Top 5 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Hosting Providers in 2022
The original Counter-Strike came out almost two decades ago and changed the face of online gaming forever. I think it’s pretty safe to say that CS as a whole is one of the most influential FPS series of all time and helped shape eSports as we know it today. The most recent installment, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, continues that proud legacy even now, almost two decades since the series’ humble beginnings as a mod for Half-Life.
CS: GO is more popular than ever in 2022, thanks in no small part to Valve’s decision to make it a free-to-play game late last year. The move resulted in a flood of new players eager to put their shooting skills to the test. However, it also caused a few problems.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a very difficult game by its very nature and has become more competitive than ever after going free-to-play. The change in the business model also opened the gates to a new wave of trolls and hackers who feel right at home in CS: GO’s already a fairly toxic community. Because of these reasons, CS: GO has become pretty brutal for new players who are just now trying to learn the game and see what the fuss is all about.
The good news is that you can easily avoid all the headaches I just described by simply hosting or renting your own CS: GO server. This will allow you to enjoy the game alongside friendly people and avoid the toxic ones in the process. If you decide to make the server public and allow anybody in, you can also just kick the people who are causing trouble. In other words, you would have full control over what’s happening on your server.
Renting a CS:GO Server vs. Hosting Your Own
Having your own CS: GO server clearly comes with a lot of benefits, especially if you’re new to the game. But is it better to host the server on your computer or rent one from a game hosting provider? That’s a very important question to consider because there are pros and cons to both options.
On one hand, hosting the server on your PC is free but requires you to allocate resources to it and spend the time needed to set it up. Meanwhile, renting a server will cost you a bit of money but you can just sit back and let your hosting provider take care of all the hard work.
If you’ve never hosted a game server before, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive might not be the best place to start. The setup process is fairly complicated for people who aren’t very tech-savvy so you’ll probably need to look up some good tutorials if you want to learn how to pull it off. As far as the resource allocation is concerned, CS: GO isn’t an extremely demanding title but you’ll still need to set aside a decent amount of memory in order to ensure smooth gameplay for everybody on the server.
Mandatory Reliable Internet Connection
Another potential problem with hosting your own server is the internet connection. Since this is an online game, you’ll need a connection that’s not only fast but also reliable. If the host loses connectivity, all other players will get kicked out of the game.
If you’re looking to avoid issues like that, I recommend simply renting a server instead. CS: GO servers are pretty cheap these days and there are plenty of reliable companies out there that can offer a great bang for your buck.
A Few Things to Note About Hosting Providers
There’s certainly no shortage of hosting providers that specialize in video games these days. You only need to do a quick Google search to find dozens of different companies that would be more than happy to host your Counter-Strike: Global Offensive server. Before you decide to sign up with any of these companies, make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for.
If the price is your main concern there’s no need to worry because there are plenty of providers that charge very little for their services. However, it’s always risky to go with the cheapest possible option. Many of the top-rated providers are usually a bit expensive but that’s only because they offer quality services. Although the price is definitely an important factor to consider, I would recommend focusing more on the features.
Important Features to Look For
So what sort of features should you be looking for? Well, if you’re planning on playing with mods you’ll want to look for a provider that offers good mod support, ideally with one-click installs and Steam Workshop integration. DDoS protection and free debranding are two other features you should keep an eye on, though most providers include them by default nowadays. In some cases, you’ll find that certain providers offer special features like free voice servers or generous discounts for paying in advance. Always keep an eye out for these types of special features.
The size and location of your server are just as important as everything else. If you don’t want to make your server public and don’t have a lot of friends to play with, it makes little sense to rent a high-capacity server. As far as the location is concerned, you’ll want to rent a server that’s as close to you as possible so you won’t have to worry about high latency.
Top 5 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Server Providers
If you don’t feel like spending a whole day browsing through the websites of various companies trying to find one that’s just perfect for you, I suggest checking out some of my recommendations down below. I handpicked five highly-rated companies that will do a great job at hosting your CS: GO server.
I put together a ranked list but I suggest carefully reading my notes about all of these companies instead of automatically going with my first or second pick. All the providers I covered below have something interesting to offer so take some time to learn about them before you make a decision.
