To make a private match in CS2 on Valve servers, open Play → Matchmaking → Private Matchmaking, select Create a Private Matchmaking Pool, and share the full hyphenated queue code with nine other players. Each solo player, or each party leader, joins the same pool and presses GO. When at least 10 eligible players are searching, everyone in the selected match accepts and CS2 creates an unrated 10-player Premier match with the normal map veto.
The important distinction is that Private Matchmaking is not a configurable custom server. The host cannot use it to pick any map, add bots, change round settings, or start with fewer than 10 humans. For a small practice group, workshop map, or bot session, use Practice/Workshop instead. For recurring scrims and full server control, run a dedicated CS2 server.
Use Private Matchmaking and share the pool code.
Use a Practice or Workshop lobby hosted by the party leader.
Use a dedicated server on your own machine or a VPS.
What Is Private Matchmaking in CS2?
Private Matchmaking is Valve’s built-in way to place a closed group into its own Premier-style match on an official Valve server. Valve originally introduced the feature as a “Private Queue.” In the current CS2 menu, you create a matchmaking pool, share its code, and let the matchmaker allocate the server once enough players are searching inside that pool.
“Private” describes who can enter the queue; it does not make the pool owner a server administrator. The match still uses the current Premier ruleset and map-veto flow. It does not affect CS Rating or Competitive rank, and it does not award XP or mission progress. For the differences between the ranked queues that this mode imitates, see Premier vs Competitive in CS2.
You can access the pool in three ways: create your own player pool, join a Steam Group’s pool, or manually enter a code someone shared. A Steam Group pool is useful for a league, club, or regular ten-man group because only group members can use that group’s code.
Private Matchmaking vs Practice vs a dedicated server
These three routes are often called a “private match,” but they solve different problems.
| Method | Players | Where it runs | Maps and rules | Bots | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valve Private Matchmaking Official pool |
10 active humans 5v5 |
Valve server | Fixed Current Premier rules and veto |
No | Ten-mans, team-vs-team games, closed Premier practice |
| Practice / Workshop lobby Fast custom setup |
Small groups; capacity depends on mode/map | Party leader’s listen server | Customizable Official or Workshop map plus console rules |
Yes | Utility practice, aim maps, friends plus bots, quick experiments |
| Dedicated CS2 server Maximum control |
Configured by the operator | Separate PC, VPS, or rented host | Fully configurable Maps, cvars, passwords, admins, plugins |
Yes | Recurring scrims, leagues, stable custom servers, remote hosting |
None of these private routes is a reliable source of Valve matchmaking XP, weekly reward progress, or rank movement.
Which private-match method should you use?
Enter your group size and requirements. The result updates instantly; the comparison table above remains the fallback when JavaScript is disabled.
Valve Private Matchmaking
You have the 10 humans needed for one match and do not need custom controls. Create one private pool, preserve any pre-made parties, and queue on a Valve server.
How to Create a Private Match: Step-by-Step
Use this flow when you have 10 human players and want an unrated Premier match on Valve infrastructure. If you want fixed teams, organize those teams before anyone starts searching.
Create and start the match in six steps
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Build your parties before queueing
For a fixed team-vs-team match, make two separate five-player CS2 parties. If everyone joins the pool solo, the matchmaker can decide the teams.
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Open the Private Matchmaking tab
From the main menu, go to Play → Matchmaking → Private Matchmaking. Do not use the Practice tab for this Valve-server flow.
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Create a Private Matchmaking Pool
Select the pool-creation option. CS2 displays the pool attached to your account and exposes its Share Code.
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Copy the full matchmaking code
Use Share Code and copy every hyphenated group. This is a long matchmaking code, not a six-digit PIN.
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Join the same pool and press GO
Each solo player enters the code under Manually Enter a Code. For a pre-made party, the party leader joins the pool and queues the party. All participating parties and solo players must search inside the same pool.
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Accept, complete the veto, and play
Once at least 10 eligible players are searching, CS2 can allocate a Valve server and show the normal accept prompt. After the selected 10 accept, the match proceeds through the Premier-style map veto. If more than 10 people search, extras may wait for another match, so queue only the intended ten when everyone must stay together.
CS2 parties still top out at five players. A ten-man normally enters as two five-stacks, several smaller parties, solo players, or a mix, all using the same pool code.
