Best CS2 Settings and Launch Options for 2026

The best CS2 settings for most players are your monitor's native resolution (or 1280x960 stretched if you want the most common pro setup), the Player Contrast option enabled, low shadows with Dynamic Shadows set to All, NVIDIA Reflex on, and V-Sync off unless you use G-Sync. For launch options, less is more: four of the eight top pros checked for this guide use none at all, and the flags that still do something clear are -high, +exec for a personal config, and a frame cap. This guide covers video, resolution, mouse, audio and network settings, the crosshair system Valve rebuilt in September 2026, and a line by line look at pro launch options.

Checked against Valve's Counter-Strike 2 release notes up to the November 11, 2026 update, ProSettings.net's CS2 settings guide (updated September 25, 2026) and pro player pages updated in November 2026, on November 12, 2026.

Recommended values below come from two places: Valve's own release notes, which describe what a setting does, and ProSettings.net, which tracks the settings of 954 pro players. Where they disagree, both views are given.

What are the best CS2 video settings?

Turn off anything that only adds eye candy, keep the settings that affect visibility, and make sure Reflex is on. The table follows ProSettings.net's recommendations.

Setting	Recommended	Why
Display Mode	Fullscreen	Lowest input lag and full control over resolution
Player Contrast option	Enabled	Makes player models stand out from the background
Wait for Vertical Sync	Disabled	V-Sync can add input lag (see the G-Sync note below)
Multisampling Anti-Aliasing	CMAA2	Small performance cost, avoids jagged edges
Global Shadow Quality	Low	FPS gain with no lost player shadows if Dynamic Shadows is on All
Dynamic Shadows	All	Sun Only hides shadows cast by man-made light
Model/Texture Detail	Medium	Low can blur details such as blood splatter
Texture Filtering	Anisotropic 4x	Small FPS effect either way
Shader Detail	Low	Visual only
Particle Detail	Low	Fewer particles can make it easier to see through effects
Ambient Occlusion	Disabled	Large performance hit, no competitive value
High Dynamic Range	Quality	Performance mode adds a grainy filter
FidelityFX Super Resolution	Disabled	Upscaling makes the image blurry
NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency	Enabled (or the stronger mode above it)	Lower system latency; the stronger mode can cost some FPS

G-Sync, V-Sync and Reflex: Valve's own advice, added to the game in 2024, is different for G-Sync users. CS2 shows a recommendation popup if G-Sync is on without V-Sync or Reflex, and Valve says it is generally best to enable all three together when they are available. That combination caps your frame rate at or slightly below your display's refresh rate. Without G-Sync, keep V-Sync off.

What resolution do CS2 pros use?

Most pros play 4:3 stretched, with 1280x960 used by more than half of them. If you are new, start at your monitor's native resolution and only experiment once your aim is consistent.

Rank	Resolution	Share of pros
1	1280x960	53%
2	1024x768	15%
3	1920x1080	13%
4	1280x1024	6%
5	1152x864	5%

Stretched 4:3 makes character models look wider; lower resolutions also raise frame rates because there are fewer pixels to render. Among the pros checked in November 2026, donk, m0NESY, NiKo, s1mple, sh1ro and b1t use 1280x960 stretched, ZywOo uses 1024x768 stretched, and ropz plays 1920x1080 native. Valve also made rendering resolution and aspect ratio adjustable in fullscreen windowed mode in August 2025.

What are the best CS2 launch options?

There is no magic launch line. The options with a clear, documented purpose are -high, +exec to load your config, and a frame cap; everything else is optional. To set them, right-click Counter-Strike 2 in your Steam Library, choose Properties, and type them into Launch Options on the General tab.

