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Best CS2 launch options

Give yourself the best chance at dominating the opposition with these CS2 launch options, which aim to give you a more streamlined Counter-Strike 2 experience.

CS2 launch options: a man wearing a balaklava, holding a timed explosive.
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Counter-Strike 2 

What are the best CS2 launch options? Counter-Strike 2 is all about optimization – Finding the ideal route through a map, the most efficient buy order, and training your aim to perfectly counter the recoil of your favorite gun. It’s about honing your abilities to be the most efficient killing tool you can be.

The process of improving as a player, however, starts before you’ve even launched the FPS game. You can actually change how Counter-Strike 2 launches, and if done correctly, it will increase the game’s performance, and hopefully, your own. Couple these launch options with the best CS2 crosshairs and you’ll be climbing the CS2 ranks in no time.

CS2 launch options: a Steam options page, showing where the user can enter custom launch options for Counter-Strike 2.

How to set Counter-Strike 2 launch options

CS2 launch options tell the game hope to boot, and how it performs once running. This can be something as simple as the game launching in fullscreen or windowed mode, but can also set the game’s refresh rate from the off. If you want to get right into the action without fiddling around with settings in-game, here’s how to change Counter-Strike 2 launch options:

  • Open Steam.
  • Right-click Counter-Strike 2, and go to ‘Properties’.
  • Click on the ‘Set Launch Options’ text box, and enter one of the launch options below.

Best CS2 launch options

Here are the best launch options in Counter-Strike 2:

  • -fullscreen: Launches the game in full-screen mode.
  • -cl_showfps: Displays your FPS counter in the corner of the screen. Useful for keeping track of your PC’s performance.
  • -freq [Hz]: Set this to the refresh rate of your monitor to get the smoothest visuals possible.
  • -novid: Disables the intro video, which will save you some time when trying to get into a game.
  • -nojoy: Turns off joystick support.
  • -high: Tells your system that CS2 is the priority when it comes to processing power.

Now that you know how to boot your game perfectly with these CS2 launch options, the only thing left to do is to perfect that aim and start collecting wins. If you’re looking to have a bit of a silly fun time, why not check out our CS2 console commands guide, or if you’re into the more lucrative side of Counter-Strike 2, we have the best CS2 knives – some of which can fetch a pretty penny on the market.

When he's not writing guides at PCGamesN, PK is usually found waiting for the respawn timer in League of Legends, hanging around a tavern in Baldur's Gate 3, or fighting his way through the Settled Systems in Starfield. PK's extensive knowledge of video games is matched only by his extensive wardrobe of flannel shirts, which he has been curating since he was born, proving he was always meant to be a games journalist. He watches an episode of Star Trek every night before bed, and he loves toast, even though it makes him feel a bit sick. Buttery goodness exacts a heavy toll, one that he's willing to pay.