Best CS2 Competitive Settings for High FPS (PC & Deck)

Why I Stopped Caring About CS2 Graphics (And Started Winning More)

After spending way too long tweaking Counter-Strike 2 to “look nice,” I finally accepted what every serious player figures out: this game is about clarity and frames, not eye candy. The breakthrough came when I stripped my settings down on a rig with an RTX 4070 Super and saw my average frame rate jump to around 210fps with 1% lows just under 100fps. My spray felt smoother, peeks were cleaner, and input lag basically disappeared.

This guide walks you through the exact kind of setup I now use on both PC and Steam Deck to prioritize:

Consistently high FPS (not just “pretty good averages”)
Low input latency and predictable aim
Clean audio for footsteps and comms
Keybinds that actually work under pressure
Practical Steam Deck presets for 60fps casual play

Expect to spend about 15-30 minutes dialing everything in. Once it’s done, you can forget about settings and focus on crosshair placement and utility.

What You Need Before You Start

You don’t need a monster PC to benefit from this guide. CS2 is fairly lightweight, and competitive settings are even lighter. Here’s what I’d consider ideal vs minimum.

Recommended PC baseline

OS: Windows 11 64-bit
CPU: Modern quad-core or better (e.g. Intel Core i5 / Ryzen 5 and up)
GPU: Anything from a decent midrange card upwards
RAM: 16GB in dual-channel
Monitor: 120Hz+ (144-240Hz is the sweet spot)
Storage: HDD or SSD (SSD strongly recommended, but not required)

On my main test rig – Intel Core i7-11700F, RTX 4070 Super 12GB, 32GB DDR4-3200, B560 motherboard, Windows 11 – the recommended settings below produce roughly:

Average FPS: ~210fps
1% lows: ~99fps

That’s perfect for a 120-180Hz monitor and still great on 240Hz.

About SSDs and load times

Counter-Strike 2 does not require an SSD for performance. You can absolutely play from an HDD. that said, moving CS2 to an SSD will noticeably reduce:

Map load times
Reconnect times after crashes or disconnects
Alt-tab & startup delays

It won’t increase FPS, but it will make the whole experience feel snappier. Think of it as a quality-of-life upgrade rather than a performance requirement.

Step 1 → Dial in core video settings for maximum FPS (PC)

This is where most of your performance gains come from. The goal is simple: hit high, stable FPS and low input lag, even if that means sacrificing visual flair.

1. Display & resolution

Step → Go to Settings → Video → Video

Display Mode → Fullscreen (best) or Fullscreen Windowed (if you alt-tab often)
Resolution → 1920×1080 to start, even on higher-res monitors
V-Sync → Off (unless you’re extremely sensitive to tearing and already far over your monitor’s refresh rate)
Aspect Ratio → Personal preference (16:9 or 4:3 stretched); performance is similar, clarity and comfort matter more.

Result → Fullscreen plus V-Sync off keeps input latency as low as possible and reduces weird stutters. Starting at 1080p gives you a big FPS cushion before you consider higher resolutions.

When to raise resolution: If your minimum FPS (not just the average) is comfortably above your monitor’s refresh rate at 1080p, then you can bump resolution up to your screen’s native. Otherwise, stay at 1080p and let your monitor upscale the image.

2. Competitive graphics preset (PC)

Step → Go to Settings → Video → Advanced Video and set:

Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode: Off
Global Shadow Quality: Low
Dynamic Shadows: Sun only
Model / Texture Detail: Low
Texture Filtering Mode: Anisotropic 16x
Shader Detail: Low
Particle Detail: Low
Ambient Occlusion: Low
High Dynamic Range: Performance
AMD FSR: Disabled

Result → You get the important info (player visibility, basic shadows, clean edges from 16x anisotropic filtering) while cutting almost everything that eats FPS without helping you win fights.

Don’t make my mistake of enabling FSR on a higher-resolution render just because it sounds fancy. In CS2 it usually adds softness and extra processing when you could have just run native 1080p and gained FPS. Stick to native and keep FSR off for competitive play.

If you have lots of headroom (for example, you’re already way over 240fps):

Consider bumping Global Shadow Quality to Medium or High for slightly clearer shadow edges.
You can also try Ambient Occlusion on Medium or High if it doesn’t cost you too many frames.

I only do this on very strong GPUs, and I always re-check 1% lows afterwards. The moment those dips start to feel choppy, I drop back to the low preset above.

