How to Add Bots in Counter-Strike 1.6: Full 2025 CS 1.6 Guide

Unfortunately, you can’t add bots in Counter-Strike 1.6 out of the box. The game simply arrived too early for that, and bots would only make their debut in CS: Source. But gamers are resourceful, and so players over the years have figured out how to add bots to CS 1.6.

If you’re out of the loop, don’t worry. Adding bots in Counter-Strike 1.6 so you can play offline is extremely easy. Barring any surprise updates by Valve, you should be able to use this guide well into the future. While the CS 1.6 25th Anniversary kind of broke bots, it’s all fixed now.

How to add bots in Counter-Strike 1.6

First things first, you need to actually download the CS 1.6 bots file. You can find this here; download and unzip it anywhere on your PC. I’ve installed it myself and can confirm it’s free of any malicious files, but you’re welcome to run it through your own antivirus software for peace of mind.

Next, copy the “cstrike,” “czero,” and “valve” folders inside and paste them into your Counter-Strike 1.6 install folder. The install location is likely: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life.” When prompted, replace all files in the folder. If you’re familiar with installing CS 1.6 mods, you already know the process here.

And that’s it – that’s how to add bots in CS 1.6. Easy, right? Now, to actually use them.

How to use bots in CS 1.6

After you’ve installed the CS 1.6 bots mod, it’s time to load up the game. Create a new server, and make sure the “Include CPU players (Bots) in this game” option is selected. Here, you can select the number of Counter-Strike 1.6 bots you want in your lobby, as well as their difficulty.

You can even go into the  “CPU Player Options” to tweak your CS 1.6 bots further. Important options include “Bots can go rogue,” “Bots defer goals to humans,” and the ability to restrict which weapons they can use. They’re pretty good, too – they play the game to a decent level, especially on harder difficulties, and will even use the in-game radio system to call out things you need to know. Not bad, considering they’re a mod!

I’ve found that adding Counter-Strike 1.6 bots has been a total game-changer. If you want to play CS 1.6 online nowadays, you’ll find that many of the servers are custom game mode lobbies, and getting that classic 5v5 experience is near impossible. And getting nine friends together for some Counter-Strike 1.6 isn’t exactly an easy task, so long after release. But you can add bots in Counter-Strike 1.6 instead, and that’s just as good.