Best CS2 Settings to Climb the Ranked Ladder

If you want to level up your game while playing Counter-Strike 2, adjusting sliders in the "Settings" menu is a great place to start. These in-game settings offer hundreds of customization options, from keybinds and crosshairs to audio and graphics settings. With the sheer amount of options, it can be confusing for newer players to know what to change to improve their performance and gameplay.

From smoother visuals to a more precise sensitivity, the right tweaks can significantly impact performance, whether you're playing Counter-Strike 2 casually or sweating in Premier.

In this guide, we'll break down the key CS2 settings that can help you make the most out of your gameplay, boost your FPS, and minimize lag. Hopefully, you'll find your perfect setup and on the path to reaching the MMR equivalent of Global Elite.

Best Video Settings for CS2

The most important settings you should adjust is "Video." Here, you can adjust the display mode, brightness, and screen resolution to individual preferences.

Factors like resolution and aspect ratio are typically down to player preference and your monitor's capabilities, affecting your field of view and size on on-screen objects. The most commonly used resolutions are 16:9 (1920x1080) and 4:3 (1280:960). If you're unsure, we recommend going with the default 16:9. Some pros recommend the 16:10 widescreen option to improve your FPS, as Counter-Strike 2 renders at a slightly lower resolution than 16:9.

Here are the recommended video settings for Counter-Strike 2.

• Main Menu Background Scenery: Personal preference
• Color Mode: Computer Monitor
• Brightness: 100%
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9
• Screen Resolution: 1920x1080
• Display Mode: Fullscreen
• Refresh Rate: Typically 144hz or 240hz

Recommended Advanced Video Settings For Max FPS

On the second tab for Video Settings, you'll also find Advanced Video Settings. This is where you can change graphics quality to improve performance.

More often than not, your platform's hardware can be responsible for lag, including frame rate drops, which can be the difference between dinking headshots or whiffing completely.

Here are the ideal Advanced Video Settings for CS2 to get the most FPS.

• Boost Player Contrast: Enabled
• Wait for Vertical Sync: Disabled
• Current Video Values Preset: Custom
• Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode: 4X MSAA
• Global Shadow Quality: Medium
• Dynamic Shadows: All
• Model/Texture Detail: Medium
• Texture Filtering Mode: Bilinear
• Shader Detail: High
• Particle Detail: Low
• Ambient Occlusion: Low
• High Dynamic Range: Performance
• FidelityFX Super Resolution: Disabled
• NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency: Enabled

To give you a competitive edge while in-game, we recommend having the Global Shadow Quality setting on Medium or High, as shadows can sometimes give away enemy positioning. If your Global Shadow Quality is Low or even Disabled, you might struggle on certain maps. Leading on from this, you should also keep "Boost Player Contrast" enabled, as it makes spotting enemies easier. Then, disable Vertical Synchronization (V-Sync), as it's been reported to cause input lag and considerable frame rate drops.

Ambient Occlusion, a shading and rendering technique used in CS2, calculates how objects and the environment interact with ambient lighting. While it may make your game look prettier and more realistic, having this switched on does not contribute to your performance, so we suggest having it on Low.

Regarding Model/Texture Detail, you can enjoy Counter-Strike 2 at Medium or High. It has minimum impact on your FPS and will make your skins and knives look better from cases. Many pros are now running their Particle Detail and Shader Detail at Low and High, respectively, so we recommend following their lead for the in-game visual improvements at no extra cost to your hardware's performance.

Despite the game's incredibly low minimum requirements, some machines and platforms may be too old to run all the settings above. Feel free to adjust them to suit your current hardware capabilities.

Best Audio Settings for CS2

Hearing enemy footsteps can often give away their positioning, giving you the competitive edge if your ears are tuned in.

Luckily, you can tweak your Audio Settings in Counter-Strike 2 to give yourself the upper hand. Audio Settings also encompasses Voice Settings, which is perfect if you're talking to your teammates through the in-game communication channels.

For optimal performance in CS2 and competitive play, make sure you're using stereo over-ear headphones for clearer audio and the ability for spatial awareness.

Here are the best Audio Settings for Counter-Strike 2.

• Master Volume: Your personal preference
• Audio Device: Default Device (Should be your Headphones)
• EQ Profile: Crisp
• L/R Isolation: 50 - 60%
• Perspective Correction: Yes
• Enable Voice: Push to Talk (Change the Keybinding to your preference)
• Voice Input Audio Device: Default Device
• Hear My Own Voice: Off

Take the above settings as a starting point for finalizing your optimal Audio Settings, as this is more down to player preference than a "one-size-fits-all- scenario. For example, with L/R Isolation, some players may be hard of hearing. We advise selecting a middle range, around 50 - 60%. Setting this slider to 100% means the gray middle area is gone, so any audio in front and behind your character may be less clear.

To better hear where enemy noises are coming from, you should enable Perspective Correction. This is an entirely new feature to CS2, designed to more accurately pinpoint where audio is coming from. If you want an experience like the golden days of CS:GO, you should turn this setting off.