3. Latency tweaks: Reflex and frame limit

Step → In the same advanced video menu (and/or your GPU software):

NVIDIA GPUs: Enable NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency and, where available, choose “On + Boost”.
AMD GPUs: Enable your driver’s low-latency feature (e.g. Radeon Anti-Lag) globally or for CS2.
Frame limit: In console or autoexec, use fps_max 0 to uncap, then use your overlay to check stability. If your FPS jumps wildly, cap it slightly above your refresh rate (e.g. 190–220 on 144Hz) to smooth frame times.

Result → Lower input latency and smoother frame pacing. You’ll feel this in how responsive micro-corrections and counter-strafes become.

Step 2 → Gameplay & network settings that actually help you win

A lot of these options don’t affect FPS, but they massively affect how readable and consistent your matches feel.

1. Matchmaking ping & server selection

Step → Go to Settings → Game → Matchmaking and:

Set Max Acceptable Matchmaking Ping to a sane value for your region (I usually use 60–80ms).
Review the listed regions/servers and keep only those with consistently low ping selected.

Result → Fewer matches on distant servers and fewer rounds ruined by unpredictable lag.

2. Team info on HUD

Step → Under Settings → Game → HUD, enable:

Show Team Positions on HUD → On
Mode: Show location and equipment
Teammate indicators: use Colors and letters

Result → At a glance, you can see where teammates are and what they’re holding. This makes calling and mid-round decision-making much easier without constantly checking the radar or asking in voice.

3. Weapon quirks: silencers

Step → Disable the option that allows you to detach silencers on the USP-S and M4A1-S.

Result → You’ll never accidentally unscrew your silencer mid-fight because of a misclick. I learned this one the painful way in a post-plant retake.

Step 3 → Audio: maximize footsteps, minimize noise

I used to underestimate how much audio settings matter until I realized I was consistently losing to people who heard me half a second earlier.

1. Core audio mode

Step → In Settings → Audio:

Set Audio Device to your headset.
Use a Headphones or Stereo mode rather than virtual surround.
Keep Master Volume high enough that footsteps are easy to pick out without strain.

Result → Cleaner positional sound; fewer “where was he?” deaths.

2. Music: off, except when it matters

Step → In the music section of the audio settings:

Turn all music sliders down to 0%.
Raise the Ten Second Warning Volume to around 15%.

Result → No distracting music during menus or rounds, but you still get the crucial audio cue when you have 10 seconds to defuse. Since a defuse with kit takes 5 seconds, that warning is a built-in “you still have time / you’re too late” indicator.

Step 4 → Mouse, sensitivity & keybinds for real fights

This is where many players sabotage themselves. Tiny changes here can have a bigger impact on your consistency than any graphics tweak.

1. Mouse setup: DPI, eDPI & polling

Most pros cluster around a similar effective sensitivity range, known as eDPI (DPI × in-game sensitivity).

Common pro eDPI range: 720–1200
Example: 400 DPI × 2.0 sens = 800 eDPI (a very common setup; players like ZywOo sit around this ballpark).

Step →

Set your mouse DPI to 400 or 800 in your mouse software.
In CS2, adjust Mouse Sensitivity until you land in that 720–1200 eDPI range.
Set Raw Input to On.
Disable Mouse Acceleration in-game and in Windows.
Set mouse polling rate to 1000Hz if your mouse supports it.

Result → Consistent, predictable aim that matches what high-level players use. You’ll know it’s right when 180° turns are comfortable and you can make small headshot corrections without overflicking.

2. Keybinds that remove finger gymnastics

Default CS2 keybinds are serviceable for casual play, but they make throwing specific utility in a panic much harder than it needs to be.

Step → In Settings → Keyboard / Mouse:

Grenades:
- Bind specific grenades to easy keys. For example:
  - Flashbang → Q
  - Smoke → E
  - HE → C or F
  - Molotov / Incendiary → Mouse4 / Mouse5 if available
- This replaces the default Q quick-switch, but it makes pulling the right grenade under pressure much easier.
Use mic: Bind to something you can press while moving and aiming, like Caps Lock or a side mouse button.
Radio messages:
- Clear the binds for Command Radio Message, Standard Radio Message, and Report Radio Message.
- Leave them unbound so you never fire a radio call instead of a weapon.

Result → Faster, more intentional utility and fewer “why am I yelling on the radio instead of shooting?” moments. I wasted too many rounds before finally unbinding radio entirely.