How to Invite Friends (and Non-Friends) to Your Lobby
There are two separate invitation layers: a normal CS2/Steam party keeps teammates together, while the Private Matchmaking code puts multiple parties and solo players into the same closed queue. Use both when you want two known five-player teams to face each other.
Choose the right invitation method
Steam friends: form a party first
Invite teammates from the CS2 lobby or Steam overlay. A pre-made party that joins the pool together stays together, which is the cleanest way to preserve two fixed five-stacks.
Non-friends: share the pool code
No Steam friend request is required. Send the complete code through Discord, team chat, or another private channel. They select Manually Enter a Code, paste it, and join the queue.
Regular group: use a Steam Group pool
Every Steam Group can have its own private queue code. This is useful for a club or recurring ten-man because group membership controls who can access that pool.
The current built-in flow does not expose a second password field. Share the code only with the intended group, and create a new pool if the code reaches people you did not invite. Use the in-game code instead of relying on browser join URLs mentioned in older guides.
Customize Rules, Maps, and Game Modes
You cannot customize the built-in Private Matchmaking pool. It creates an unrated Premier match using the current Premier map pool, veto, team size, and rules. If your plan includes a specific map, custom round time, weapon restriction, Workshop map, different team size, or bots, choose Practice/Workshop or a dedicated server before inviting everyone.
Where each setting actually belongs
Valve Private Matchmaking
Use it only when the group accepts Premier rules, a map veto, 5v5 teams, and no bots. There is no host-side rules panel inside this queue.
Practice or Workshop
Invite the group, choose Play → Practice or Workshop Maps, select the map and mode, then let the party leader start the listen server.
Dedicated server
Use server configs for repeatable rules, passwords, admins, map rotation, remote hosting, and any approved server-side extensions.
| Goal | Recommended route | Practical control |
|---|---|---|
| Choose one official map | Practice | Select the mode and map before the host starts. |
| Play a Workshop map | Workshop lobby | Subscribe, invite the party, choose the map, and start; clients can download the map when joining. |
| Change money, buy time, freeze time, or round time | Practice/Workshop console or server.cfg | The listen-server host or dedicated-server admin runs the relevant cvars. |
| Run recurring team scrims | Dedicated server | Save one tested config and load it for every session. |
A simple Practice config might set mp_freezetime 5, mp_roundtime_defuse 2, mp_startmoney 16000, mp_buy_anywhere 1, and then apply the changes with mp_restartgame 1. The exact cvars should match the map and mode you selected. Browse all CS2 game modes before building a custom ruleset around the wrong base mode.
For a duel-specific setup, use Tradeit’s separate guide on how to play 1v1 in CS2. That sibling article covers the 1v1 maps, commands, and community-server intent without turning this ten-man guide into a duplicate.
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Setting Up Practice Matches with Bots
Bots do not fill empty slots in Valve Private Matchmaking. To practice with bots, or combine a few friends with AI players, start a Practice or Workshop lobby instead. The party leader hosts the session and controls the bots through the developer console.
1. Enable the developer console
- Open Settings → Game.
- Set Enable Developer Console (~) to Yes.
- Invite any friends to the CS2 party before starting.
- Open Play → Practice or Workshop Maps, choose the map, and press GO.
- After the map loads, the host presses ~ and runs the commands below.
2. Add and configure the bots
Clean sample setup: two bots per side
Run this as the listen-server host. Repeat bot_add_t or bot_add_ct until you have the team sizes you want.
mp_autoteambalance 0 mp_limitteams 0 bot_kick bot_difficulty 3 sv_auto_adjust_bot_difficulty 0 bot_add_t bot_add_t bot_add_ct bot_add_ct mp_restartgame 1
bot_difficulty 3 is the expert setting documented by the in-game command help. Turning off automatic adjustment keeps CS2 from changing that level between rounds.
Use bot_quota_mode fill and then bot_quota 10 to have CS2 fill toward a target player count. Manual bot_add_t/bot_add_ct commands are more predictable when exact teams matter.
