There are 3 versions of Counter Strike being supported by Garena client, the old CS 1.5, the upgraded CS 1.6, and the complete remake Counter Strike Source using the Source Game Engine of Half Life 2. Below is the visual guide for the original CS 1.5. You can find the upgraded CS 1.6 Garena guide here.
Are you just leaving your old Half-Life or Counter Strike game CD scattered around your house and getting it dusty? Now is an ideal time to unleash again the sadistic animal within you! Learn to interact and cooperate with other Counter Strike immortals in other parts of the world. Experience fast and hack-free gaming with Garena! You can find the complete installation guide after the jump.

Index (Ctrl+F and find the code to reach your destination)
[GA101] Guide
[GA201] – Garena Settings: Set up Garena for Counter Strike 1.5.
[GA407] – Joining Game: Join games in Counter Strike 1.5 when playing on Garena.
[GA418] = via Console: Using console to join games.
[GA429] = via Find Servers: Using find servers/LAN to join games.
[GA503] – Hosting Game: Hosting game and let your friends play.
[GA527] = via Create Server: Using Create Server to host games.
[PA203] – Standalone Patch w/ Game update: Counter Strike 1.5 updates and patch.
[CE101] – Credits
Garena Installation Guide
| DOWNLOAD GAME CLIENT Click on the link to start downloading.
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| DOWNLOAD COMPLETE Click “Run” to open the file “Garena_setup.EXE”.. |
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| GAME-INSTALL OPTION Choose the directory where Garena will be installed. |
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| INSTALLATION COMPLETE Press “Finish” to end the InstallShield wizard. |
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| RUN GARENA FROM DESKTOP Double-click on the Garena icon on the desktop to start the game. |
Garena Settings [GA201]
1. On Garena, find and click Settings which located at top of Garena.

2. Once the Game Settings appear, find and click Counter Strike 1.5 in LAN Games list on the left.

3. In Executable Settings, browse to your hl.exe, eg: C:\Program Files\Half-Life\hl.exe
4. In Game Bootstrap Parameters, fill in -console -game cstrike
5. Click OK button and you are done.
6. To start Counter Strike 1.5 via Garena, click the Start Game button.
Installing Patch [GA309]
1. Download CS 1.5 official patch (download links at [PA203]) // If you have a newer version the better
2. Install the patch on the Valve folder (C:\Program files\Valve\)
Joining Game [GA407]
via Console. [GA418]
1. Find IP address, click on the user whom host room to find their Garena IP or find at the chat, eg: 192.168.29.xx

2. Run your Counter Strike 1.5 by pressing Start Game in Garena.
3. Once on the Menu, click Console

4. Type in connect[space][IP address] and wait until the game load.
If you were given a password, Type connect[space][IP address];password [space] [password] eg: connect 192.168.29.83;password beef

via Play on Lan. [GA429]
1. Run your Counter Strike 1.5 by pressing Start Game in Garena
2. Click Play CS, then choose Play on Lan

3. Choose a Server in the List. You can also click Refresh (once or more) if nothing comes out in the list.
4. Double click the server or click Join Game to join in.

5. When you are successfully connected to the server, it will automatically download a few files from the server, then log you to the actual game

Hosting Game [GA503]
via Create Server. [GA527]
1. Run your Counter Strike 1.5 by pressing Start Game in Garena
2. Once reached the Menu Screen, click Play CS, then choose Create

3. The Create Server screen will appear
4. Choose your favorite map via drop-down list, eg: cs_assault.bsp
5. You can change the Server Settings, type your Server Name, max. players, etc.

6. Password is optional. If you want your server to be private so no one can disturb your private session with your friends,
you must type your password, eg: beef
7. Click OK button to start your game. The game will start loading and create your server.
8. You will reach the Lobby, set up your desired settings for your game and wait for some players. Enjoy!

Standalone Patch Game update [PA203]
1.0. Installing the Correct Patch
a) If you have version of Counter Strike lower than version 1.5, you must upgrade to version 1.5 or else you won’t be able connect to Garena
Link #1 –Download the Official Counter-Strike v1.5 Full Retail Patch
The file will update the retail English version only of Half-Life: Counter-Strike from a fresh install to v1.5. Also within the update is the Ricochet Mod for Half-Life that changes the standard first-person style to a third-person game with TRON deadly disc-like game play.
b) Install the patch on the Half-Life folder (C:\Program Files\Half-Life\)
2.0. Patch Compability and Information
2.1. About the Patches
A patch is something like an update. They were released almost every month when CS 1.5 was still new. They mostly include bug fixes, small graphic updates,game balancing fixes, new console commands and etc. In most patches the updates are mostly for Valve online gaming, so you might not notice a big difference between them.
2.2. Compability Between Patches
Note: If you have a different patch then the server you are trying to join, you are most likely to not see the server at all.
I’m currently using CS 1.5 v46, i’ve not yet tried the higher versions or even the lower versions than version 46 of CS 1.5.
So just experiment by yourself, trial and error usually works!
If you have a newer patch installed, you cannot patch back to an older version, but instead, you will have to re-install CS 1.5, and then install the older patch.
The default patch for GG Gaming Client is v22. You can find it in the Download section.
3.0 FAQ
Q: I have installed CS 1.5 and the patch, but I still can’t see the games. What’s going on?
A: Probably there are no servers created, or you have no connection between the host.
Q: How do I gain connection to the host?
A: Find the host in the player’s list and GG Tunnel him. If you get a ping, then try refreshing the LAN on CS.
Q: I joined the game, but it’s too laggy and I can barely play. How can I fix this?
A: The only thing you can do is close all internet-consuming programs, such as MSN, Skype, Yahoo!, utorrent, dc++ and IE.
Q: What would be the proper latency to play CS 1.5?
A: If your latency with the host is between 0 to 150 you can still play normally, beyond that you will most likely get killed by lag.
Credits [CE101]
Based on Exglade’s guide: http://www.garena.com/forum/space.php?uid=2978207
FAQs: http://fps.garena.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=598849&extra=page%3D1
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