1. PingPerfect
PingPerfect is an experienced company that has been providing game servers since 2012. There are plenty of nice features to look forward to here and the prices are pretty standard so you really can’t go wrong with these guys.
Features
Some of the standout features of PingPerfect include free web hosting, game switching, and a mobile control panel. The company has a solid server backup system but you’ll need to take care of backups manually. PingPerfect also includes full FTP access, a TCAdmin control panel, free debranding, DDoS protection, and decent mod support. Money-back guarantee is available but only for 24 hours, which is not a whole lot. The location coverage is very good, as PingPerfect has data centers on almost every continent. The company also offers extreme performance servers for an extra fee.
Pricing
Prices at PingPerfect range anywhere between $5.10 per month for 10-slot servers and $32.64 per month for 64-slot servers. The company has a pretty good server customization system that allows you to tweak a number of options, including the CPU priority, storage type, tickrate, and more. For the most part, all these options are fairly priced, however, I found the $19.23 Platinum customer support options to be a bit too expensive for my taste. PingPerfect has a flexible payment system and accepts monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and yearly payments. The company doesn’t do a great job at communicating this, but you can benefit from discounts of up to 15% by paying in advance.
Support
PingPerfect offers 24/7 customer support and uses pretty much all the channels you can think of. This includes email, tickets, live chat, and phone. The company also has its own forums and you can even reach them via phone.
Pros:
- Free web hosting
- Customizable servers
- Flexible payment system + discounts
- Great support
- Great location coverage
Cons:
- No automatic backups
- Paid priority support
2. Low.ms
Low.ms has only been around for about three years or so but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming one of the most popular game hosting providers out there. That’s not all that surprising, though, considering that the company offers very good services and reasonable prices.
Features
Low.ms invests heavily in hardware so you won’t have to worry about performance with these guys. You also get most of the essential features, including DDoS protection, free debranding, location switching, TCAdmin control panel, and full FTP access. Automatic game updates and server backups are included as well, along with good mod support complete with Steam Workshop integration and 1-click installs. There’s also a nice feature called game switching that lets you switch your Counter-Strike: Global Offensive server with that of another game hosted by Low.ms. As far as the location coverage is concerned, you have 11 data centers to choose from spread across four continents.
Pricing
Prices at Low.ms start at $4.90 per month for a 10-slot server and reach up to $31.36 for a 64-slot server. The company also offers 128 tickrate servers with prices ranging between $7.30 and $46.72 per month. These servers don’t come with free debranding but it only costs $1.83 per month to remove the branding so that’s not too bad. Low.ms offers a few server customization options but I found them to be a bit expensive for the most part. Another potential drawback for some people is that Low.ms only works with monthly payments.
Support
Low.ms offers 24/7 customer support via tickets or email. There is no live chat at the time of this writing but the company says there will be at some point in the future. In the meanwhile, you can also reach them via Discord or get some quick help by checking out the knowledge base on the official website.
Pros:
- Game switching
- Good location coverage
- Good prices
- Good performance
Cons:
- Expensive server customization
- Only accepts monthly payments
3. Streamline Servers
Streamline has plenty of experience under its belt and has a generally good reputation among gamers. Its services aren’t the cheapest out there but you do get what you pay for, especially since the company tends to include nice freebies with all of its packages.
Features
Streamline offers free DDoS protection and debranding along with full FTP access and a TCAdmin control panel. The mod support is really good so you can expect advanced features like 1-click installs and a mod manager GUI. Daily automatic backups are available but you’ll need to unlock access to them by paying an extra $3.75 per month. On the bright side, you do get free game server migration, a free FastDL server, and even a free month of Tebex, which is a payment system specifically designed with gaming communities in mind. Streamline has very good location coverage, with 22 data centers to choose from across almost a dozen countries.
Pricing
Renting a CS: GO server from Streamline will set you back anywhere between $7.50 per month (10 slots) and $48 per month (64 slots). The prices are a bit above average, however, Streamline offers reasonably priced server customization that allows you to tweak things like the tickrate, CPU speed, and CPU priority. Streamline works with monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and yearly billing cycles. Paying in advance will net you some nice discounts that can reach up to 20% off for yearly purchases.
