GardionHow to limit CS2 and Dota 2 time on your child's PC without fights over a match
Aleksandr Popov · · How we write our articles
On Windows, between September 28 and October 28, Counter-Strike 2 took 82 hours in Gardion households and Dota 2 took 80. On days when a child opened Dota 2, they played it for about two hours on average. None of the ten households that ran CS2 had a time rule. The sample is small: Dota 2 ran on three computers and CS2 on eleven. The picture is still clear: team games take the evening, and parents rarely set a limit on them. These games cause more arguments than most because a match is a team effort. Below: how to set a limit so your child can finish a game, and what to do if they still can't stop.
Why time fights are sharper in CS2 and Dota 2
In a solo game you can quit any second. In a team match your child answers to four other players. Saying "shut it off" in the middle of a round asks them to let the team down. So "five more minutes" turns into "one more match," and then another.
Check the age rating on the game's Steam page. Here we're talking about time.
How to set a limit on a game in Gardion
On Windows the limit can cover a single title or every game at once. Homework and drawing don't use up that time.
1. Open the Gardion dashboard and find the game in the list of apps on the computer. CS2 runs as cs2 and Dota 2 as dota2.
2. Set a daily limit in minutes for that game. If your child plays several, set one limit for all games together.
When the limit is close, Gardion warns the player five minutes and one minute before the end, then closes the game. In a match that gives time to finish the current round and warn the team.
How to pick the limit
Think of the limit in matches. Agree on two matches on school days and three on weekends. Matches in CS2 and Dota 2 vary in length, so make the limit slightly longer than your child's two longest matches added together. Then the game won't be closed mid-match, and there is less to be angry with you about. For a weekend game with friends, set a bigger limit: the schedule can be set separately for each day of the week.
What else to check
- Permissions. If your child has administrator rights on the computer, they can uninstall a program. We cover how to separate permissions in a child's account on Windows. - Steam. Steam's own group feature for parents and kids can limit time in Steam. See parental controls in Steam for what it does. - Night. If your child plays after bedtime, read about a child on the computer at night. - The bigger picture. For other games and platforms, see time limits for games.
Where to start
1. Open the report and see how long your child played CS2 or Dota 2 last week.
2. Agree with them on the number of matches on school days and weekends.
3. Set a limit with room for the last match.
4. Check the report a week later and adjust.
You can install Gardion for Windows with the install guide for the computer. The first 14 days include every feature, no card needed. A fix usually ships in an update within one or two days of your report.
Sources
Checked on November 7, 2026. Game-time data comes from Gardion's usage records, September 28 to October 28.
In short
Yes. When the time is up, the game closes. Tell your child about the warning in advance and pick a limit with room for a match.
Yes. You can set a separate schedule for each day of the week.
No. Gardion shows which program is running and for how many minutes. It doesn't hear or record game conversations.
Set limits in 3 minutes
Limits, schedule and anti-bypass protection on Windows and Android. 14 days of full access, no card needed.
Try GardionOr install the parent app now.
Read next
- Time limits for games: how to set them on Android, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox and SwitchWhere to set a gaming time limit for your child on Android, Windows, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch, whether it counts one game or the whole device, and what happens when time is up.
- Parental controls for games: where the settings are in Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Steam and Brawl StarsWhere the parental settings are in Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, Steam and Brawl Stars, and why game time is better limited on the device itself.
- How to limit ChatGPT and DeepSeek for kids: time limits, blocks and what to discussChatGPT, DeepSeek and Alice AI for kids: age limits, what ChatGPT's own parental controls cover, and how to set a limit or a block in Gardion.
- Telegram and MAX on your child's phone: how to limit time and keep school chatsHow to limit Telegram and MAX on your child's phone without losing school chats: a limit in minutes, school mode and a bedtime in Gardion.