CS2 Bot Commands: Console Commands to Add Bots, Kick Bots, and Control Bot Difficulty

CS2 bot commands are basically the "DIY training room" button Valve forgot to put on the main menu. Want a clean 1v10 retake without sweaty humans? Want bots frozen in a specific angle so you can drill a prefire until it's muscle memory? The developer console is where that magic happens.

And yeah — if you're here because you typed "add bot command cs go" or "csgo add bots command" out of habit… welcome to the club. Most bot commands CS2 players use are still the classic Counter-Strike ones, just with a few CS2 quirks (and a couple of "why is this flagged as cheat?" moments).

What are bots in CS2 and why use bot commands?

Bots in Counter-Strike 2 are AI players you can spawn into a local/private server for practice, testing utility, or just messing around. The real value isn't "playing a full match vs bots" (that gets old fast) — it's using bots as training props.

Here's what I personally use cs2 bot console commands for:

• Aim warmup without matchmaking pressure

• Angle rehearsal (placing a bot where a real player would peek)

• Utility testing (smokes/flash lineups with a "body" in the spot)

• 1vX scenarios (classic "I'm the last guy alive" practice)

• Movement drills (bots moving but not shooting, so you focus on strafes)

Just keep it real: bots are not perfect scrim partners. Sometimes they path weird, sometimes they "feel" too easy or too random — Valve still tweaks bot behavior and settings over time. But you don't even need these practics when you're using private programs like VREDUX.

Enable the developer console in CS2

CS2 bot commands don't matter if you can't open the console. Here's the quick setup:

1. Open Settings (gear icon).

2. Go to the Game tab.

3. Set Enable Developer Console to Yes.

4. Press ~ (tilde) in-game to open it.

If ~ doesn't work, it's usually a keyboard layout thing. On some layouts the console key moves, so check your keybinds.

How to add bots in CS2

This is where most people get stuck, because CS2 doesn't always hand-hold the way CS:GO did.

Method 1: Start a Practice match that spawns bots automatically

CS2 will often spawn bots for you when you launch a Practice session (depending on the mode/map). That's the "no-brain" method: start the match, then manage bots with commands once you're in.

It's not glamorous, but it's fast. And honestly? For 90% of players, this is the cleanest start.

Method 2: Add bots via console commands

If you want real control (team, number, setup), use these:

• bot_add — adds a bot to balance teams

• bot_add_ct — adds a bot to Counter-Terrorists

• bot_add_t — adds a bot to Terrorists

If you're trying to create an unbalanced scenario (like 1v10), you also need to disable the rules that constantly "fix" the teams:

• mp_autoteambalance 0

• mp_limitteams 0

A quick "setup combo" I use a lot looks like this:

mp_autoteambalance 0
mp_limitteams 0
bot_kick
bot_add_t
bot_add_t
bot_add_t

(Repeat bot_add_t until your enemy team looks like a small army.)

CS2 bot command cheat sheet

Here's the short list of cs 2 bot commands I actually see people use daily. I'm also marking whether you usually need sv_cheats 1 (because CS2 loves hiding useful stuff behind that gate).

If you type a command and see something like "cheats are not enabled", just do:

sv_cheats 1

Only do this in offline/private practice. On official servers, you won't have permissions anyway.

Change bot difficulty in CS2 and fix the "it doesn't work" problem

Bot difficulty is the #1 thing players google after "cs2 add bots command", because default bots can feel… politely clueless.

The reliable baseline: bot_difficulty

Valve's command list documents bot_difficulty with values that map cleanly from easy to expert (and the defaults are usually in that 0–3 range).

A practical tip: difficulty often applies cleanly to newly spawned bots, so if you change difficulty mid-session, do this:

1. Set difficulty: bot_difficulty 3

2. Remove bots: bot_kick

3. Add bots again: bot_add_t / bot_add_ct

Why some guides show more levels (0–4, 0–5, etc.)

You'll see community guides listing extra difficulty levels, including "harmless" and "expert" at higher numbers. For example, some guides show bot_difficulty 0 as "harmless" and bot_difficulty 4 as "expert."

