How to Make Private Match with Friend in CS2

xplay.gg

Mar 21, 2025 • 6 min read

Counter-Strike 2 is a game that is best played with friends. You can play ranked matches together, but you must wait in line on the server to play and have a good time. Also, this is not always possible. There may be someone else on the team besides you.

But you should know that the experience of playing with friends is not limited to the official game modes and servers provided by Valve. Players can create a private match where only selected friends can join.

In this article, the xplay.gg team will explain how to create a private server, customize it to suit your goals and practice with friends.

Highlights

Several methods of creating a personalized match to play with friends
Explanation of how the Personal Matches feature works on xplay.gg

xplay.gg just recently launched a new Battlepass, read the article, “What Analogs of Battlepass Are There in CS2?”.

How to Organize a Private Match with Friends

Method 1. Creating a Personal Lobby

You first need to go to the Matchmaking tab in the game's main menu. Then select the Private Matchmaking option, which will give you access to create a private lobby.

Once you have set up the lobby, you need to invite your friends to join the game. To accomplish this, utilize the "Shift + Tab" shortcut to access the Steam friends list and choose the friends you'd like to invite.

Once everyone has joined the lobby, you can select a map, set the rules, and determine the number of rounds and the time for each round.

Then, select the appropriate game mode. Once all the match settings are configured, confirm them and start the match. Your friends will be invited automatically and can join the game.

We have a great article on console commands, by the way: Best CS2 Launch Options.

Game Mode Selection

The following game modes are currently available in CS 2:

Premier: Competitive 5v5 matches with a card selection/ban phase.
Matchmaking: Similar to Premier Mode, but without the pick/ban phase.
2v2 Mode.
Casual: A quieter alternative for those who prefer a relaxed gaming environment.

For ease of launching the game, use config, how to make it told in the material: How to Make Autoexec in CS2.

Method 2. CS2 Dedicated Server Setup

If you want complete control over your private CS2 match, creating a dedicated private CS2 server is the best option. What you need to do for this we tell you below:

Download and install SteamCMD, which is needed to download and update Counter-Strike 2 server files.
Open SteamCMD and type pgsqlCopyEdit

This installs the latest version of the CS2 server.

Then, edit the server.cfg file to customize the game rules, map selection, and number of players.
Open the UDP and TCP ports (27015-27016) in your router settings to allow friends to connect.
Start the CS2 server using the command: arduinoCopyEdit./srcds_run -game cs2 +map de_dust2 -maxplayers 10
Share your public IP address and server port so friends can join.

A dedicated private CS2 server is perfect for competitive play or practicing with friends.

How to Invite Friends to a Private Match?

To invite friends to a CS2 match, they must first be added to your Steam account. You can do this by entering a friend's unique code, using a direct link to their profile, or finding a friend through search and sending them a friend request.

To find a Steam user by username or profile ID, follow the instructions below:

Open Steam.
Click the Community tab.
Enter the username or ID in the “Find People” field. You'll then see the options.

Remember that your Steam account initially limits your number of friends to 250, but each level you level up your profile adds five more people.

You can send a match invite in CS2 via the Steam overlay. Here's how to do it:

Hold down "Shift + Tab" to bring up the Steam overlay.
Navigate to your friends list.
Right-click on the friend you'd like to invite.
Choose the option to send an invitation.

Before you start, ensure the overlay is enabled in your Steam settings under “In Game”.

Personal Matches on xplay.gg Servers

On the xplay.gg platform, as always, everything is much easier than in CS2 itself. If you want to play together with friends and hide the server from the eyes, that's no problem; we have Personal Matches.

All you have to do is click on the “Personal Matches” tab on the left-hand side.
Then click on the “Create a lobby” button. (By the way, you don't have to create a lobby. We have a friendly community, and someone will not refuse to play with you on the servers already created and publicly available servers. You can see them a little lower on the page.)

Then, you need to determine the lobby type—if you want complete privacy, choose a closed lobby and create a password for access.
Set up your region and game mode.

Now, in a couple of clicks, finalize everything else: the map, the presence of bots and their difficulty, the time and number of rounds, the amount of money, and so on. Forget about the old console commands - on xplay.gg everything became more straightforward and more apparent long ago.

You can invite friends by clicking the appropriate button, copying the link, and sending it to the person you want to play with. If you don't need it, you can delete the lobby and forget it existed.

By the way, another plus on the server xplay.gg, you can play with skins for free, and if you want to earn skins, you can take them to Steam. We told about it here: CS2 Skinchanger: How It Works and How to Access It on Our Servers. And about earning skins in the article: How to get the Best Skins on xplay.gg: Lucky Vault.

Benefits of Personal Matches at xplay.gg

The first and simplest thing is convenience. You don't need to bother searching for functions, downloading applications, or fiddling with console commands. Just press a few buttons, and the perfect server for your game is ready.

The second is the added benefits. You can play while participating in Battlepasses, winning rewards, and trying your hand at Challenges on the xplay.gg platform, or even opening cases in the Lucky Vault with excitement. And it's all effortless.

In addition to the above, we also have a SkillPass. In it, you receive a ticket with a task to complete. The task specifies the difficulty of the bots, maps, and weapons you must use to complete the task. We discussed it here: Skillpass is in the article Skillpass: Earn Rewards Based on Your CS2 Skills with Xplay.gg.

Conclusion

CS2 private matches offer the unique advantage of customization - they can reflect your gaming preferences, so keep this method of play in mind. It's suitable for practicing and just socializing with your friends.