Set up a CS2 executes serverPractice attacks on the bomb site specifically

Published on August 9, 2026 · last updated on November 4, 2026

Executes or retake - what practices what?

Both modes train the same spot on the map from opposite directions:

• Retake: the bomb is already planted, the CTs have to win the site back. Trains the CT side, post-plant positions and quick decisions.
• Executes: the round starts before the attack, and the T team carries out a coordinated execute with smokes, flashes and molotovs. Trains the T side, utility timing and teamwork.

For a team working on its standard attacks, executes is the more direct way. If you want to train the defense, the retake server is right for you. Many teams run both on the same server and switch via config.

Requirements

Executes is not a built-in mode - it needs a plugin. The same foundation applies as for most CS2 extensions:

1. Install Metamod:Source and add it to the gameinfo.gi.
2. Put CounterStrikeSharp on top of it.
3. Place the executes plugin in the plugin folder and restart the server.

The first two steps are described in detail in install Metamod & CounterStrikeSharp. Make sure the plugin version matches the installed CounterStrikeSharp version - mismatches are the most common reason for a server that no longer starts afterwards.

Setups and maps

An executes plugin works with stored setups per map and bomb site: spawn points, equipment and the utility to be thrown.

• The common plugins bring setups for the active competitive maps.
• Your own setups can be added as configuration files - that way, you practice exactly your standards instead of someone else's.
• After a map update, old setups may no longer fit and have to be adjusted.

You include maps from the Workshop as usual - see Workshop maps & collections. For executes, though, people usually stay with the official competitive maps, because the setups are designed for them.

Sensible server settings

Executes thrives on a high repetition rate. Anything that creates waiting time is counterproductive:

These values belong in a file of their own that you load via exec after switching modes - otherwise the mode config overwrites them. The mechanism is described in server.cfg explained.

Executes, retake and matches on one server

For most teams, a third server is not worth it. Instead, keep one config per mode and switch:

• executes.cfg - short rounds, plugin active, password set.
• retake.cfg - for the opposite direction.
• match.cfg - competitive values, bots off, MatchZy takes over.

Switching is then a single exec command plus a map change - quick enough to do in the middle of a training evening.

How an executes evening works

The plugin provides the technology; you have to bring the structure yourself. Without it, an executes server turns into a glorified deathmatch after twenty minutes. This process has proven itself:

1. One map, one bomb site, one standard - nothing more for the first block.
2. Repeat the same execute until throwing order and timing work without calls.
3. Only then vary it: the same utility against a different CT setup, then with one player fewer.
4. Switch bomb sites and start the process again.
5. At the end, watch the recording together.

The last point in particular brings more than another half hour of repetition. In the demo, you see who ran out too early and which smoke lands short - things nobody notices during play. How to record server-side is explained in record and review demos.

Individual lineups, on the other hand, do not belong in the executes round. That is what the practice config with trajectories and rethrow is for: anyone still searching for the throw holds up four others. When a new standard is added, everyone practices it individually first and brings it ready to the next evening.

When the setups do not work

The plugin loads, but the rounds start wrongly - no utility, strange spawns, no assignment. The causes are almost always the same:

• The map name does not match. Setups are stored per map. A Workshop version of an official map runs under a different name from the original, and then the plugin simply finds no matching setup.
• The plugin is not on the list. css_plugins list via RCON clarifies this in seconds. If the entry is missing, the folder level or the version is wrong.
• The map was reworked. After an update, positions are different; old setups throw the utility into nowhere and have to be adjusted.
• The change has not been loaded at all. Edited setup files only take effect after a restart or css_plugins reload.

And after every larger CS2 update, the rule from plugin frameworks compared applies: first check the chain of Metamod and CounterStrikeSharp, then train. If it hangs, the server keeps running as a normal competitive server without any error message - just without executes. Anyone who does not know this searches the setup files for hours.

Frequently asked questions