Counter-Strike is notoriously known as a pretty toxic game, with teammates screaming into their mics for every mistake you make. The toxicity makes new players feel uncomfortable to hop in a real match and make silly mistakes. As a result, it is the best option for newbies to play against bots and get a feel of the game. However, the default difficulty of Counter-Strike bots are too easy to beat, as most of them do not shoot back. Fortunately, there are ways to change bot difficulties so players can get good practice in.
What Bot Difficulties Are There?
Valve has created five difficulty levels for bots. Here is a quick rundown of each difficulty so you know which one to use:
- Easy Bots: Easy Bots will start shooting at you, but aren’t too accurate. They should serve as decent target practice for newbies who are still learning how to fire their weapons.
- Medium Bots: Leveling up, we have Medium Bots. Not only do these bots shoot more accurately, but they also begin moving around the map properly and hiding in unexpected angles.
- Hard Bots: Bots start getting challenging at this difficulty. Hard Bots will begin using proper grenades, stay behind cover, and group together to take coordinated duels. These bots could be challenging for experienced players, too.
- Expert Bots: The highest difficulty for bots. Expert Bots are programmed to play the game properly, and their aim starts to get sharp. Skilled players could also have issues against these bots.
Changing CS2 Bot Difficulty
In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, players were able to set the difficulty of bots before loading into a private match, which was incredibly convenient. For some reason, Valve decided to remove this feature and create a hassle for players. Nonetheless, changing bot difficulties in CS2 isn’t too hard. However, you will need to enable the developer console. Here is a step-by-step guide on how you can adjust CS2 bot difficulty in private matches.
Step 1: Enable Developer Console
We will need to input console commands to change bot difficulties. So, the first step is to ensure you have the console enabled. Here’s how:
- Go to your in-game Settings menu.
- Next, go to the Game Settings.
- For the “Enable Developer Console” option, select “Yes”.
See if your console is working by pressing the “~” button on your keyboard.
Step 2: Load Into A Private Bot Match
The next step is self-explanatory. To change the difficulty of bots in the game, you must load into a bot match:
- In the Counter-Strike main menu, click “Play”.
- Then, select “Practice” and choose the game mode you’d like to play.
- Finally, select a map and hit the “Go” button.
After entering the bot match, you can finally change the difficulty.
Step 3: Use Bot Difficulty Commands
The final step is to use a console command to change the CS2 bot difficulty. Here are all the bot difficulty commands:
- bot_difficulty 0: Sets the bot difficulty to Easy
- bot_difficulty 1: Sets the bot difficulty to Medium
- bot_difficulty 2: Sets the bot difficulty to Hard
- bot_difficulty 3: Sets the bot difficulty to Expert
With the following commands, here is how you can input one of them into the console:
- Press the “~” button, which is above “TAB” and next to “1”.
- Enter any of the CS2 bot difficulty commands listed above, depending on which difficulty you’d like to play on.
- Next, click “Enter” to confirm the command.
- Finally, close the console by hitting “~” again, and the difficulty should be changed.
And that’s how you can change the CS2 bot difficulty in three simple steps!