Counter-Strike 2 Controls and Settings#

Default Key Bindings#

Movement#

Key	Function	Notes
W	Move forward	Default forward key
A	Move left	A common counter-strafe key
S	Move back	Rarely used in combat
D	Move right	A common counter-strafe key
Shift	Walk silently	Eliminates footstep sounds
Ctrl	Crouch	Common for spray control and peeking
Space	Jump	Can bind scroll wheel to jump
C	Toggle viewmodel	No real gameplay effect

Combat#

Key	Function	Notes
Left mouse button	Fire	Single shot/full auto
Right mouse button	Scope in	Only snipers/certain weapons have it
R	Reload	Auto-reload available (not recommended)
Q	Previous weapon	Quick switch back
1	Primary weapon	Rifles/sniper rifles
2	Secondary weapon	Pistols
3	Melee weapon	Knife/gloves
4	Grenades	Press 4 to cycle through
5	Bomb	The Ts carry the C4
E	Use	Defuse/pick up guns/open doors
F	Inspect weapon	Show off the weapon finish

Grenade Hotkeys#

The default grenade switching (the 4-key cycle) is inefficient. It is recommended to bind each grenade separately

Recommended key	Grenade	Bind command
Mouse button 4	Flashbang	`bind MOUSE4 "use weapon_flashbang"`
Mouse button 5	Smoke grenade	`bind MOUSE5 "use weapon_smokegrenade"`
Q	HE grenade	`bind 4 "use weapon_hegrenade"`
Z	Molotov/Incendiary	`bind z "use weapon_incgrenade"`
X	Decoy	`bind x "use weapon_decoy"`

Recommended Keybinds#

Common Competitive Player Setup#

Function	Recommended key	Reason
Jump	Scroll wheel down	Wheel jumping makes bunny hopping easier
Walk	Shift	Hold to walk, release to run
Crouch	Ctrl or C	Personal preference
Fire	Left mouse button	Keep the default
Scope	Right mouse button	Keep the default
Weapon switch	Q	Smooth AWP switching
One-key jump-throw	Space bound separately	A must-have for grenade lineups

The Jump-Throw Bind#

The jump-throw bind is still a practical tool in CS2, used for throwing smokes and flashes to specific lineup spots

// One-key jump throw (press N to execute)

Sensitivity Settings#

Base Sensitivity#

CS2’s sensitivity is identical to CS:GO’s (the two games use the same engine coefficient). Most professional players use low sensitivity

Parameter	Pro range	Recommended range
DPI	400-1600	400
In-game sensitivity	1.0-3.5 (400 DPI)	1.5-2.5 (800 DPI)
360° swipe distance	30-100 cm	40-60 cm
Effective DPI calculation	`DPI × sensitivity`	—
Zoom sensitivity	0.8-1.2	1.0

Pro Player Sensitivity Reference#

Player	DPI	Sensitivity	eDPI	Zoom
s1mple	400	3.09	1236	1.0
ZywOo	400	1.9	760	1.0
NiKo	400	1.51	604	0.89
dev1ce	400	2.0	800	1.2
Twistzz	800	1.2	960	0.79
donk	400	1.5	600	0.95
m0NESY	1600	0.65	1040	1.0
ropz	400	1.5	600	1.0
shox	400	2.5	1000	1.0

Sensitivity Conversion Formulas#

Source game	Conversion formula
CS:GO → CS2	Identical
Valorant → CS2	`CS2 = Valorant × 3.18`
Apex Legends → CS2	`CS2 = Apex × 0.3`
Overwatch → CS2	`CS2 = OW × 0.306`
Rainbow Six Siege → CS2	`CS2 = R6 × 0.332`

Crosshair Settings#

Recommended Crosshair Configuration#

Parameter	Description	Recommended value
`cl_crosshairsize`	Crosshair size	2.5-5
`cl_crosshairgap`	Crosshair gap	-1 to 2
`cl_crosshairthickness`	Crosshair thickness	0.5-1.0
`cl_crosshairdot`	Center dot	0 (off)
`cl_crosshair_drawoutline`	Outline	1 (recommended on)
`cl_crosshairalpha`	Opacity	255 (fully opaque)
`cl_crosshaircolor`	Color	1 (green)

Pro Crosshair Reference#

Player	Crosshair settings
s1mple	size 2.5, gap -1, thickness 0.5, dot 0
NiKo	size 3.5, gap -2, thickness 0.5, dot 0
ZywOo	size 2, gap -2, thickness 1, dot 0
Twistzz	size 4, gap 0, thickness 0.5, dot 0
device	size 2, gap -1, thickness 0.5, dot 0

Crosshair Generator Commands#

// Load the Workshop map in the console

Or copy a pro player’s crosshair with the following commands

Video Settings#

Competitive Video Settings#

In competitive CS2, high frame rates and high visibility matter more than graphics quality. It is recommended to trade visual quality for performance

Setting	Recommended value	Notes
Display mode	Fullscreen	Lowest input lag
Resolution	1280×960 (4:3)	The most popular competitive resolution
Aspect ratio	4:3 or 16:9	4:3 stretched makes characters wider
Scaling mode	Fullscreen	GPU scaling recommended
Brightness	100-130%	See into dark corners
FOV	Default (fixed)	CS2’s FOV is not adjustable
Refresh rate	Follow your monitor	The higher the better

