How to 1v1 in CS:GO: 1v1 Lobby Tutorial

Sometimes, some friendly AWP battles are all you need.

Image via Valve

CS:GO is inherently a team-based game, requiring all sorts of coordination and tactics with your teammates if you’re looking to win. Covering all angles, taking down your opponents, and maintaining control of the bomb are all important things during any given match. Sometimes though, you and your friend want to engage in some (definitely) friendly competition through a 1v1. How you do that in the game is a little bit confusing. Here’s how to get a 1v1 lobby set up in CS:GO.

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There are several ways to start a 1v1 lobby in CS:GO, depending on what you want to do. If you’re looking for a standard 1v1 either in Deathmatch or through the standard Bomb Defusal/Hostage game modes, then the process is super easy. When selecting a map (or maps) to play on, click the Official Matchmaking button in the top left and select Practice With Bots. Then, select the game mode and change the bot difficulty to No Bots. Provided you and your friend are in the same group when you start the match, you’ll be able to do a 1v1 like that.

If you want something a little more tailored to 1v1s specifically, then you’ll need something a little more extravagant. You’ll need to head over to the Steam Workshop and find a 1v1 map that someone else has made. The search is a little difficult, so here’s aim_redline by cryyy and Bierkapitän. Once you and your friend have the map downloaded, select Workshop Maps from the Official Matchmaking button mentioned above and select the map.

Keep in mind that once you’re both in, you’ll need to input a few console commands to ensure the game works properly. You can find some of those in the comments for the Workshop map or likely on whatever one you choose provided it’s popular enough.

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There you have it. A CS:GO 1v1 lobby for you and your friend to duke it out in. Hope you win!

About the Author

Shawn Robinson

Shawn is a freelance gaming journalist who's been with Prima Games for a year and a half, writing mainly about FPS games and RPGs. He even brings several years of experience at other sites like The Nerd Stash to the table. While he doesn't bring a fancy degree to the table, he brings immense attention to detail with his guides, reviews, and news, leveraging his decade and a half of gaming knowledge. If he isn't writing about games, he's likely getting zero kills in his favorite FPS or yelling at the game when it was 100% his fault that he died.