Every 2hours.gg account with enough playtime on Steam gets one free 2-hour Small server, once. It works on CS2 and on every other game with a Small size, but it is one free server per account in total, not one per game. This guide uses CS2 as the example. No payment required, no card on file, no time-limited trial. The point is simple, try the product on something real before you spend anything.
What you get
- Small server: up to 4 players (perfect for 1v1, 2v2, or solo aim practice) + 10 GOTV spectator slots
- 2 hours of playtime: plus 30 minutes for your group to join once the server is ready. The 2 hours only start when the first player connects. If nobody joins within those 30 minutes, the free server shuts down.
- Any region: 63 locations worldwide, subject to capacity. If free servers are full in a city at that moment, the deploy page tells you, and you can try again a few minutes later.
- Every feature: MatchZy, SharpTimer, workshop maps, web RCON console, auto-demo, everything paying customers have.
How to claim it
Sign in with your Steam account, pick "Small" on the deploy page, choose a region and 2hr duration. The price reads $0.00 instead of the usual amount. Click deploy.
The free server is a one-time grant per account, not a recurring one. Once you have used it, the Small option still works, it just charges normally from then on.
Who qualifies
Your Steam account needs enough CS2 playtime and no VAC ban. Each game has its own bar, shown on its page under the server sizes.
We read your hours from Steam. In your Steam privacy settings, "Game details" must be Public and the option that keeps your total playtime private must be off. If not, the deploy page tells you so instead of guessing, and checks again within 15 minutes after you change it.
What the 30-minute grace period means
Your free 2 hours don't start the moment the server is ready, they start when the first player connects. You get 30 extra minutes for everyone to log in, counted from when the server is ready, not from when you click deploy. If your group is late and only joins 25 minutes after that, you still get the full 2 hours of playtime.
Unused grace time gets added back at the end too. If only 10 minutes of grace was consumed, the server stays up 20 minutes longer than the nominal end time.
Why we do this
Most server hosts have a free trial that's either a tiny demo (5 players, 30 minutes), or requires a credit card, or both. We do not believe in either. If the product is good, the free run sells itself; if it isn't, a paid trial isn't going to fix that.
After the free run
Paid pricing for a 2-hour server starts at $0.49 for Small, $0.99 for Medium (5v5) and $1.59 for Large (10v10). Those are credit prices. Paying by card costs a bit more ($0.85 for a 2-hour Small). Longer durations are cheaper per hour. Credits never expire.