Here's the honest part: difficulty behavior in CS2 has been inconsistent across modes and updates, and there's also a separate variable used in some practice contexts:

• custom_bot_difficulty X (often used for "custom/practice" style sessions)

If your bots stubbornly ignore bot_difficulty, try:

• custom_bot_difficulty 3 (or 4/5 if your build supports it)

And if bots "auto-scale" when you don't want them to, some players disable auto-adjust:

• sv_auto_adjust_bot_difficulty false

No promises this fixes every weird edge case (CS2 gonna CS2), but it's the first thing I try when difficulty feels "stuck."

Manipulate bots for real practice

This is where bot commands cs2 go from "cute" to "actually useful."

Freeze/stop bots for angle practice

If you want to practice clearing angles like it's a replay loop:

• bot_stop 1 — bots basically become statues

• bot_stop 0 — normal behavior returns

I like this for "swing → stop → pre-aim → shoot" drills. It's boring… which is exactly why it works.

Place a bot where your crosshair is

If you're looking for the cs2 spawn bot command, this is the closest thing to what you mean:

• bot_place — puts a bot at your aimed spot (or teleports one there)

Even better: bind it so you're not typing it 50 times.

bind "i" "bot_place"

CSGAMER shows the same idea with an example bind/unbind workflow.

Force bot weapons (pistols/snipers/knives)

For weapon-specific practice:

• bot_knives_only

• bot_pistols_only

• bot_snipers_only

• bot_all_weapons

I'm a big fan of pistols-only bots for crosshair placement. You're punished for bad peeks, but not instantly deleted by an "AI aimbot" rifle burst.

Make bots mimic you (fun, but weird)

bot_mimic 1 makes bots copy your movement/actions. It's hilarious… and also a little janky. One common issue: bots facing you in a way that breaks following behavior, and a CS:GO-era fix (bot_mimic_inverse) isn't available in CS2 per some guides.

Use it for experiments, not for serious "real match simulation."

Troubleshooting: why your CS2 bot console commands aren't working

If your cs2 bot commands do nothing, it's usually one of these:

• You're on an official Valve server (no admin rights = no server commands).

• Console isn't enabled (see the console steps above).

• You're trying a cheat-flagged command without sv_cheats 1 (common with bot_place, bot_stop, etc.).

• Auto-balance keeps moving bots — fix with mp_autoteambalance 0 and mp_limitteams 0.

• Bots refuse to behave in a mode because of quota settings. Valve docs note that bot_add may do nothing in some cases (for example, with quota settings like fill).

• If you're running a "classic" style setup with bots and they act frozen/weird, Valve docs have even warned that certain bot_quota_mode values can cause bots to stop in classic modes.

FAQ: CS2 bot commands

Do bot commands work in matchmaking?

Nope. Not in any useful way. You need an offline server, private lobby, or admin permissions.

What's the "add bot command" in CS2 / CS:GO?

The classic one is bot_add. If you want a specific side: bot_add_t or bot_add_ct. Yes, it's basically the same answer for people searching add bot command csgo or csgo add bots command.

How do I kick all bots fast?

bot_kick removes all bots.

Can I add bots to only one team?

Yes, but you'll usually want mp_autoteambalance 0 and mp_limitteams 0 so CS2 doesn't "fix" your setup.

Why doesn't bot difficulty change mid-game?

Because sometimes it only affects newly spawned bots. Kick and re-add them after setting difficulty (and if that still fails, try custom_bot_difficulty).

Wrap-up: build your own bot practice "server" in 60 seconds

Here's what you really need to remember: CS2 bot commands are less about playing a full bot match, and more about controlling a training environment. Add bots, lock teams, set difficulty, place them where you want, and suddenly you've got a practice tool that's actually worth your time.

Try this tonight: set up a 1v5, bind bot_place, and drill one map angle until it feels boring. That's when you know it's working. And if you want more "console quality of life," check VREDUX guides like showing FPS or other CS2 console basics (it makes bot practice way less annoying).