Best CS2 settings to avoid input lag
ValveCounter-Strike 2 is the next step in one of the most competitive FPS game series on the planet, and avoiding input lag in a game like this is quite important for you to perform, so here are the best settings you can use to remove input lag in CS2.
Counter-Strike 2 is dominating player counts on Steam, which suggests that players are enjoying the extensively revamped version of CS: GO. Much to the excitement of fans of the FPS franchise, the latest title features a new Premier mode, which is similar to the system in Valorant.
While CS legend s1mple has already found his ideal CS2 settings, another player has found the impact of each video setting on input lag in the game. This is important as it can help decrease the delay as much as possible between your mouse and keyboard to the corresponding action on your game’s screen.
However, a noticeable amount of input lag in any game greatly affects a player’s ability to perform or react, so here’s everything to know about the best Counter-Strike 2 settings to reduce input lag.
Counter-Strike 2: How to remove input lag with CS2 settings
Here are the best video settings for CS2 to lower input lag while ensuring you get a boost in FPS:
| Global Shadow Quality | Low |
| Model/Texture Detail | Low |
| Particle Detail | Low |
| ShadowDetail | Low |
| Boost Player Contrast | Disabled |
| Multicore Rendering | Enabled |
| Ambient Occlusion | Disabled |
| Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode | 2x MSAA |
| High Dynamic Range | Quality |
| FidelityFX Super Resolution | Disabled |
| NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency | Enabled |
| Texture Filtering Mode | Bilinear |
| Wait for Vertical Sync | Disabled |
Counter-Strike player ‘Piwielle’ took to Reddit to discuss each setting’s impact on the input lag in CS2. While testing, Piwielle confirmed that Vertical Sync (VSync) has the worst effect, and players should keep it disabled or set to the lowest value to lower their input lag.
Additionally, if you set the Multisampling Anti-Aliasing to 8x MSAA, it will add 0.89 ms of input lag, which is negligible when compared to Vsync’s impact.
While most players set their Model/Texture, Shader, and Particle Detail to low, the testing revealed that each of these settings only adds 0.15 ms of input lag. However, Ambient Occlusion and Global Shadow Quality can each add over 0.33 ms of input lag in the game.
If you wish to experience CS2 at its best on the new Source 2 engine, it’s best to max out all the settings above except VSync to avoid the spike in input lag.
For more content on Counter-Strike 2, make sure to check out the following:
How to convert Valorant to CS2 mouse sensitivity | Best CS:GO & CS2 crosshair codes used by pros | Is Counter-Strike 2 on macOS or Linux? | Counter-Strike 2: How to bind & jump throw nades in CS2 | How to show FPS in Counter-Strike 2: Enable & disable commands | Best Counter-Strike 2 PC settings: High FPS, resolution, and more | Counter-Strike 2: All map changes