Best CS:GO Launch Options – What You Need To Know
6 minutes
Last Updated: March 8, 2023
Sooner or later, every CS:GO player wants to change something about the game, something that cannot simply be changed from the settings menu.
Or maybe you just want to customize your game and use the best options each time you launch it. That’s where CS:GO launch options come in.
Using the best CS:GO launch options can significantly optimize the performance of the game and give you a better overall experience.
In competitive games like CS:GO, making sure that everything will run smoothly is of primary importance.
How to Change CS:GO’s Launch Options
To change the game’s launch options you’ll need to open your Steam account, go to Library, right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and then click on Properties.
In the General tab, right at the bottom, you’ll see the Launch Options input box with a short text above it that says: “Advanced users may choose to enter modifications to their launch options.”
The Most Useful CS:GO Commands
Here’s a list of the most useful commands that you can use in CS:GO. You can use many of these to modify your CS:GO launch options.
- -high – This CS:GO option tells your PC to treat the game very carefully and give it a high priority. Your CS:GO application will receive additional resources as a result.
- -tickrate 128 – This is a great option for offline lobbies because it tells the server to use a 128 tick rate, which results in a smooth experience for you.
- -console – This is useful to add because it allows you to check your console and gain access to vital information.
- -refresh <rate> – For users with expensive monitors, this CS:GO command can increase the refresh rate and guarantee that your monitor’s capabilities are fully utilized. In a game like CS:GO, this is very valuable because the difference between success and failure is often made by milliseconds. Anything above 144 is excellent.
- +exec autoexec – This command ensures that your personal settings, from your custom config file, are loaded correctly. This file, if you want to create one for yourself in order to avoid typing in certain CS:GO commands each time you play the game, must be added to the game’s \cfg folder.
- -fullscreen – The game will usually be full screen but if it isn’t, just use this option and the issue will get fixed.
- +cl_forcepreload 1 – This is a great option to use if you don’t want to wait longer when you start competing and would rather wait a bit longer when you first launch the game. The command tells CS:GO to preload all the map files at launch.
- +fps max 0 – In CS:GO, having at least 60 frames per second is essential. Ideally, you should have 90+. This command uncaps the number of frames per second. Only use this if your PC configuration is good enough.
- -softparticlesdefaultoff – If you notice that explosions have a significant negative impact on your fps during matches, use this command and the problem will most likely go away.
Images courtesy of Valve Corporation
Other CS:GO Commands That Are Useful to Know
If you’re playing CS:GO on a low-end PC, most of what would optimize your performance can be found in the game settings menu. Just set everything to low and you’ll experience fewer crashes and a high number of frames per second.
However, there are all kinds of other CS:GO commands that are useful to know for your training sessions and other moments. Here’s a list of them:
net_graph 1
For situations where your internet connection is questionable and you want to be able to debug the problem more easily, telling CS:GO to show you at all times what your ping and fps are can be of vital importance.
If you only want to see your fps, you can use the cl_showfps command instead.
+cl_show_team_equipment
This command lets you see your team’s equipment, which is a vital thing to be aware of when trying to decide what to buy.
At the start of each round, you should communicate with your teammates and synchronize your decisions with theirs. But that doesn’t always happen. This command simplifies things a bit.
voice_scale
If you hear your teammates too loudly, either because of their microphones or because they are shouting, this CS:GO command allows you to choose a value between 0 and 1, where 0 is mute and 1 is maximum volume.
The value can always be modified based on the situation. If someone has a tendency to speak very softly, you should increase the volume instead of asking them to speak louder.
Keep in mind that this will only increase the volume of people’s voices. The sounds in the game will remain the same.
cl_hud_color
You can change the color of your HUD if you want. But you don’t necessarily need to use a command to do it. The option is available in the game’s settings.
cl_righthand
This command is really useful because it allows you to change the hand that you use to hold your gun. Some left-handed people will feel better if the in-game agent holds the gun the same way they would.
sensitivity
If you don’t like the mouse sensitivity, you can change it by utilizing this command. Don’t forget to give it a parameter.
hurtme
This CS:GO command allows you to deal an amount of damage to yourself. You might want to use it when training.
cl_radar_scale
With the help of this CS:GO command, you can zoom the radar in and out.
say
This CS:GO command gives you the possibility to communicate more easily in the all chat window.
cl_crosshairgap
Your CS:GO crosshair contains a gap. This console command allows you to adjust that gap. Give the command a higher value and the gap will get bigger. Give it a smaller value and it will get smaller. The range is -1 to 10.
cl_crosshairsize
This CS:GO command offers you a way to easily set the length and size of the lines that make up your crosshair. The standard value is 5.
cl_crosshairstyle
You can make use of this CS:GO command to change the style of the crosshair. This includes its shape and whether or not it should be magnified when moving around to indicate the imprecision of your gun during such moments.
The default value of its parameter is 0 but you can give it any value between 1 and 5. A value of 1 represents a static crosshair that has a standard form.
cl_crosshair_outlinethickness
If you don’t like the default thickness of your crosshair, you can modify it. The default value is 1, but you can pick any value between 0.1 and 3.
cl_crosshaircolor
If you want to use a different crosshair color, this command allows you to pick something else.
The parameter has a value between 0 and 4. If you choose a value of 0, your CS:GO crosshair will be red. Experiment and see what happens.
Many of these commands will be useful to know by heart because you might want to change them during your games, based on the map you are playing on and other circumstances.
