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If you plan to host dedicated game servers on Windows, the first tool you’ll need is SteamCMD. This official command-line utility from Valve allows you to download and manage dedicated game servers on Windows Server 2025
Step 1: Download SteamCMD
Visit the official SteamCMD page:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD
Download the Windows (.zip) version of SteamCMD:
Step 2: Extract the Files
Create a folder where SteamCMD will be installed, for example:
E:\steamcmd
Extract the downloaded ZIP file into this folder.
Step 3: Run SteamCMD
Navigate to the SteamCMD folder.Double-click on steamcmd.exe.
On first launch, SteamCMD will automatically update and download all required files.
Step 4: Log in to SteamCMD
Once SteamCMD is running, log in using one of these methods:
Anonymous login (works for most dedicated servers):
login anonymous
Steam account login (required for games with licensing restrictions):
login your_steam_usernameStep 5: Install a Game Server
To install a dedicated server, you’ll need its App ID. For example, to install a CS:GO server:
force_install_dir C:\csgo-server
app_update 740 validate
After the download finishes, your server files will be ready.
