Winsmate
How to get more FPS in CS2
Counter-Strike 2 runs on Source 2, which is much heavier than CS:GO was. A handful of video settings make most of the difference, and a lot of the old CS:GO advice doesn’t do anything any more.
- Play in Fullscreen with Wait for Vertical Sync off.
- Turn on NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency.
- Lower Shader, Particle and Model / Texture detail.
- Turn off Ambient Occlusion.
- Set Windows power mode to Best performance.
Measure first
The easiest counter is Steam’s: Steam > Settings > In Game > In-game FPS counter. Or turn on Enable Developer Console in CS2’s Game settings, press ~ and type cl_showfps 1. Test on the same map and spot each time.
1. CS2’s video settings
| Setting | Pick |
|---|---|
| Display Mode | Fullscreen |
| Boost Player Contrast | EnabledMakes players easier to see, for a small FPS cost. |
| Wait for Vertical Sync | DisabledVSync adds input lag. |
| NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency | EnabledNVIDIA cards only. |
| Multisampling Anti-Aliasing | None or 2x MSAA |
| Global Shadow Quality | MediumMany players keep shadows on, because they show where enemies are. |
| Model / Texture Detail | Low |
| Shader Detail | Low |
| Particle Detail | Low |
| Ambient Occlusion | Disabled |
| High Dynamic Range | Performance |
| FidelityFX Super Resolution | DisabledTurn it on only if your graphics card really struggles: it makes the picture softer. |
2. The FPS cap
CS2 caps itself with fps_max. Open the console and type fps_max 0 for no cap, or set a number a little above your monitor’s refresh rate if your FPS jumps around a lot.
3. Launch options that do nothing now
Old CS:GO launch options like -high, -threads and -nod3d9ex are still copied around a lot, but they were made for CS:GO’s old engine and many of them do nothing in CS2. Leave your launch options empty unless you know exactly what one does.
4. Windows settings
- Game Mode on: Settings > Gaming > Game Mode.
- Power mode: Settings > System > Power & battery > Power mode > Best performance.
- Background recording off: Settings > Gaming > Captures, then turn off Record what happened.
- Startup apps: Settings > Apps > Startup. Turn off anything you don’t need.
- Laptops with two graphics chips: Settings > System > Display > Graphics, add cs2.exe and choose High performance.
5. Your graphics driver and monitor
- Driver: get the newest one from the NVIDIA App, AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition or Intel’s graphics software.
- Refresh rate: Settings > System > Display > Advanced display > Choose a refresh rate. Pick the highest number.
- Desktop PC? Plug your monitor into the graphics card, not the motherboard.
Rather do it in one click?
Winsmate Tweaks switches on the Windows settings that get you more FPS, less input lag and steadier ping, in CS2 and every other game. It only changes Windows, never the game’s files, so it can’t get you VAC banned. Stretched res, a custom crosshair and an FPS overlay are in there too.
Winsmate saves your old settings before it changes anything, so one button puts everything back.
Free to download. Pro is £4.99 a month or £30 once.
More free guides
- How to get more FPS in VALORANTMultithreaded Rendering, Reflex and the rest.
- How to get more FPS in FortniteThe settings that make the biggest difference.
- How to get more FPS in RobloxRaise the 60 FPS cap.
- Fortnite stutter fixStop freezes and FPS drops.
Still stuck? Message @winsmate_ on TikTok.