---
title: "mp_ Cvars Reference (freezetime, roundtime, buytime and More)"
excerpt: "A reference to the mp_ gameplay cvars that shape a CS 1.6 round, with correct units, sane defaults, and which ones only exist under ReGameDLL."
category: "administration"
tags: "cvars, gameplay"
image: ""
read_time: "8 min read"
---
<p>The <code>mp_</code> cvars control the rules of a round: how long freezetime lasts, how much money players start with, whether friendly fire hurts, when the map ends. Half of them ship with stock CS and half only exist once you install <a href="/tutorials/install-regamedll-cs16">ReGameDLL_CS</a>. Getting the units wrong — minutes versus seconds — is the usual mistake, so units are called out explicitly here.</p>

<h2>1. Round timing</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Cvar</th><th>Unit / default</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><code>mp_freezetime</code></td><td>seconds, 6</td><td>Buy-and-stand time at round start. 3 is common on public.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_roundtime</code></td><td>minutes, 5</td><td>Length of a round. Range roughly 1–9.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_buytime</code></td><td>minutes, 0.25</td><td><strong>Minutes.</strong> 0.25 = 15 seconds. Stock minimum is 0.25.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_c4timer</code></td><td>seconds, 45</td><td>Bomb fuse. Configurable on ReGameDLL; classic value 45.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_timelimit</code></td><td>minutes, 0</td><td>Map time limit. 0 = never ends on time.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_chattime</code></td><td>seconds, 10</td><td>End-of-map scoreboard/chat window before the change.</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>The classic trap: setting <code>mp_buytime 15</code> expecting 15 seconds and getting 15 <em>minutes</em>. It is in minutes.</p>

<h2>2. Economy</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Cvar</th><th>Unit / default</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><code>mp_startmoney</code></td><td>$, 800</td><td>Starting cash. Range 0–16000.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_buy_anywhere</code></td><td>0 (ReGameDLL)</td><td>1 lets players buy outside the buy zone.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_free_armor</code></td><td>0 (ReGameDLL)</td><td>0 none, 1 kevlar, 2 kevlar+helmet at spawn.</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>3. Teams and fair play</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Cvar</th><th>Unit / default</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><code>mp_friendlyfire</code></td><td>0</td><td>1 = teammates can damage each other.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_tkpunish</code></td><td>1</td><td>Team-killers are punished next round.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_autoteambalance</code></td><td>1</td><td>Engine evens out team sizes.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_limitteams</code></td><td>2</td><td>Max team-size difference allowed before joins are blocked.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_hostagepenalty</code></td><td>13</td><td>Kicks a player after killing this many hostages. 0 = off.</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>4. Ending a map</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Cvar</th><th>Unit / default</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><code>mp_maxrounds</code></td><td>rounds, 0 (ReGameDLL)</td><td>End the map after N rounds regardless of time.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_winlimit</code></td><td>wins, 0 (ReGameDLL)</td><td>End when a team reaches N round wins.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_fraglimit</code></td><td>frags, 0</td><td>End on individual frag count (deathmatch-style).</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>These interact with <a href="/tutorials/mapcycle-txt-setup">mapcycle.txt</a>: whichever limit fires first ends the map and advances the cycle. If none is set and <code>mp_timelimit</code> is 0, the map runs forever.</p>

<h2>5. Visibility and feel</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Cvar</th><th>Unit / default</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><code>mp_flashlight</code></td><td>1</td><td>Allow flashlights.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_footsteps</code></td><td>1</td><td>Audible footsteps. 0 makes movement silent (avoid on comp).</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_playerid</code></td><td>0</td><td>0 shows names on aim for all, 1 team-only, 2 off.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_forcechasecam</code></td><td>0</td><td>Restrict spectator camera modes for dead players.</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>mp_fadetoblack</code></td><td>0</td><td>1 fades a dead player's screen to black (anti-ghosting).</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<h2>6. Stock versus ReGameDLL — know which you have</h2>
<p>The most confusing thing about the <code>mp_</code> family is that the set of cvars that exist depends on your game library. Stock Valve CS has a fixed list baked into <code>mp.dll</code> / <code>cs.so</code>; setting a cvar it does not know about is a silent no-op — no error, no warning, the value just goes nowhere and you conclude the setting "does nothing". <a href="/tutorials/install-regamedll-cs16">ReGameDLL_CS</a> adds a large second tier of cvars that expose things Valve hard-coded: round and win limits, buy-anywhere, free armor, configurable fall and grenade damage, and more. This is one of the main reasons admins install it.</p>
<p>Because ReGameDLL loads its own <code>game.cfg</code> at startup, that file executes after <code>server.cfg</code> and can quietly override a value you thought you set. If an <code>mp_</code> cvar keeps reverting, open <code>cstrike/game.cfg</code> — the answer is usually there. When in doubt about whether a cvar exists on your build, type it in the console with no argument: a known cvar echoes its value, an unknown one prints nothing useful. Never copy an <code>mp_</code> block wholesale from a forum post written for a different engine; verify each line exists on your server first.</p>
<p>Finally, remember these round rules interact with the map rotation and voting. A <code>mp_maxrounds</code> or <code>mp_winlimit</code> that fires before <code>mp_timelimit</code> ends the map early and advances the <a href="/tutorials/mapcycle-txt-setup">cycle</a>, which can surprise players mid-vote. Pick one primary limit — time, rounds, or wins — and keep the others off unless you deliberately want a race between them.</p>

<h2>Common errors</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong>Buytime absurdly long</strong> — you set <code>mp_buytime</code> in seconds. It is minutes; use <code>0.25</code> for 15 seconds.</li>
<li><strong>A cvar "does not exist"</strong> — it is a ReGameDLL cvar (<code>mp_maxrounds</code>, <code>mp_winlimit</code>, <code>mp_buy_anywhere</code>, <code>mp_free_armor</code>) and you are on stock CS. Install <a href="/tutorials/install-regamedll-cs16">ReGameDLL</a>, or drop the cvar.</li>
<li><strong>Map never ends</strong> — <code>mp_timelimit 0</code> with no round/win/frag limit set.</li>
<li><strong>Setting ignored</strong> — a plugin or <code>game.cfg</code> re-sets it after <code>server.cfg</code>. ReGameDLL executes <code>game.cfg</code>; check there.</li>
<li><strong>Freezetime feels wrong</strong> — you confused it with <code>mp_roundtime</code>; freezetime is seconds, roundtime is minutes.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Verification</h2>
<p>Read any cvar back by typing it with no value in the console:</p>
<pre>mp_buytime
mp_freezetime
mp_roundtime</pre>
<p>Then play one round and confirm the timings match — a stopwatch on freezetime and buytime removes all doubt. For the server-level cvars that sit alongside these, see the <a href="/tutorials/essential-server-cvars">essential server cvars</a> list.</p>