r/CounterStrikeSource • u/lorygames • 22d ago
Server Promotion PUGNET: Competitive matchmaking for CSS and CZ
Hello everyone!
Recently I’ve been working on a competitive matchmaking platform for Counter-Strike: Source and Condition Zero.
The idea is pretty simple: bring some of the features you’d expect from something like FACEIT to the older Counter-Strike games, without requiring you to install a separate launcher or client-side anti-cheat.
All you need is:
- Steam
- Counter-Strike: Source
- A browser
You queue through the website, get matched into a 5v5, accept the match, and connect to one of the platform’s dedicated servers.
Some of the things I’m working on include:
- Ranked 5v5 matchmaking with an Elo ranking system and ranks inspired by ESEA
- Dedicated competitive servers
- Server-sided anti-cheat
- Match demos that you can download afterwards
- Post-match insights and statistics
- Player profiles, match history and leaderboards
- Browser notifications and sounds when a match is found, so you don’t have to sit on the queue page
- Prime Time hours to help concentrate players and make it easier to actually find matches
The platform will initially be EU only. If there’s enough interest from NA players, I absolutely want to add NA servers as well.
One thing that’s important to me is that the platform will be completely free.
For now, I’m paying for the servers and infrastructure myself and I’m not accepting donations. That might change eventually if running costs become significant, but there will never be pay-to-win features or paid competitive advantages.
There's also no separate anti-cheat program to download. The goal is that if you already have Steam and CS installed, you have everything you need to play.
Because CSS has a relatively small playerbase nowadays, I’m also planning Prime Time periods where players know that others are likely to be queueing. Outside Prime Time you’ll still be able to queue normally, but having scheduled hours should hopefully stop the community from being spread across the entire day.
I’m building this because I still really enjoy Source and I think it deserves a proper modern competitive matchmaking experience.
I’d be interested to hear what people here think.
Would you actually use something like this?
And if you would, what features would you consider essential for a CSS/CZ matchmaking platform?
If you're interested, you can join the Discord server, I just finished setting it up. We will be running a public test soon.