

In-game key map settings.

In-game mouse/gamepad settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers		^[8]
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

PlayStation controllers

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Over-all game volume and separate music slider.
Surround sound		7.1, 5.1 surround sound, 4 speaker surround.
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		"Silence the audio while the game window is in the background" check box.
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Czech				Fan - 1
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Polish
Russian
Serbian				Fan translation, download.
Slovak				Fan - 1 hlášky
Spanish
Thai
Turkish

Network

In-game general multiplayer settings.

In-game advanced multiplayer settings.

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	8	Use Nucleus Co-op.
LAN play	128
Online play	128

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP		Use `connect [IP address here]` in the console.

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	27014-27050
UDP	1200, 3478, 4379-4380, 27000-27030

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision

Devices
Novint Falcon

Issues fixed

Purple and black broken textures

Fixes to this issue can be found on our Source engine page.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9, 9Ex	Initially had compatibility levels for Direct3D 6 - 8.1 cards. Current version only supports compatibility levels for 8 and later.^[10]^[11]
OpenGL	2.1	OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support	2, 3

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows			64-bit executable added in February 18, 2025 update.^[9]
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work* on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.*
Linux			64-bit executable added in February 18, 2025 update.^[9]

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok Physics	Heavily modified variant.
Audio	Miles Sound System	9.3a
Input	SDL
Cutscenes	Bink Video, WebM	1.99r (Bink), WebM was added in February 18, 2025 engine update.^[9] 32-bit executable use Bink, while 64-bit executable use WebM.^[12]
Multiplayer	Steamworks

Console commands

Games running on the Source engine can utilize Source Engine Console Commands for various tasks.

Enabling the console in Source games^{[citation needed]}

Launch the game
From the main menu select Options
Select the Keyboard tab
Click the Advanced button
Check the box next to Enable developer console (~)
Click Apply

Notes

Press ~ to open the console.

Some commands may first require you enabling sv_cheats. You can do so with sv_cheats 1.

Many servers will not allow you to play with cheats enabled, or will disable them upon entering the server.

Users without a US keyboard could experience some problems.

Command line arguments

View this Steam Support Article regarding launch options as well as the relevant Valve Developer wiki page for further information and a list of useful Source engine launch options.

Some useful commands can be found in the table below.

Command	Output
`-autoconfig`	Restores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
`-console`	Starts the game with the developer console enabled.
`-dxlevel xx`	Forces the game to launch in a specific DirectX version, where `xx` is: 80 (DirectX 8 (buggy, use 81 instead for high performance)), 81 (DirectX 8.1), 90 (DX9 with Shader Model 2) and 95 (DX9 with Shader Model 3)). Remove this argument after starting CS:S once or it will keep reseting your graphical settings. The overridden DirectX version will still be saved (mat_dxlevel).
`-h #` or `-height #`	Forces the engine to start with resolution set to `#`.
`-w #` or `-width #`	Forces the engine to start with resolution set to `#`.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	7, 8.1, 10 32/64-bit
Processor (CPU)	1.7 GHz	3.0 GHz Pentium 4
System memory (RAM)	512 MB	1 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	2 GB
Video card (GPU)	DirectX 8.1 compatible	DirectX 9 compatible

Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, and Vista were previously supported, but as future updates for this game and Steam occurred; the support was dropped, even with retail copies.

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3
Processor (CPU)
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8 ATI Radeon X1600 Intel HD 3000

Linux
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
Processor (CPU)	1.7 GHz
System memory (RAM)	512 MB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)

Notes

↑ While the game can be launched using the -game cstrike command-line argument, no local game can actually be created.^[4]
↑ When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

