Counter-Strike is a game that revolves around shooting people, meaning the most important task in the game is to shoot people and kill them. This means aiming plays a crucial role in how Counter-Strike is played, and players must do it properly to succeed.
In order to aim accurately, every player is given a crosshair, which is placed in the very center of the screen to help players predict where their bullets are going to land. Since the crosshair is such an important tool, it is important for every Counter-Strike player to spend some time to change their crosshair to meet their personal preferences.
In this comprehensive guide, we’re going to teach you how to change crosshair in CS:GO, as well as things to remember when doing so.
Understanding Crosshair Components
Before we get into CS:GO how to change crosshair, it is vital for you to understand the different crosshair components first, so you’ll know what to change and adjust. Let’s briefly go over the various components that make up a crosshair.
- Style: There are two main crosshair Styles in the game, which are Dynamic and Static crosshairs. Dynamic crosshairs will move and open when you are in an inaccurate position (such as running or shooting). Meanwhile, Static crosshairs do not move regardless of whether you are accurate or inaccurate.
- Alpha: The crosshair Alpha is used to determine how transparent your crosshair is. You can make it solid, or you can lower the Alpha value to make it a little more transparent so you can see through it.
- Thickness: The crosshair Thickness will determine how thick the lines of your crosshair are. Generally, you don’t want your crosshair to be too thick as it will cover up a lot of the screen and make it harder for you to land shots.
- Size: The crosshair Size will determine how long your crosshair lines are, instead of the actual size of these lines. In general, you want a small crosshair as it will make you more accurate.
- Gap: The crosshair Gap will determine the size of the spacing in the middle of your crosshair lines, in other words, the gap. It will change the distance between the four lines of your crosshair.
- Outline: The crosshair Outline is optional. If enabled, there will be black outlines covering all the lines of your crosshair. If disabled, there will be no outlines at all surrounding your crosshair.
- Color: The crosshair Color is pretty self-explanatory. We highly recommend using bright colors such as Cyan, Green, or Yellow as there are dark areas in several Counter-Strike maps.
- Dot: The crosshair Dot is optional. This gives you the option to put a dot in the middle of your crosshair. You can also disable it, which will remove the dot in the middle of your crosshair and leave it as an empty space for you to see.
How To Change Crosshair CS:GO
With the crosshair being an incredibly important tool for aiming and playing Counter-Strike as a whole, we bring good news that there are a handful of methods that will allow you to change your crosshair in CS:GO.
We have six different methods that you can select from, so let’s go over each of them one by one!
#1 Using The In-Game Settings Menu
The first and most common way of changing your crosshair is through the in-game settings menu directly in the Counter-Strike client.
To navigate to the crosshair section in your in-game settings, follow the steps below:
- Launch Counter-Strike.
- Go to your in-game settings.
- Next, go to the “Game” category.
- Look for the “Crosshair” category.
When you have made it to the crosshair section, you will be greeted with a handful of settings including your crosshair style as well as adjustments to all your components such as the length, thickness, gap, outline, color, and more.
If you’re asking the question, “can you change your crosshair color in CS:GO,” the answer is also here in the settings page. You can adjust the RGB (red, green, and blue) colors of your crosshair to find the perfect color you are looking for.
#2 Using Console Commands
If you’re more of a console guy, you can also change your crosshair using console commands that you input into the developer console. However, to perform this method, you must have your in-game console enabled which can be done through the in-game settings.
Here is how you can input console commands to change your crosshair:
- Enable the developer console by going to “Settings” > “Game” > “Enable Developer Console”.
- Open your developer console using the “~” key.
- Next, type in the crosshair console command and enter your desired value to adjust that specific component.
- Once you have inputted the command properly, hit the Enter key and you’re all set.
Now, you might be wondering what the crosshair commands are, so we’ll give you a list of the most useful crosshair commands for the most relevant components.
| Console Command | Function |
| cl_crosshairsize [Value] | This command will determine the size of your crosshair (how long your crosshair lines are). |
| cl_crosshairgap [Value] | This command will determine the size of the gap in the middle of your crosshair lines. |
| cl_crosshairthickness [Value] | This command will determine how thick your crosshair lines are. |
| cl_crosshairdot [Value] | This command will determine whether your crosshair will have a dot in the middle or not. |
| cl_crosshairstyle [Value] | This command will help you cycle through the various crosshair styles available in the game. |
| cl_crosshaircolor [Value] | This command will help you change the color of your crosshair with over 10 different options. |
Applying any of these commands with the correct value will immediately apply the changes to your crosshair.
