How to set up a 1v1 in CS2 in 60 seconds

Despite being a team-based shooter, some folks just want to duke it out 1v1 in CS2. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t make it easy.

Counter-Strike 2 is the most popular game on Steam, boasting over a million players daily. One of the biggest reasons for CS2’s success is its unique blend of coordinated teamplay and personal firefights.  However, not everybody wants to play with an entire team all the time. One feature fans miss from CS2’s predecessor is the ability to play 1v1 against a friend. Every Counter-Strike before CS2 featured some way to play in a lobby with only one player each. These features, unfortunately, have not been added to CS2 yet. Luckily, there are ways to get around Valve’s glaring oversight.

Here’s how to make a 1v1 lobby in CS2 so you can finally prove to you friends that you belong at the top of the leaderboard.

How to make a 1v1 lobby in CS2

To set up a 1v1 lobby in CS2, players must set up a private server and use bot commands. There is no built-in 1v1 game mode.

While the process seems complicated, it’s not difficult when taken step-by-step. Here’s a simple guide for setting up a VPN using Hamachi on PC.

Hamachi VPN setup:

1. Download Hamachi from VPN.net
2. Run the installation program to completion
3. Open Hamachi and click Power On
4. Sign up for a Hamachi account
5. Click on the Network menu
6. Select Create a New Network
7. Create a strong password for the network
8. Share the network name and password with friends

Once you’ve set up the network, here’s how to make the actual 1v1 lobby in CS2.

1. Right-click on Counter-Strike 2 in your Steam library
2. Select “Browse Local Files”
3. Go to “Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\bin\win64”
4. Create a shortcut for the CS2 executable file and move it to the Desktop
5. Right-click on the shortcut and select Properties
6. In the “Target” field, type the following without quotes:

-dedicated -usercon +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 +map de_inferno -dev

1. Launch CS2 and open the console window
2. Type “connect <Insert your Hamachi IP here>:27015
3. Share the command with friends
4. Select your map with the  “map <map_name_here>” command
5. Type in bot_kick to get rid of the bots
6. Done!

It’s an involved process, but it’s the best way for custom 1v1 games in CS2’s current iteration. Many players hope Valve will formally add 1v1 mode in a future update.