Step 5 → Steam Deck settings for 60fps casual CS2

Playing serious ranked matches on Steam Deck isn’t ideal (controls, connection, and screen size all work against you), but for deathmatch, casual, or practicing angles, it’s absolutely workable.

Step 6 → Monitor your performance and fine-tune

Guessing at performance is how you end up chasing “stutters” that are actually just bad servers or placebo. Use real tools and quick tests instead.

1. PC performance overlays

NVIDIA users

Step → Install the NVIDIA App, enable the in-game overlay, then press Alt + R in CS2.
Result → You’ll see FPS, frame time, GPU/CPU usage, and temperatures in real-time.

AMD users

Step → Open the Radeon overlay and enable performance monitoring (shortcut is typically Ctrl + Shift + O).
Result → Similar on-screen stats while you play.

Third-party tools

Apps like CapFrameX or NVIDIA FrameView give you cleaner logs and graphs for FPS, 1% lows, and frame times if you want to benchmark more seriously.

2. Handheld performance overlays

On handheld PCs (including Steam Deck), use the built-in performance overlay:

Step → Press the device’s quick menu button and enable performance or real-time monitoring.
Result → Instant FPS and utilization info while you adjust settings.

3. Quick test routine

Whenever you change settings, I recommend this 5–10 minute sanity check:

Step → Join a deathmatch or run a bot game on a common map (Dust2, Mirage, or Ancient).
Action → Play 5–10 minutes, focusing on:
- Frame rate in smoke and molly spam
- FPS when entering common fight spots (mirage mid, dust mid, banana, etc.)
- Input feel while spraying and counter-strafing
Result → If FPS and frame times stay stable and aiming feels consistent, you’ve got a good competitive setup.

Step 7 → (Optional) Launch options & autoexec basics

This part is optional, but it’s how I make sure my core settings are always applied, even after patches or reinstalling.

1. Launch options

Step → In your Steam library, right-click CS2 → Properties → General → Launch Options and add:

-tickrate 128 -novid +fps_max 0

-tickrate 128 → ensures local servers (practice, workshop) run at 128 tick.
-novid → skips the intro video so you load straight into the main menu.
+fps_max 0 → uncaps your FPS by default (you can still limit it in-game or via console).

Result → Faster startup and consistent behavior every time you launch CS2.

2. Autoexec (for advanced tweaking)

If you like finer control, you can create an autoexec.cfg in CS2’s cfg folder and add any console commands you always want applied (sensitivity, fps_max, viewmodel options, etc.). Then add +exec autoexec.cfg to your launch options.

I use this mainly to lock in my sensitivity, fps_max, and a few HUD preferences, so updates never silently change them.

TL;DR – Fast CS2 competitive setup checklist

Video (PC): Fullscreen, V-Sync Off, start at 1080p. All major graphics Low, Texture Filtering Anisotropic 16x, HDR Performance, FSR Off.
Performance target: On an RTX 4070 Super–class rig, expect around 210fps average, ~100fps 1% lows with these settings.
Latency: Enable NVIDIA Reflex (On + Boost) or AMD’s low-latency feature; use fps_max 0 then optionally cap slightly above your refresh rate.
Gameplay: Limit matchmaking ping, show team positions with location + equipment, disable silencer removal.
Audio: Headphones/stereo mode, all music at 0% except 10-second warning at ~15%.
Mouse: 400–800 DPI, eDPI 720–1200 (e.g. 400×2.0), Raw Input On, no acceleration, 1000Hz polling.
Keybinds: Put specific grenades on easy keys (e.g. flash on Q), move mic to something reachable, unbind radio spam commands.
Steam Deck: 1280×800, 60fps cap, V-Sync On, 2x MSAA, mostly Low settings, AO Disabled, FSR Off → ~60fps in casual modes.
Monitoring: Use NVIDIA App (Alt + R), Radeon overlay (Ctrl + Shift + O), or tools like CapFrameX/FrameView to watch FPS and 1% lows.
Storage: SSD not required for FPS, but strongly recommended for faster loads and reconnects.
Launch options: -tickrate 128 -novid +fps_max 0 for quick startup and consistent behavior.

Once you’ve gone through this setup, you should feel CS2 become noticeably smoother and more responsive, both on PC and Steam Deck. From there, the real work is crosshair placement, utility lineups, and decision-making – but at least you won’t be fighting your settings anymore.