Useful bot and team commands
| Command | What it does | Practical note |
|---|---|---|
bot_add_t | Adds one Terrorist bot. | Repeat as needed; the bot may spawn on the next round. |
bot_add_ct | Adds one Counter-Terrorist bot. | Disable team limits first if CS2 rejects the bot. |
bot_kick | Removes all bots. | Use before rebuilding clean teams. |
bot_difficulty 0–3 | Sets Easy, Normal, Hard, or Expert for newly added bots. | Use 3 for Expert, then re-add or restart if the change does not appear immediately. |
sv_auto_adjust_bot_difficulty 0 | Stops round-by-round automatic difficulty changes. | Useful when you want a stable training baseline. |
bot_quota_mode fill | Fills open slots toward the bot quota target. | Pair with bot_quota N. |
mp_autoteambalance 0 | Disables automatic team balancing. | Needed for uneven drills such as one player versus several bots. |
mp_limitteams 0 | Removes the normal team-size difference limit. | Prevents CS2 from blocking an uneven setup. |
mp_restartgame 1 | Restarts the game after one second. | Applies a clean round with the new settings. |
For a friends-plus-bots session, every human should join the party before the host starts the Practice or Workshop map. Workshop clients can download the selected map when they join. If a guest is repeatedly dropped, everyone should update CS2, confirm the same Workshop item, restart the party, and try again. A dedicated server is the more reliable fallback for a regular group; a third-party virtual-LAN tool is not required for the normal CS2 flow.
Advanced: Run a Dedicated CS2 Server
A dedicated server is the right choice when you need a reusable password, fixed map rotation, remote hosting, admin access, saved configs, custom team sizes, or a stable endpoint that does not depend on the party leader’s gaming PC. This section gives a current quick-start; the full walkthrough is in Tradeit’s guide on how to host a dedicated CS2 server.
SteamCMD, server.cfg, and the current CS2 binary
Stop the server before updating it. Replace the example paths, hostname, passwords, map, and token with your own values.
steamcmd +force_install_dir /opt/cs2-server +login anonymous +app_update 730 validate +quit
CS2 uses App ID 730. Running the same command later updates and validates the server files after a game patch.
hostname "Tradeit Private Scrim" sv_lan 0 sv_password "CHANGE_ME" rcon_password "USE_A_DIFFERENT_LONG_PASSWORD" mp_autoteambalance 0 mp_limitteams 0
Keep the server password and RCON password different. Do not publish either value in a screenshot, repository, or article.
cd /opt/cs2-server ./game/bin/linuxsteamrt64/cs2 -dedicated -console -usercon -port 27015 +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 +map de_mirage +sv_setsteamaccount YOUR_GSLT
"C:\cs2-server\game\bin\win64\cs2.exe" -dedicated -console -usercon -port 27015 +game_type 0 +game_mode 1 +map de_mirage +sv_setsteamaccount YOUR_GSLT
For an Internet-facing server, create a unique Steam Game Server Login Token for App ID 730 and pass it with +sv_setsteamaccount. Never share the real token. Revoke and replace it immediately if it leaks.
Allow the configured server port through the host firewall and, when self-hosting, the router. In this example, 27015 is the server port; Source server documentation lists it for game traffic, pings, and RCON. Open only the exact TCP/UDP rules your setup requires instead of exposing a broad port range. Share the server hostname or public IP privately. Players can set the password and connect from the console:
password "CHANGE_ME" connect your.host.name:27015
If your home connection uses carrier-grade NAT, ordinary port forwarding may not expose the server at all. In that case, use a VPS or a game-server host with a public address rather than opening an unnecessarily broad port range. Keep the CS2 server build current after every client update or players will see a version mismatch.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Most private-match problems come from using the wrong host type, missing the ten-player requirement, or mixing different pool codes. Open the issue that matches what you see.
The Private Matchmaking pool never starts
Confirm that at least 10 eligible human players are actively searching in the same pool. It is not enough to have people sitting in a lobby or displaying the code screen; every solo player or party leader must join the code and press GO. Bots cannot fill the missing slots.
CS2 says the matchmaking code is invalid
Copy the complete hyphenated code again and remove any leading or trailing spaces. Make sure nobody is pasting an old code from a previous pool. If the owner recreated the pool, distribute the new code. Restart and update CS2 if the same current code fails for multiple players.
