Counter-Strike 2: Best Settings for Max FPS

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is currently in a limited beta test and it is expected to release in Summer 2023. The performance in the beta version of the game is solid and players who are playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and CS2 on the same PCs do not see a noticeable difference in performance. If you want to get the most frames per second (FPS) possible in Counter-Strike 2, here’s what you need to do.

Best Counter-Strike 2 settings for max FPS

• Boost Players Contrast: Enabled

• Wait for Vertical Sync: Disabled

• Current Video Values Preset: Custom

• Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode: 4X MSAA

• Global Shadow Quality: Low

• Model/Texture Detail: Low

• Shader Detail: Low

• Particle Detail: Low

• Ambient Occlusion: Disabled

• High Dynamic Range: Performance

• FidelityFX Super Resolution: Disabled (Highest Quality)

If you have an NVIDIA graphics card, you can also enable NVIDIA Reflex which reduces input lag. You can enable the setting in-game or you can do the following. 

1. Search “Nvidia Control Panel” in Windows and launch the app

2. Click on 3D Settings and then Manage 3D Settings

3. Choose Counter-Strike 2’s “exe” file 

4. Scroll through the settings and set Low Latency Mode to On.

It makes a big difference and you should keep Reflex enabled.

You can also try various launch options that can boost your in-game performance. While there are quite a few Counter-Strike launch options, we will only go over the ones that can boost your FPS.

• Open ‘Steam’. Go to ‘Library’. Right-click on “Counter-Strike 2” and select ‘Properties’.

• Head to “General” and then “Set Launch Options”

• Put in your desired launch options and click on Ok.

Here are the launch codes you can consider adding. Copy the launch options WITHOUT the quotes: 

• “-high” - The launch options forces Counter-Strike to run on high priority. You should only use it if you tab in and out of the game a lot or are playing on a laptop.

• “-threads” - You can manually set the number of CPU threads that CS2 uses. Do not use this launch option unless you know what you are doing.

• “+fps_max 000”: Replace the 000 with your desired max FPS and you will be able to manually set an FPS limit of your choice.

• “-refresh 000”: Replace the 000 with your monitor’s refresh rate. The setting will ensure that your monitor is set to a specific refresh rate when playing CS2.

In case you want to give the game a try on any of the compatible platforms, you can check out our guide on how to play Counter-Strike 2’s Limited Beta Test. You can also check out our guide that discusses Counter-Strike 2’s console release.