Soldiers

Put the model folder inside cstrike/models/player. The .mdl file inside must have the same name as the folder, for example cstrike/models/player/riotguard/riotguard.mdl. Copy all files that came with the model, then restart the game.

Player models go in cstrike/models/player, with one subfolder per model. If your game uses a localized folder like cstrike_russian, files there take priority, so put the model in both folders or in the one that is actually used. Keep the original subfolder structure from the archive.

The standard game does not let you choose any random folder from a menu; it only uses the models defined for each team and class. To see a downloaded soldier in game, name its folder and .mdl file after the default model you want to replace. Some mods and servers add their own model menu on top of that.

This usually means the model is incomplete or incorrectly named:

• Check that the folder name and the .mdl file name are identical.
• Make sure all files from the archive, including textures, were copied.
• Remove the model folder to get the game running again.

Delete or overwrite the custom folder inside cstrike/models/player with the original files from your backup. If you did not back up the model, reinstall the game or copy the default model folder from a clean installation or from cstrike_russian.

On servers the visible player model is chosen by the server, so a custom client model may be ignored or replaced by the server's own files. Servers can also kick players for file mismatch (consistency), so custom player models are not guaranteed to work online. Test on your own local game first.