The teams are not arranged the way we planned
Do not send all 10 players into the pool as solo queue users when fixed teams matter. Build two five-player parties first, then have each party leader enter the same pool code and queue. Solo entrants can be sorted by the matchmaker.
We only have two, four, six, or eight players
The official Valve pool is a 5v5 format and does not launch an undersized match. Use Practice/Workshop for a small hosted game, or use a dedicated server when you need a stable custom player count.
I cannot select a map, add bots, or change round settings
You are in the correct screen for a Valve private queue but the wrong screen for customization. Private Matchmaking is fixed to Premier-style rules. Return to Play → Practice or Workshop Maps, or connect to a dedicated server where the host has console/admin control.
A friend is dropped when the Practice or Workshop map starts
- Make sure everyone is on the current CS2 build.
- Re-form the party and let the intended host remain party leader.
- For Workshop content, confirm the map is still available and let clients finish downloading it.
- Restart Steam/CS2 and verify game files if the same client repeatedly fails.
- Move the session to a dedicated server if the host’s listen server remains unreliable.
Private Matchmaking is missing or unavailable
Valve’s public feature documentation does not list Prime as a separate purchase requirement for creating or entering a private pool. Update CS2, restart Steam, verify the game files, and confirm that the account can use Valve matchmaking. If the tab is still missing, review any account or matchmaking restrictions through Steam Support. Prime Status governs Prime-only matchmaking and item rewards, but it should not be treated as a documented “private pool unlock.”
Players cannot reach the dedicated server
- Update the server with App ID 730 so its build matches the clients.
- Check the launch log for Steam login/GSLT errors.
- Allow the chosen port through the OS firewall and router.
- Confirm
sv_lan 0for an Internet server and share the public address, not a private LAN address. - Check for carrier-grade NAT; rent a public host if inbound forwarding is unavailable.
- Verify that the server password was set before the player ran
connect.
The simplest rule is: use Private Matchmaking only for a closed, unrated ten-player Premier game. The moment you need fewer humans, bots, a specific map, altered rules, a password, or reusable administration, move to Practice/Workshop or a dedicated server instead of trying to force those features into the pool.
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FAQ
CS2 private pools, codes, Prime, progression, and bots
These answers refer to the built-in Valve Private Matchmaking feature unless stated otherwise.
How does private matchmaking work in CS2?
One player creates a Private Matchmaking pool and shares its code. Solo players and party leaders join that same pool and press GO. Once at least 10 eligible humans are searching, Valve can form a 10-player match, everyone selected accepts, and the group plays an unrated Premier-style 5v5 with a map veto.
Do I need Prime to unlock private matchmaking in CS2?
Valve’s public feature documentation does not list Prime as a separate purchase requirement for generating or entering a private pool. Every account still needs to be eligible to use Valve matchmaking. Prime Status governs Prime-only matchmaking and item rewards, but it is a separate system; do not assume buying Prime is the documented fix for a missing or disabled pool tab.
Can I host a private match without adding the other player as a friend?
Yes. Send them the full Private Matchmaking code through a private channel. They can open Play → Matchmaking → Private Matchmaking → Manually Enter a Code and join without a Steam friend request. A friend invite is only needed when you want to form a pre-made party first.
Do private matches count for XP, drops, or rank progress?
No. Valve Private Matchmaking does not award XP or mission progress and does not change CS Rating or Competitive rank. Because it does not generate normal XP progress, it is not a route to the Weekly Care Package or other matchmaking progression.
What is the maximum player cap for a CS2 private match?
A launched Valve Private Matchmaking game has 10 active players: five per team. A pool can organize a wider group, but one match is still 5v5. Practice maps and dedicated servers can use different capacities depending on the selected mode, map, and server configuration.
How do I share a private match lobby using a code?
Select Share Code on the Private Matchmaking screen and copy the entire long, hyphenated code. Send it through Discord, Steam chat, or another private channel. Each solo player or party leader pastes it under Manually Enter a Code. Use this current code flow rather than old guides that describe a six-digit PIN or browser join URL.
Can I run a private match with bots filling empty slots?
Not in Valve Private Matchmaking; it still requires 10 human players. To play with friends and bots, launch a Practice or Workshop lobby and use commands such as bot_add_t, bot_add_ct, and bot_difficulty 3. A dedicated server gives you the same bot control with more reliable hosting.
