Recording demos in Counter-Strike 1.6 and other Half-Life–based games is one of the easiest ways to save your gameplay. A demo isn’t a video file — it’s a lightweight recording of game data like player movement, shots, and events. Because of that, demos don’t affect performance, take up very little space, and can be replayed later from any camera angle. This same system works across most GoldSrc games and continues into many Source engine titles as well.
Think of it like a “match log you can fly a camera through later,” instead of a heavy MP4 recording.
To record a demo, join any server and open the console with the ~ key.
When you’re ready to start recording, type
record demoname and press Enter,
replacing demoname with whatever you want to call the file.
When you’re finished, open the console again and type
stop.
- Step 1 Open the console: ~
-
Step 2
Start recording:
record demoname -
Step 3
Stop recording:
stop
]==[ Counter-Strike Console ]==============================
] status
hostname: 1.6 Server
map: de_dust2
] record de_dust2_pug_01
Recording to: de_dust2_pug_01.dem
... (play the round) ...
] stop
Stopped demo recording.
TIP: Pick names like: map_date_notes
de_dust2_2026-02-10_clutchIf the embed looks too “modern,” keep it framed like a viewport — it matches the DOS panes. (Also works great on mobile.)