Crisp EQ also makes higher-frequency sounds louder, so you can better hear things like dropped weapons, nearby footsteps, and gunfire while drowning out pointless noises.

In terms of in-game music, this should be turned down to avoid any other distractions. The only sound you should worry about is the "Ten-Second Bomb Warning," which should ideally be around 25%, so you can still hear it.

Best In-Game Settings for CS2

Game Settings

• Max Acceptable Matchmaking Ping: 100
• Max Acceptable Game Traffic Bandwidth: Unrestricted
• Community Notification Location: Top-right of screen
• Enable Developer Console: Yes
• Install Counter-Strike Workshop Tools: Personal preference

Enabling the Developer Console is incredibly valuable for CS2, allowing you to manually check your FPS rate, enabling cheater commands in private matches, reduce lag, and more. You can access the Developer Console by pressing "~" or redirecting it to a different keybind setting.

Hud Settings

• Hud Scale: 0.90
• Hud Color: Personal preference

In-Game Communication Settings

• Player Pings: Display and Sound
• Mute Enemy Team: Personal preference
• Mute all but friends: Personal preference
• Hide Avatar Images: No
• Clean Player Names: No

Radar/Tablet Settings

• Radar Centers Player: Yes
• Radar is Rotating: Yes
• Radar HUD Size: 1
• Radar Map Zoom: 0.60
• Toggle Shape with Scoreboard: Yes

Crosshair and Mouse Settings

Your crosshair is the key to popping heads and landing juicy bodyshots, allowing near-pinpoint accuracy when aiming. We can't tell you what the best crosshair is; that's something you'll have to figure out for yourself, as it entirely depends on your preferred weapons, their weapon spread, and your aiming capabilities.

Most CS2 players, pro or casual, will typically go for a "static" crosshair, as it's less distracting while shooting at the enemy. A general rule of thumb is a brightly-colored crosshair to contrast against the dull tones of CS2 maps, making it easier to track. Most players go for Cyan, Green, or Yellow crosshairs, but it depends on the individual.

Here is an example of a standard CS2 crosshair that's a good base for beginners before exploring more advanced crosshair options. We recommend having "Friendly Fire Reticle Warning" always switched on, especially if you're new to Counter-Strike 2.

Crosshair #1

• Crosshair Style: Classic Static
• Follow Recoil: No
• Center Dot: No
• Length: 3.0
• Thickness: 0.6
• Gap: 1.5
• Outline: Yes, 1.6
• Red: 0
• Green: 255
• Blue: 255
• Alpha: Yes, 255
• T Style: No
• Deployed Weapon Gap: Yes

Best Pro Crosshair Codes

This table also lists some of the best pro crosshair codes straight from teams like FaZe Clan and G2 Esports. The next time you see one of these players competing in a BLAST Premier Series or IEM event, you could be sharing a crosshair with them!

To use any of these crosshair codes below, click the "Share or Import" button on the crosshair UI, and copy and paste any of the crosshair codes below. Ezpz.

Mouse Settings

Mouse sensitivity and DPI are also crucial for FPS games like Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch, and VALORANT. Again, it's down to your preference, but having a fast DPI/eDPI means you'll only need minimal movements to swivel your character.

The general recommendation is to keep your DPI low. Many pros use an eDPI of any value between 700 and 1,200. It'll be harder to make micro-adjustments to your aim if you have a higher value than this. To work out your eDPI, multiply your in-game sensitivity by your current mouse DPI. For example, an in-game sensitivity of 1 and a DPI of 800 results in an eDPI of 800.

Duck and Walk modes should be kept default, which is "Hold," so you can pick and choose when you want to be stealthy or navigate the map regularly.

Keybind Settings

Keybindings are another in-game setting that is entirely up to personal preferences. You should keep the movement keys to their default, "WASD."

Walk is better as Left-Shift, and Crouch/Duck is better as Left CTRL. Most players either have "E" or "F" as their "Use" Button, but this is entirely up to you. Choose a button that is easily accessible and not nothing rogue like #, which is hard to press in time-sensitive situations.

The number keys at the top of the keyboard are suited to changing weapons in a pinch. You can also use the mouse scroll wheel on your mouse to quickly alternate between guns and grenades, although this is not recommended.

Item Settings

• Quick Graffiti: Yes
• Delay Sniper Rifle Un-Scope After Shot: No
• Auto Re-Zoom Sniperm Rifle After Shot: No
• Detach Silencer on M4A1-S and UPS-S: Disabled
• Always Show Inventory: Yes
• Open Buy Menu With "Use" Key: Yes
• Buy Menu Number Keys: Number Keys
• Buy Menu Donation Key: Left CTRL

Final Thoughts

To wrap things up, finding the right CS2 settings can make a difference in how you play, even allowing you to climb the ranked ladder one rung at a time. Tweaking your audio, video, and mouse settings can give you smooth gameplay and better control over your character.

While there's no "one size fits all" setup, it's all about finding what works for your playstyle and hardware. Hopefully, our guide has given you a step in the right direction - don't be afraid to experiment and make adjustments as you go. After all, the perfect CS2 settings are ones that help you play your best and feel comfortable using. GL HF in your next CS2 games!