References

↑ Counter-Strike: Source (2004) Windows credits - MobyGames - last accessed on 2018-07-26
↑ [1] - last accessed on 2023-03-22
↑ News - Half-Life 2 Steam Offers Ready Now - last accessed on 2023-07-02
↑ PCGamingWiki Community - CS: Source is not DRM Free (when launched through .exe) - last accessed on 2020-07-05
↑ This Command Restores CS: Source’s Lost Graphics :: YouTube - last accessed on 2025-06-20
↑ Steam Community :: Group :: /r/ultrawidemasterrace Group - last accessed on 17 May 2023
↑ Black mesa vsync is double buffered - last accessed on 2024
↑ Xbox 360 Controller for CS:S - last accessed on 25 September 2022
↑ ^9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Counter-Strike: Source Update Released (Feb 18, 2025) - last accessed on 2025-02-18
↑ Verified by User:kr0tchet on 2022-04-02
Previously tested years ago, DX feature level 6.0 are likely non-functional since Source 2006 engine update and looks the same as DX7 level. Since Source 2009 update (in 2010), DX7 level will also get reset to DX8 level once you have changed the video settings or by launch the game again without that -dxlevel 70 command line.
Furthermore, these will not change the actual renderer to Direct3D 8 and older, the game will always runs on Direct3D 9 regardless which DX level is running on.
↑ Verified by User:Aemony on 2023-10-08
Game seems to use D3D9Ex (though not FlipEx) based on my testing today.
↑ Verified by User:Kr0tchet on 2025-02-10
While WebM is used, Valve intro does not play because valve.webm file isn't present. Also affect other games upgraded to TF2 branch (DOD:S, HL:DMS, HL2:DM), when launched in 64-bit mode. Similar issue was present on TF2 before it was eventually fixed. 32-bit executable still use Bink video.

[Note-5] While the game can be launched using the -game cstrike command-line argument, no local game can actually be created.^[4]

[gamedir-7] When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).

[1] Counter-Strike: Source (2004) Windows credits - MobyGames - last accessed on 2018-07-26

[2] [1] - last accessed on 2023-03-22

[3] News - Half-Life 2 Steam Offers Ready Now - last accessed on 2023-07-02

[4] PCGamingWiki Community - CS: Source is not DRM Free (when launched through .exe) - last accessed on 2020-07-05

[6] This Command Restores CS: Source’s Lost Graphics :: YouTube - last accessed on 2025-06-20

[8] Steam Community :: Group :: /r/ultrawidemasterrace Group - last accessed on 17 May 2023

[9] Black mesa vsync is double buffered - last accessed on 2024

[10] Xbox 360 Controller for CS:S - last accessed on 25 September 2022

[css-2025-02-18-update-11] 9.0 ^9.1 ^9.2 Counter-Strike: Source Update Released (Feb 18, 2025) - last accessed on 2025-02-18

[12] Verified by User:kr0tchet on 2022-04-02
Previously tested years ago, DX feature level 6.0 are likely non-functional since Source 2006 engine update and looks the same as DX7 level. Since Source 2009 update (in 2010), DX7 level will also get reset to DX8 level once you have changed the video settings or by launch the game again without that -dxlevel 70 command line.
Furthermore, these will not change the actual renderer to Direct3D 8 and older, the game will always runs on Direct3D 9 regardless which DX level is running on.

[13] Verified by User:Aemony on 2023-10-08
Game seems to use D3D9Ex (though not FlipEx) based on my testing today.

[14] Verified by User:Kr0tchet on 2025-02-10
While WebM is used, Valve intro does not play because valve.webm file isn't present. Also affect other games upgraded to TF2 branch (DOD:S, HL:DMS, HL2:DM), when launched in 64-bit mode. Similar issue was present on TF2 before it was eventually fixed. 32-bit executable still use Bink video.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[Note 1]

[5]

[Note 2]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[10]

[11]

[9]

[12]

[4]

Developers

	Valve Corporation
	Turtle Rock Studios^[1]
	Hidden Path Entertainment
Publishers
	Valve Corporation
Russia	Buka Entertainment^[2]
Engines
Original	Source 2004
Current	Source (Team Fortress 2 branch)
Release dates
Windows	October 7, 2004^[3]
macOS (OS X)	June 23, 2010
Linux	February 5, 2012
Reception
Metacritic	88
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Shooter
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Contemporary
Series	Counter-Strike