The system requirements of a SrcDS server are pretty low nowadays:

• CPU: Basically anything will do nowadays. When it comes to hosting multiple servers from a single machine, we recommend limiting the load to one SrcDS instance (server) per core. Higher specced machines you may be able to get away with more than one SrcDS instance per core.
  
  We recommend starting off with at least 2 cores for performance reasons.

• RAM: You're looking at less than 512MB of RAM usage per SrcDS instance.

• Network:
  • Static IP: If you're hosting a public server, we recommend a static IP as it will make it easier for returning players to find your server.
  • Speed: At least 1Mbps download, 8Mbps upload (16-slot server).
  • Latency: Lower is better! We recommend less than 100ms between the client and the server for an optimal experience.

If you don't have a capable setup or the instructions seem daunting to you, you are encouraged to use a game hosting company such as NFO Servers.

Having issues? Please check our troubleshooting articles.

This article is intended for those who want to run their own public server. Server owners should have familiarity with the command line, text editors, and basic network concepts.

If you're a casual user who just wants a private match with friends, try a listen server instead.

For this guide, we will install things to certain directories as examples. However, provided that you modify any references to a path, everything we download can be put wherever you like.

These are the installation directories we will use in this guide:

SteamCMD: C:\steamcmd

Source 2007 Dedicated Server: C:\servers\GEServer

GoldenEye: Source: C:\servers\GEServer\gesource

It is the writer's preference to install the Source 2007 DS and GE:S under the same root folder (GEServer in this case) and keep one copy of the Source 2007 DS per GE:S server, as this is sometimes easier, particularly when using game server control panels such as UGCC.

However, this is not required. You can optionally install one shared copy of Source 2007 DS to save space. This guide will assume you want to go with the layout specified by the file paths above, in which each GE:S server has its own copy of the Source 2007 DS.

Download and install the 32-bit Visual Studio C++ 2012 redistributable. Make sure you choose vcredist_x86.exe.

To download Source 2007 Dedicated Server, you need SteamCMD, the command-line version of Steam. You can download SteamCMD from the following URL: https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/client/installer/steamcmd.zip

Extract the contents of the archive you downloaded to C:\steamcmd and then run the newly-extracted C:\steamcmd\steamcmd.exe.

After you have downloaded and run SteamCMD, it will update and eventually you will land at the Steam> prompt.

When at the Steam> prompt, log onto Steam anonymously by typing:

logon anonymous

Set the target install directory:

force_install_dir "C:\servers\GEServer"

Install Source 2007 Dedicated server:

app_update 310

Once you're all done, safely exit Steam using quit. You now have Source 2007 Dedicated Server installed. You may need to repeat this process if Valve releases an update for Source 2007.

You can automate all of the above at the command line. Simply run the executable, appending the commands in the order you want them to run in, with a plus sign (+) before each command. This is useful for automating future installations and updates of the server. For example:

steamcmd +logon anonymous +force_install_dir "C:\servers\GEServer" +app_update 310 validate +quit

Grab the Server install archive from the Server Downloads page. Then, extract the gesource folder to C:\servers\GEServer\gesource.

With the files in place, you are now ready to run the server.

Using Notepad or another text editor, create the file C:\servers\GEServer\start.bat. Paste the following into the file:

srcds.exe -console -game gesource +maxplayers 16 +map ge_archives

Run start.bat and if all goes well, your server is now running. If you are on the same LAN as the game server, you should see the server pop up under the “LAN” tab of the server browser.

The above instructions get the server running interactively – that is, running on-screen with a user logged in.

To install the server as a Windows service, try using NSSM.

Download and put it at a permanent location on your server, as the created service will refer to the nssm.exe executable.

Then, using an Administrator command prompt, change to your NSSM directory and execute the following command:

nssm install geserver "c:\servers\GEServer\srcds.exe" "-console -condebug -game gesource +maxplayers 16 +map ge_archives"

Afterwards, to edit any properties of your service, you can execute the following command (either in the NSSM directory or with it in your %PATH%):

nssm edit geserver

geserver is the Windows service name; you can change it to be anything you want. Also, we add the -condebug option here as it will output the console to `gesource\console.log` and allow us to see the console even with the server running in the background.

If you have any issues with launching your service, check the Windows Event Viewer.

To access your server over the Internet, you need to allow port 27015 TCP and UDP through any firewalls. If you're behind a NAT router, you also need to forward these ports to the device hosting your server.

Note: A local server will always appear under the LAN tab, not the Internet tab. The best way to verify the server is reachable online is for a friend to connect to it.

If you're running multiple servers from a single host, you may want to specify a custom port number for each server using the -port launch option. For example, you would add -port 27016 to the launch parameters. You do, of course, need to whitelist/forward whatever port number(s) you decide to use.

After you have a functional GoldenEye: Source server, you can customize settings to your liking. For information on server customization, please check the Server Guides page.

For common issues, including VAC or Steam connection issues, please check the troubleshooting page.