Player	Launch options (ProSettings.net, November 2026)
donk	None
m0NESY	None
NiKo	None
ropz	None
sh1ro	-console +exec autoexec.cfg
ZywOo	-novid -tickrate 128 -allow_third_party_software
s1mple	-freq 360 -novid -console +fps_max 999
b1t	+fps_max 400 -freq 360 -console -tickrate 128 -novid -rate 786432

What each common option is worth in 2026:

• -high: launches the game in high priority mode. ProSettings.net recommends adding it.
• +exec autoexec.cfg: runs a config file at launch, the same as typing exec followed by the file name in the console. Config files go in Steam, steamapps, common, Counter-Strike Global Offensive, game, csgo, cfg.
• +fps_max: sets a frame cap. Valve tied fps_max to the Maximum FPS In Game slider in 2024, and since August 2025 it cannot be changed while you are connected to a server, so set it in the menu or at launch.
• -nojoy: no longer needed. CS2 has ignored joystick input by default since May 2024, and the -joy option turns it back on.
• -novid, -tickrate, -freq and -rate: still found in some pro lines, but Valve's CS2 release notes do not document any of them. In October 2024 Valve removed support for command line options meant only for development, so old CS:GO lists are unreliable. The game's Refresh Rate setting already shows your display's current refresh rate.

What mouse settings and sensitivity should you use in CS2?

Aim for an eDPI (DPI multiplied by in-game sensitivity) somewhere near the pro median of 830, keep zoom sensitivity at 1, and use 400 or 800 DPI. Sensitivity in CS2 is identical to CS:GO, so an old setting carries over directly.

Player	DPI	Sensitivity	eDPI	Polling rate
NiKo	800	0.8	640	2000 Hz
b1t	800	0.825	660	2000 Hz
ropz	400	1.77	708	2000 Hz
ZywOo	400	1.9	760	1000 Hz
sh1ro	800	1.04	832	1000 Hz
m0NESY	400	2.3	920	2000 Hz
donk	800	1.25	1000	1000 Hz
s1mple	400	3.09	1236	1000 Hz

Across all tracked pros, 66% use 400 DPI, 28% use 800 and 5% use 1600, and the average pro needs about 47 cm of mouse movement for a full 360-degree turn. Polling rates of 1000 Hz to 4000 Hz are recommended; very high rates can cause stability problems in some setups. Every player in the table keeps zoom sensitivity at 1.

What changed with CS2 crosshairs in 2026?

The September 22, 2026 update rebuilt the crosshair: settings now live in a new Crosshair/Scopes tab, sizes are measured in pixels, and the default style changed to Dynamic Quad, which shows real weapon accuracy. Old crosshairs may need adjusting.

• Pixel units: thickness, length and gap are now pixel values, and the game rescales them if your resolution changes. Valve's example: thickness 1, length 8 and gap 4 gives a 1-pixel crosshair with 8-pixel bars and a 4-pixel gap.
• New styles: Dynamic Quad (the new default), a static square style and, from September 30, Static Quadrant.
• Outlines: half-outlines (top-left only) and an outline color option were added.
• Share codes: the share code format changed so it can store the new settings, including scope dot size and color.
• Grenades: holding a grenade attack button during freeze time shows the grenade crosshair, which helps with instant smokes.

The same update added silent reloads (hold the reload key for a slower, quiet reload), and an October 28 patch added a Hold or Toggle option for it. Pick Toggle if holding the key mid-fight feels awkward.

Which game, audio and network settings matter?

Turn the developer console on, leave packet-loss buffering at None unless you see loss, keep damage prediction off, and mute music that can hide footsteps. These are ProSettings.net's recommendations.

• Enable Developer Console: Yes, for configs and quick commands.
• Buffering to smooth over packet loss: None by default; try 1 or 2 only if the network warning shows packet loss.
• Max Acceptable Game Traffic Bandwidth: Unrestricted.
• Damage Prediction: body shot, head shot and kill ragdoll prediction all off, since predicted effects can be wrong.
• First Person Tracers: off, as they do not always line up with where bullets land.
• Audio: EQ Profile Crisp (or Natural if it is too harsh), Round Start, Round Action, MVP and Death Camera volume at 0%, and Mute MVP Music When Players On Both Teams Are Alive enabled.
• L/R Isolation and Perspective Correction: 100% isolation and Perspective Correction off give a sharper, CS:GO style left and right split; lower values sound more natural.

Settings only get you so far; the CS2 Premier ranks guide explains how CS Rating, seasons and the new map pick system work.

Related guides

• CS2 Premier Ranks: CS Rating, Colors and Season 5
• Counter-Strike 2 game hub
• All game guides