How to Install GunGame on CS 1.6

GunGame is the mode that made a generation of players stay "one more round": every kill levels you up to the next weapon, from pistols through rifles to a final knife or grenade kill that wins the map. It is an AMX Mod X plugin — no engine mod required — and the whole feel of the server comes down to the weapon order and the respawn settings. Here is a clean install.

1. Confirm AMX Mod X is running

meta list
amxx version

GunGame is an ordinary AMXX plugin and needs Metamod plus AMX Mod X already working. Install those first if amxx version returns nothing.

2. Install the GunGame plugin

Place the plugin binary in the plugins folder and register it:

cstrike/addons/amxmodx/plugins/gungame.amxx

Add the line to addons/amxmodx/configs/plugins.ini:

gungame.amxx

The general steps are in installing AMXX plugin files. Our maintained build is CSB GunGame, which packages the leveling, HUD and weapon-order handling together.

3. Define the weapon progression

The heart of GunGame is the ordered list of weapons players climb through. Most implementations read this from a config or a weapons-order file — typically a list of weapon names, one per level, ending with the knife:

usp
glock18
deagle
mp5navy
ump45
m4a1
ak47
awp
knife

Order it however suits your server — a short 8-level ladder for fast games, or a long 20+ level climb for a grind. The final level is conventionally a knife kill: reaching it and getting one more kill wins the map, which is what makes the last level so tense.

4. Enable respawning

GunGame is unplayable without instant respawn — players must jump straight back in after dying to keep leveling. Enable respawning through the plugin's cvars (in amxx.cfg or the plugin's own config), and disable the normal round economy so nobody buys:

mp_freezetime 0
mp_buytime 0
mp_startmoney 0
mp_roundtime 9

If your GunGame build does not include respawn, pair it with CSB Respawn on Join or a dedicated respawn plugin. The relevant round cvars are covered in essential server cvars.

5. Tune the leveling rules

Through the plugin's cvars you control the details that shape the mode:

• Knife-steal / level-down — a knife kill on an enemy knocks them down a level, a classic GunGame rule that keeps leaders honest.
• HE-grenade level — some servers add a grenade level before the knife for a skill spike.
• Level-up bonus — refill HP or give a brief effect on leveling to reward momentum.

Set these to match your audience; a competitive crowd likes knife-steal, a casual one may find it frustrating.

6. Change the map to load it

changelevel de_dust2

plugins.ini and configs are read at map load, so restart or change the map after editing. Advertise the /gungame style help and rules with a server-adverts plugin so newcomers understand the level ladder.

7. Team play, free-for-all, and objectives

GunGame can run team-based or free-for-all, and the choice shapes everything. In team mode the normal T/CT sides remain, and you level up by killing the other team — simple and familiar. In free-for-all every player is an enemy, which most implementations achieve by disabling friendly-fire protection and treating teammates as targets; it is the purer GunGame experience but needs the plugin to support FFA cleanly. Whichever you pick, you also want to neutralize the map objective: on a de_ map the bomb is irrelevant to GunGame and a planted bomb ending the round early disrupts the leveling, so most GunGame configs run on aim_ or fy_ maps, or disable the objective. Pick maps with tight, open sightlines — GunGame is about constant fragging, and sprawling objective maps kill the pace.

8. Balance the weapon ladder

The single biggest tuning lever is the weapon order itself. Front-loading hard weapons — putting a low-damage pistol or the AWP early — creates skill walls where weaker players stall, while a smooth ramp from easy to hard keeps everyone climbing. A good default eases players in with forgiving weapons, spikes difficulty in the middle, and reserves the knife for last so the win always demands a close-range kill under pressure. Test your ladder with real players and move any weapon that becomes a persistent bottleneck; a ladder nobody can finish is not fun, and one everybody blitzes through has no tension.

Troubleshooting

• Players do not level up on kills — the plugin loaded but the weapon-order config is empty or unreadable. Check amxx plugins shows gungame.amxx as running and that the order file exists.
• No respawn, everyone waits out the round — respawn is disabled. Enable it in the plugin cvars or add a respawn plugin.
• Buy menu still appears — buy time and start money are non-zero. Set mp_buytime 0 and mp_startmoney 0.
• bad load in amxx plugins — the plugin was compiled for a different AMXX version or a missing module. Recompile against your AMX Mod X version.

Verification

Join with a bot or a friend, get a kill, and confirm your weapon changes to the next level and the HUD shows your level advancing. Die and confirm you respawn immediately. Then reach the final knife level and land a knife kill — the map should end and declare the winner. If leveling, respawn and the knife win all work, GunGame is installed correctly.