# Half-Life 2: Deathmatch server hosting > Host a Half-Life 2: Deathmatch server with up to 100 slots, 64-bit binaries, SourceMod plugins and your own map cycle. Gravity Gun chaos on your rules. Bring back the Gravity Gun arena on a server that stays online. Run free-for-all or Combine against Resistance, set your map cycle and add SourceMod plugins. Valve’s February 2025 update raised the slot limit to 100 and added 64-bit binaries. - Dedicated server from SteamCMD (app 232370) - Up to 100 slots since the February 2025 update - Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch - Metamod:Source and SourceMod plugins See plans Find your size Slots The February 2025 update raised the limit to 100 and the default from 2 to 24 slots. Up to 100 (+maxplayers)\ Port Game traffic uses UDP; the remote console (RCON) uses TCP on the same port. 27015 UDP · TCP (RCON)\ Game modes Deathmatch · Team Deathmatch\ Server build 64-bit, updated August 2026\ Plugins Metamod:Source · SourceMod\ Anti-cheat VAC Options - Deathmatch - Team Deathmatch - SourceMod - SourceTV - Custom maps - 64-bit Game facts from Valve’s Steam update notes, SteamCMD data and the AlliedModders wiki, checked in October 2026. - DDoS protection - 20 game server locations ## Half-Life 2: Deathmatch plans are being prepared Tell us your slot count, maps and plugins, and our team will reply with the options. Or open a ticket and we will let you know when the plans are online. [Contact sales](https://hyperdc.com/contact-us) [Open a ticket](https://hyperdc.com/support/new-ticket) ## How big should a Half-Life 2: Deathmatch server be? HL2DM is a light Source engine server. Slots, physics-heavy custom maps and plugins decide the load, and single-core speed matters most. | Feature | **Small** Up to 16 slots | Recommended **Standard** Up to 32 slots | **Large** Up to 64 slots | **Chaos** Up to 100 slots | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Memory (RAM)Memory for the map, the physics objects and every connected player. | 1 GB | 2 GB | 3 GB | 4 GB | | CPU coresThe game simulates the world mostly on one thread, so fast cores matter more than many cores. | 1–2 | 2 | 2–3 | 3–4 | | Disk spaceRoom for the game files, custom maps, SourceTV demos and logs. | 10 GB | 10 GB | 15 GB | 15 GB | | MapsStock maps such as dm\_lockdown are light; large custom maps with many physics props need more CPU. | Stock maps | Stock and custom maps | Custom map rotation | Large maps only | | Typical use | Friends and small matches | A community deathmatch server | Busy public server with plugins | Events and 100-player chaos | - ### Small Up to 16 slots Memory (RAM)Memory for the map, the physics objects and every connected player. 1 GB\ CPU coresThe game simulates the world mostly on one thread, so fast cores matter more than many cores. 1–2\ Disk spaceRoom for the game files, custom maps, SourceTV demos and logs. 10 GB\ MapsStock maps such as dm\_lockdown are light; large custom maps with many physics props need more CPU. Stock maps\ Typical use Friends and small matches - Recommended ### Standard Up to 32 slots Memory (RAM)Memory for the map, the physics objects and every connected player. 2 GB\ CPU coresThe game simulates the world mostly on one thread, so fast cores matter more than many cores. 2\ Disk spaceRoom for the game files, custom maps, SourceTV demos and logs. 10 GB\ MapsStock maps such as dm\_lockdown are light; large custom maps with many physics props need more CPU. Stock and custom maps\ Typical use A community deathmatch server - ### Large Up to 64 slots Memory (RAM)Memory for the map, the physics objects and every connected player. 3 GB\ CPU coresThe game simulates the world mostly on one thread, so fast cores matter more than many cores. 2–3\ Disk spaceRoom for the game files, custom maps, SourceTV demos and logs. 15 GB\ MapsStock maps such as dm\_lockdown are light; large custom maps with many physics props need more CPU. Custom map rotation\ Typical use Busy public server with plugins - ### Chaos Up to 100 slots Memory (RAM)Memory for the map, the physics objects and every connected player. 