How to optimize your PC for Counter-Strike 2: Eliminate CS2 lag

❘ Published: 2023-09-28T14:22:06

Valve / NZXT

Looking to optimize your PC for Counter-Strike 2? We’ve got all the details you need to destroy any pesky CS2 lag you might encounter in the game.

Counter-Strike 2 has finally been released to much fan fervor, and as with every major game launch, you might encounter some technical issues. But, since CS2 is a huge competitive title, you might also want to make sure that your PC is fully optimized to play the game and ensure that you do not encounter any pesky lag during a match.

Latency, whether it be input latency, network latency, or display latency can make or break your experience in the game, but we’re here to tell you how to get set up in the best way possible.

1. Use an Ethernet cable

This might not be what you want to hear, but the easiest way of eliminating lag from CS2 is to wire yourself up with a good internet connection. While WiFi has gotten faster than ever before, the technology can still be prone to something named Packet Loss. This occurs when some elements of the data are lost when data is being sent and received by the server you’re trying to send information to, your router, and your PC.

This can increase your ping in matches, and lead to higher network latency, therefore causing lag. Any good gaming PC or Laptop will have an ethernet cable, and the best thing to do is to wire yourself up with a Cat5e cable or better. We’ve assembled a list of the best ethernet cables here.

Remember, your internet connection speed also matters here, so make sure that you are on a plan with enough bandwidth to play online games reliably.

2. Get a high-refresh-rate monitor

Ever wonder how other people in matches seem to have inhuman aim? If they’re not using hacks, it’s likely that your opponents are using high-refresh-rate gaming monitors. The best gaming monitors for CS2 will also support Nvidia Reflex, which can analyze latency data, and also shave their display latency down to one millisecond or even less. This allows you to react quickly to any situation, and when paired with a high-refresh rate, gives you a distinct advantage when playing in actual matches.

We’ve assembled a list of the best CS2 monitors here, so you can invest in your setup and get a fantastic experience playing the game. But remember, you will also need a powerful PC to drive the number of frames that a high-refresh-rate monitor demands.

3. Upgrade your PC with a new CPU or GPU

Counter-Strike 2 is a title that runs extremely well on most PC gaming hardware. However, when playing games at a high frame rate, in order to drive a high-refresh-rate monitor, you will also need to make sure that your PC is up to the task.

If too many frames are sent to your PC at once, it can create a CPU bottleneck. The inverse is also true, when your CPU can handle every task, and your GPU might be underpowered, meaning that you might not be making the best use of your hardware.

This means that you might want to invest in a new prebuilt PC or upgrade your GPU for Counter-Strike 2. Having a faster GPU will also cut down on your system’s render latency, meaning that there will be less time needed for your PC to generate frames than before. Paired with Nvidia Reflex, this number gets even smaller. That’s why our top picks for the best Counter-Strike 2 GPUs are both from Nvidia.

Alternatively, many laptops are also equipped to handle Counter-Strike 2, and we’ve listed our top picks here.

4. Use a low-latency mouse

Getting a new gaming mouse for Counter-Strike 2 isn’t too difficult, with the market flooded with excellent options across the board. One thing to note is that your mouse should have a polling rate of at least 1000Hz to be considered competitive.

Many Bluetooth mice do not meet this requirement and are therefore not suitable for gaming. If you want to get the most out of your gaming experience, look for gaming mice that have a polling rate of over 1000Hz, with several options available from Razer, Logitech, and more.

Just be sure to note that if your PC is older, running a peripheral with a high polling rate can affect your performance. You can check out all of our recommended mice for Counter-Strike 2 here.

5. Close background processes

Transferring data between Android phone and laptop using Nearby Share

If you are really looking to get the most out of your PC and eliminate lag, then the best thing to do (for free) would be to close any background tasks running on your PC, this means no Google Chrome, no Spotify, or other applications that could take up precious resources that your PC uses to run Counter-Strike 2.

This might seem obvious, but make sure that you are not wasting precious bandwidth too. This means halting all downloads that are going out from your PC. This can result in unwanted lag spikes and terrible ping.

6. Use Nvidia Reflex

RTX 4060 Ti with money underneath the green lines

One of the best things about CS2’s release is the use of the Source 2 engine, which means that the game now has support for features like Nvidia Reflex. We’ve already talked extensively about how Nvidia Reflex is able to shave your system’s latency significantly, you just might need the GPU, Monitor, and Peripherals to take full advantage of the cutting-edge new feature.

Do I need to get a new PC for CS2?

Counter-Strike 2’s system requirements are incredibly low, which means that it’s likely that your PC will be able to run the title. However, if you wish to play competitively, you will need to afford yourself every advantage possible. A huge part of that lies in your PC’s capabilities. So, if you feel like you cannot run the game in your selected resolution at 60FPS reliably, then you might want to look into upgrading your PC as a whole.

All of these suggestions should ensure that you have a fantastic, lag-less CS2 experience. Just remember, once you have made all these changes, you won’t be able to blame lag for poor play. Want to sharpen up your skills? Check out our other CS2 content.