Resolution Comparison#

Resolution	Ratio	Traits	Player share
1920×1080	16:9	Sharpest — the widest view	~20%
1280×960	4:3 (stretched)	Wider characters — easier aiming	~55%
1280×1024	5:4 (stretched)	Tallest characters	~10%
1024×768	4:3 (stretched)	Best performance on low-end hardware	~10%
1440×1080	4:3 (stretched)	A balance of clarity and ratio	~5%

Graphics Quality Settings#

Setting	Competitive recommendation	Notes
Global shadows	High	Affects enemy shadow visibility
Model detail	Low	Less visual clutter
Texture streaming	Disabled	Reduces stutter
Effect detail	Low	Visibility matters most
Shader detail	Low	Performance optimization
Anti-aliasing	4x MSAA or off	2x is enough
Anisotropic filtering	2x-4x	Balances performance and quality
Ambient occlusion	Disabled	Heavy performance cost
HDR	Quality	Affects visibility
FidelityFX Super Resolution	Disabled	Adds latency
Vertical sync	Disabled	Must be off
Multisample anti-aliasing	2x-4x	If performance allows
NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency	On + Boost	Reduces latency

NVIDIA Control Panel Settings#

Setting	Recommended value
Power management mode	Prefer maximum performance
Texture filtering	High performance
Low latency mode	Ultra
Vertical sync	Off
Max pre-rendered frames	1
Triple buffering	Off

AMD Panel Settings#

Setting	Recommended value
Radeon Anti-Lag	On
Radeon Image Sharpening	On
Vertical sync	Off
Texture filtering quality	Performance
Tessellation	Override

Radiant#

Setting	Description	Recommendation
`cl_interp`	Interpolation	0 (automatic)
`cl_interp_ratio`	Interpolation ratio	1 (for competitive)
`cl_updaterate`	Update rate	128 (always)
`cl_cmdrate`	Command rate	128 (always)
`rate`	Bandwidth limit	786432 (maximum)
`cl_predict`	Local prediction	1 (on)
`cl_lagcompensation`	Lag compensation	1 (on)

Console Command Reference#

Grenade Practice Commands#

// Toggle grenade trajectories (custom/offline only)

// Infinite ammo (grenade practice)

// Flying grenades
god

// One-key jump-throw bind example

Audio Settings#

Setting	Competitive recommendation	Notes
Master volume	100%	Maximum intelligibility
Sound effects volume	100%	Footsteps/gunfire
Music volume	0%	Useless and distracting
Dialogue volume	100%	Voice communication
Ten-second countdown	100%	A critical clutch cue
Spatial audio	3D Audio (on)	Key to CS2’s new audio
Speaker configuration	Stereo headphones	Headphone mode is a must

Footstep Recognition Tips#

Surface	Footstep characteristics
Metal	Crisp and loud — audible at long range
Concrete	Low and solid — audible at medium range
Dirt	Muffled and faint — audible at short range
Sand	Extremely faint — very short range
Water	Splashing — obvious
Glass	Shattering — distinctive

Mouse Settings#

Windows Mouse Settings#

Setting	Recommended value	Notes
Pointer speed	6/11 (6th notch)	Exact 1:1 mapping
Enhance pointer precision	Off	Disables mouse acceleration
Mouse polling rate	1000Hz	Full USB report rate

Common Mouse Acceleration Problems#

Platform Input Differences#

PC vs Steam Deck#

Item	PC keyboard and mouse	Steam Deck gamepad
Aiming precision	★★★★★ Extremely high	★★★☆☆ Quite hard
Control complexity	All hotkeys available	Limited key combos
Stick deadzone adjustment	Not applicable	5-10% recommended
Aim assist	None	Light assist
Recommended sensitivity	40-60cm/360°	High sensitivity + linear response

Default vs Custom Keybinds#

Comparison	Default keybinds	Custom keybinds
Grenade switching	4-key cycle	Bind MB4/MB5 etc. separately
Inspect weapon	F	Use when out of combat
Voice chat	K	Side button or a mouse bind

Common Settings Problems#

Problem	Possible cause	Solution
Aim feels off	Sensitivity or resolution changed	Restore the previous settings
Unstable frame rate	Video settings too high or driver issues	Lower per the recommended settings
Bunny hop failing	Wheel jump not bound or timing off	Bind MWHEELDOWN + practice
Footsteps hard to hear	Audio device settings or spatial audio off	Check the headphone mode settings
Inconsistent spray control	Frame rate too low or a mouse problem	Enable Reflex + check the mouse
Screen tearing	V-Sync off but frame rate unstable	Enable GSync/FreeSync and cap the frame rate
High input lag	V-Sync on or Reflex not enabled	Disable V-Sync + enable Reflex

Launch Options#

Steam Launch Parameters#

autoexec.cfg Example#

// === CS2 advanced settings ===

fps_max 0

Summary#

Your CS2 settings directly determine the ceiling of your competitive play. Here are the highest-priority settings

Pick a competitive resolution (1280×960 4:3 stretched is currently the most popular)
Optimize your sound settings (stereo headphones + spatial audio = best positioning)
Finish the jump-throw bind (an essential tool for grenade practice)

Once your settings are ready, the next step is Deathmatch and Workshop aim training

Appendix: Config File Paths#

Where CS2 config files are stored


Auto-exec file (create it if it does not exist)

Detailed Video Settings Comparison#

Network Settings Optimization#

Closing tip: competitive performance in Counter-Strike 2 starts with mouse sensitivity — base your setup on 400-800 DPI and tune the in-game sensitivity until one full swipe across the mousepad completes a 180-degree turn. Fire with the left mouse button, bind melee/grenades to the side buttons, and disable mouse acceleration for a consistent aim feel.