4 GB\ CPU coresThe game simulates the world mostly on one thread, so fast cores matter more than many cores. 3–4\ Disk spaceRoom for the game files, custom maps, SourceTV demos and logs. 15 GB\ MapsStock maps such as dm\_lockdown are light; large custom maps with many physics props need more CPU. Large maps only\ Typical use Events and 100-player chaos Valve publishes no server hardware figures; these starting points follow common practice for Source engine servers. Many plugins and very high slot counts need faster cores. ## Game modes, maps and plugins A classic Source engine server: your rules in server.cfg, your maps in the map cycle and SourceMod for everything else. ### Deathmatch or teams Set mp\_teamplay 0 for free-for-all or 1 for Combine against Resistance, with mp\_fraglimit and mp\_timelimit for the round rules. ### Map cycle List your maps in mapcycle.txt; the server falls back to mapcycle\_default.txt when that file is missing. ### Custom maps Put custom .bsp maps in the hl2mp/maps folder and turn on sv\_allowdownload so players receive missing maps when they join. ### SourceMod and Metamod:Source Both list HL2DM as a supported game. Add admin menus, map votes, stats and anti-spawn-kill plugins. ### Gravity Gun rules Since February 2025, hl2mp\_allow\_pickup lets players pick up objects without the Gravity Gun. ### 64-bit server 64-bit binaries start automatically on a 64-bit system, and Steam Networking support arrived with the same update. ## Set up your HL2DM server Four steps from an empty server to the first frag. 1. ### Pick slots and mode Choose a size from the table above, then free-for-all or team deathmatch. 2. ### Pick a location Choose the one closest to your players from our 20 game server locations. 3. ### Edit server.cfg Set hostname, rcon\_password, mp\_teamplay and your limits in hl2mp/cfg/server.cfg, then build your mapcycle.txt. 4. ### Join the arena Find the server in the in-game browser or type connect with the address in the console. ## Other game servers you might like [See every game](https://hyperdc.com/game-server-hosting) [See all shooter servers](https://hyperdc.com/game-servers/fps-game-servers) ### Counter-Strike 2 Competitive, wingman and community servers with Workshop maps. 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Up to 100 since Valve’s February 2025 update, which also raised the default from 2 to 24 slots. Set the slots with +maxplayers on the command line. ### Which port does the server use? 27015 by default: UDP for the game and server queries, TCP on the same port for the remote console. Change it with -port when you start the server. ### How do I switch between deathmatch and team deathmatch? Set mp\_teamplay 0 for free-for-all deathmatch or mp\_teamplay 1 for Combine against Resistance, then change the map. mp\_fraglimit and mp\_timelimit end each round. ### How do I add custom maps? Copy the .bsp files into hl2mp/maps, add them to mapcycle.txt and set sv\_allowdownload 1 so players without the map can download it when they join. ### Can I use SourceMod on HL2DM? Yes. Metamod:Source and SourceMod both list Half-Life 2: Deathmatch as a supported game, so admin menus, map votes and community plugins work. ### How do I manage the server remotely? Set rcon\_password in server.cfg. In the game console, type rcon\_password with the password, then send commands with rcon, for example rcon changelevel dm\_lockdown. ### Is the HL2DM server 64-bit? Yes. Since February 2025, 64-bit binaries start automatically on systems with a 64-bit operating system. ### Does Valve still update Half-Life 2: Deathmatch? Yes. The latest update arrived in August 2026 with security and stability fixes and a Linux fix for custom maps. Update the server with SteamCMD app 232370 after each patch. ### How do I lock the server with a password? Set sv\_password in server.cfg. Players then enter the password when they connect; leave it empty for a public server. ## Ready to load the Gravity Gun? Tell us your slots, maps and plugins, and we will help you pick the right HL2DM server. See plans [Contact sales](https://hyperdc.com/contact-us) --- Source: \ Updated: 2026-10-09