Community servers in CS:GO are a popular alternative for players looking to expand their horizons beyond the fairly limited pool of options available on Valve’s official servers. While third-party platforms like ESEA, FACEIT, and CEVO offer an improved 5v5 experience, most of the community servers offer experiences that are quite different from ‘regular’ Counter-Strike. These servers include surf, bhop and AWP servers, and there’s a huge number of these digital gathering places around the world. Of course, much like people and everything else in the world, not all community servers are created equal. You can find a a nice, quiet server where everyone is just doing their own thing, or you can hop into a server where everyone is blasting rap music over the mic and 12 year olds are screaming profanities at you. If you’re looking for a good place to try out a new game mode, work on your mechanics, or meet cool people, you should check out our favorite community servers on the West Coast.
AbyssNetwork: 24/7 Surf Utopia Server
First up we have AbyssNetwork’s “24/7 Surf Utopia.” Immediately upon joining, the first thing one notices is the loud people talking and screaming at each other. When I played on the server, some guy was playing loud rap music over the mic, didn’t stop when he got warned, and ended up getting banned by an admin. Other than that, it’s just your generic, everyday surf server that’s modded to let you choose your own gun, knife, and glove skins.
Some people argue that surfing can help with finding the best way to run while keeping your speed, while others disagree.
AbyssNetwork: #1 Ez BHOP 24/7 Server
The second server we have on offer is the “LA #1 Ez BHOP 24/7”, also hosted by AbyssNetwork. In stark contrast to the previous one, this server is dead silent, and most of the communication happens in text chat. The server also has built-in acceleration which makes bhopping easy for total beginners like me. This built-in acceleration means that the server automatically increases your movement speed while you’re jumping from platform to platform. It’s like training wheels for CS:GO, and for new bhoppers, it’s a very welcome feature.
Skynetgaming: 24/7 AWP Server
The third server on this list is the “24/7 AWP Server” hosted by Skynetgaming. It’s a bit different from standard AWP servers, featuring lower gravity, round end music, Quake sound effects, and an interesting game mode called “Deagle AWPs” where Deagles behave like AWPs.
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AWP servers teach you how to properly flick to an enemy, and you’re able to work on predicting enemy movements and adjusting your crosshair accordingly. Spending time on a server like this one is an excellent way to improve your consistency on the AWP. As far as aim training for CS:GO is concerned, servers like these are a great place to refine your skills against human opponents.
n0thing.TV’s FFA(Free-for-all) DM Server
Next up, we’ve got Jordan “n0thing” Gilbert’s very own “FFA(Free-for-all) DM” server, hosted by HSFactory. Like a lot of n0thing.TV servers, this one is almost always full. After I managed to get in, it was fairly quiet — the hectic gameplay of a FFA deathmatch doesn’t leave you with much room for talking, and players are usually focused on their individual practice regimen. All in all, it’s a pretty standard FFA server with quality ping and gameplay. The players are pretty good, and you might run into the occasional pro or two.
FFA DM is good for training your overall reflexes, crosshair placement and aim control. Since there are no teams, enemies can and will spawn all around you, prompting you to react extremely quickly to kill them.
AbyssNetwork: 24/7 Surf Kitsune Server
Last but not least, there’s another AbyssNetwork server on the West Coast called “24/7 Surf Kitsune.” Out of sheer curiosity I looked up what “kitsune” meant and it turns out it’s the Japanese word for “fox,” which makes the name of this server “24/7 Surf Fox.” Compared to Surf Utopia, Kitsune is usually quiet, and has lots of grid style maps and fairly short ramps, making it an ideal place for beginners to practice their surfing. I like it.
Did we miss one of your favorite West Coast CS:GO community servers? Tell us on Twitter and we’ll check it out!