Support
Streamline offers 24/7 customer support but only via its ticket system. You can also try reaching out to support agents via live chat but you won’t always find one available. If all else fails, I would recommend checking out the knowledge base on the official website because you can find a lot of useful tutorials there.
Pros:
- Free game server migration
- Great location coverage
- Flexible payment system + discounts
- Customizable servers
Cons:
- Paid automatic backups
- Prices are slightly above average
4. GameServers
GameServers is a name you’ll probably recognize right away because this hosting provider has been around for a very long time. The company is very reliable and offers great services, though its prices are a bit on the expensive side.
Features
GameServers’ packages come with free debranding, location switching, DDoS protection, and mod support. You can access the server with the help of a custom control panel or via FTP if you want to play around with the game files. The company includes server migration services free of charge and a 5-day money-back guarantee but doesn’t offer automatic game updates or server backups so you’ll need to take care of those things manually. As far as the location coverage is concerned, you’re very likely to find a server that’s relatively close to you as GameServers has data centers in over a dozen countries ranging from the US and Canada to Japan and Australia.
Pricing
Prices for private servers start at $9.55 per month for 12 slots and can reach up to $25.55 per month for 32 slots. The company also offers public servers with prices ranging between $11.95 and $31.95 per month depending on how many slots you want. For a few extra bucks per month, you can add a voice server of your choice (Mumble, Ventrilo, TeamSpeak) to your package for 50% off the regular price. GameServers works with monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, and yearly billing cycles. You can benefit from some pretty nice discounts of up to a maximum of 15% off for paying in advance.
Support
GameServers offers 24/7 customer support via email or through its ticket system. Strangely enough, the company doesn’t have a knowledge base or an FAQ section on its official website so you’ll need to rely entirely on the primary support channels if you need help with your server.
Pros:
- Great location coverage
- Flexible payment system + discounts
- Free server migration
- 50% off voice servers
- Offers both private and public servers
Cons:
- Fairly expensive
- No automatic backups
5. Host Havoc
Host Havoc is a very reliable provider that gets consistently great reviews from gamers. Although the company doesn’t necessarily do anything special, its services are very solid and the prices are always fair.
Features
All Counter-Strike: Global Offensive packages come with free DDoS protection, debranding, full FTP access, and a TCAdmin control panel. The mod support is pretty good and includes one-click installs. The company doesn’t offer automatic server backups but you do get automatic game updates and restarts. Host Havoc also offers free server migration, which is a very nice feature to have if you’re switching from a different provider. The location coverage is pretty decent, with nine data centers to choose from scattered around the US, Europe, and Australia.
Pricing
Host Havoc offers affordable servers that start at $10 per month for 20 slots and can reach up to $50 per month for 100 slots. The minimum number of slots you can rent is a bit high but it’s hard to argue with the price per slot, which comes in at just $0.5. If you have a bit of money to spare, you can increase your CPU priority for just $4 per month. Host Havoc only accepts monthly and quarterly payments for CS: GO servers so there’s not a lot of flexibility compared to other providers. However, you do get 5% off if you go with the quarterly plan.
Support
Host Havoc offers 24/7 customer support and can be contacted via email, live chat or a ticket system. If you’re just looking for some information, you can also hit up the FAQ section or the knowledge base on the official website to find tutorials and other helpful articles.
Pros:
- Free server migration
- Good prices
- Good support
Cons:
- No automatic backups
- High minimum slots
Final Thoughts
If you’re thinking about jumping into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for the first time I would strongly recommend first playing on a private server. CS: GO can be a very fun game but only if you play it with the right people. Otherwise, you might be in for a bad time because the CS: GO community can be pretty toxic at times.
Although you can avoid that by hosting your own server, I suggest renting one in order to avoid any headaches. As you see from my list, you can get away with renting a server for just a few bucks a month and you can expect a wide variety of benefits in return. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive itself is free so there are no additional investments to worry about.
So which provider should you go for? That, of course, depends entirely on your specific needs. Price-wise, you can expect to pay anywhere between $0.50 and $1 per slot regardless of which company you go with, which is pretty reasonable. Therefore, the features and location coverage should be the deciding factors for most people. Make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for because chances are at least one of the five providers I covered in this article can offer a hosting package that’s right up your alley.
