There are more than several CS2 launch options that you should consider. Several of the launch options from the Counter-Strike 2 beta no longer work for the free official launch, but there are a few that still do. To activate these launch options on Steam, you can right-click on the game’s entry in your Steam library, head to Properties, and then find a box for Launch Options. You can then type in as many launch options as you would like to improve FPS and general performance. Here is our recommended list of the best launch options for Counter-Strike 2.
List of best CS2 launch options
Below is a handful of what we think are the best launch options for the game:
- -console – This enables the developer’s console command without you needing to do so in the game.
- -high – This setting tells your computer to make CS2 a priority, which will impact the performance of other applications running outside of the game. As such, we don’t recommend using this if you are, say, streaming CS2.
- +fps_max 0 – Replacing the zero here with a number will set a framerate cap for the game to the number you set. Setting it to zero, though, removes the framerate cap altogether.
- -nojoy – This turns off input from a joystick or controller, potentially improving performance.
- -novid – This gets rid of the intro video before launching the game, shaving off several seconds so you can get into the game a bit faster.
- -softparticlesdefaultoff – This turns off soft particles in the game, possibly improving performance.
- +violence_hblood 0 – If you’re squeamish or just don’t want the game to render the particle effects for blood, you can use this to disable blood and gore.
At the time of this writing, we believe that the “-fullscreen” command is unnecessary since you can turn on fullscreen through the game’s settings. The “-freq” command, which is meant to match your monitor’s refresh rate, doesn’t seem to work either. The same goes for the “-tickrate” launch option, but a bit more testing needs to be made.
Counter-Strike 2 launch options FAQ
A: Right-click on Counter-Strike 2 in your Steam library, navigate to Properties, and find the Launch Options box. Here, you can type in the desired launch options to enhance FPS and overall performance.
A: Consider using options such as -console to enable the developer’s console, -high to prioritize CS2, +fps_max 0 to uncap framerate, -nojoy to disable joystick input, -novid to skip the intro video, and -softparticlesdefaultoff to turn off soft particles. Additionally, +violence_hblood 0 will disable blood and gore effects if preferred.
A: At present, the -fullscreen command is deemed unnecessary as fullscreen can be enabled through in-game settings. Additionally, the -freq and -tickrate commands appear to be non-functional, though further testing on -tickrate is needed.
