Can you play Counter-Strike: Source online in 2025?

Counter-Strike: Source was a monumental step forward for the CS series. It brought the game onto Valve’s (at the time) modern Source engine, moving it from being a Half-Life mod to a fully-fledged game in its own right. It even produced some legendary pro players – did you know that dev1ce got his start in CS Source?

Upon its 2004 release, not everyone made the switch, with some preferring to stay and play Counter-Strike 1.6 instead. Nowadays, the game is remembered a little more fondly than it was back in the day. But can you still play Counter-Strike: Source online in 2025?

Can you download Counter-Strike: Source in 2025?

Yes, you can still download Counter-Strike: Source in 2025. Buying it on Steam will set you back $9.99, although it regularly goes on sale to $0.99. The game’s assets used to be required for a smooth experience in Garry’s Mod, which is why the CS Source player count remained steady for a long time.

After you’ve bought Counter-Strike: Source, you just need to download it. The game requires just 4.55 GB of space, which is nothing in this day and age. So you can download it, but can you play Counter-Strike: Source online in 2025?

How to play Counter-Strike: Source online in 2025

You can play Counter-Strike: Source in various ways in 2025. The game features bots with adjustable difficulty, so that’s one method if you’re short on friends to play with. You can do this offline, too, which is an extra boost. To play CS Source online with friends, you can make a dedicated server, too. This process is very easy, and can all be done from the “Create Server” option on the game’s main menu.

Alternatively, you can use the “Find servers” button on the CS Source main menu to look for online matches. A lot of these are heavily modded, and you’ll have a tough time finding one that recreates the classic Counter-Strike: Source experience. You’ll find custom Counter-Strike maps, models, and modes, which won’t be what everyone is looking for.

That said, it’s still possible to find a solid match in CS Source. You’ll need to use third-party servers (I recommend GameTracker) and find one that suits your needs. Copy the IP into your in-game console and connect – you’ll be good to go and play Counter-Strike: Source online in 2025 and beyond!

Why is CS Source still popular in 2025?

With the CS Source player count remaining high, the question remains: why? There are a few possibilities. The first is the old Garry’s Mod dependencies. For many, many years, Garry’s Mod required players to install CS Source for its assets alongside Half-Life 2. You could technically play without it, but it would result in some very strange missing textures that didn’t look right. As a result, many gamers just had Counter-Strike: Source installed and ready to play on their PCs. However, this dependency was recently ended, so it is no longer relevant to the CS Source player count.

It’s more likely that the low system requirements of CS Source are ideal for many players with weaker PCs. There are thousands who want to play Counter-Strike but don’t necessarily have the budget for a PC that can run CS2. In that scenario, playing Counter-Strike: Source is undoubtedly the next best thing.

CS Source player count: Is Counter-Strike: Source still active?

The CS Source player count breaks the 50,000 mark on a daily basis. For a game that’s over 20 years old, that’s incredible work. It’s safe to say that Counter-Strike: Source is still very active to play online in 2025.