#3 Using Someone Else’s Crosshair Code
Nowadays, the best way to change your crosshair is probably to copy someone else’s crosshair code. Basically, every crosshair has a long, unique crosshair code. This crosshair code can be shared and copied, then imported to the game to create the identical crosshair to use. The sharing of crosshair codes has become the easiest method to change your crosshair.
Here is how you can change your crosshair using someone else’s code.
- Get your desired crosshair code and copy it to your clipboard.
- Launch Counter-Strike and then head over to your Settings menu.
- Go to “Game” settings and then look for your “Crosshair” settings.
- Next, click on the “Share or Import” button.
- In the text box provided, paste the crosshair code from your clipboard.
- Finally, click the “Import” button to apply your crosshair.
After you have followed the procedure above and imported a crosshair, that specific crosshair will immediately be applied to your game. You can also share your crosshair code to your friends and have them follow the same process to change their crosshair to yours.
Finding Someone’s Crosshair Code
If you have watched a professional match or live stream, you might be keen to copy a specific player’s crosshair. However, you cannot just get someone’s crosshair code by simply looking at it. It must be shared. This is the hardest part about changing your crosshair through a code.
The best thing you can do to copy a professional player’s crosshair code is to search for it on Google or certain websites such as https://csdb.gg. Our website has dedicated an entire section to the settings and peripherals of professional players, and you will definitely find the crosshair codes of professional players on our website. Be sure to take a peek at the “Pro Settings” section on our website!
Professional Player Crosshair Codes To Try Out
If you’re unsatisfied with your current crosshair and want to change it, we’re here to help you out. Here are eight crosshair codes of the best players in the world to help you get started:
| Player | Crosshair Code |
| Oleksandr “s1mple” Kostyliev (Natus Vincere) | CSGO-6w2oa-mXOAB-oihKM-qmJqN-edK5O |
| Nikola “NiKo” Kovač (G2 Esports) | CSGO-dDHCn-2TLLt-FWcfa-ytnLx-WXvaL |
| Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut (Team Vitality) | CSGO-kr5tQ-Vk5rB-voGTj-t6Jyr-ruWPA |
| Ilya “m0NESY” Osipov (G2 Esports) | CSGO-OUHO2-bWakt-2EThQ-JJisR-6sWPA |
| Nicolai “device” Reedtz (Astralis) | CSGO-vcRFA-QjQB2-8VpRR-xpUFt-JTDND |
| Valerii “b1t” Vakhovskyi (Natus Vincere) | CSGO-74q7o-bvpfG-mvA6s-6bAtd-OnMHA |
| Robin “ropz” Kool (FaZe Clan) | CSGO-MMQuh-Hs3Sj-Qv9zd-VaCmc-3QqNO |
| Danil “donk” Kryshkovets (Team Spirit) | CSGO-Jhfkc-4UpR6-DJftC-VfGek-pL3ED |
#4 Using Crosshair Generator Workshop Maps
One thing you must remember is that crosshairs generally come down to personal preference. Copying the crosshair of your favorite player doesn’t mean you will play like them. If you would like more freedom to make adjustments to your crosshair, you can download the crashz’ Crosshair Generator workshop map to help you.
The crashz’ Crosshair Generator workshop map was created for the sole purpose of helping players craft and change their crosshairs as effectively as possible. It is completely free to download, so let’s learn how.
How To Download Crashz’ Crosshair Generator Map
To utilize the crashz’ Crosshair Generator map, you must first download it from the Steam Workshop. Here’s how:
- Open your Steam desktop client.
- Hover over the “Community” tab and then click on “Workshop.”
- In “Search for a Workshop,” search for Counter-Strike.
- In the Counter-Strike Workshop, use the search bar to look for “crashz’ Crosshair Generator.”
- Once you are on the map page, click on the green “Subscribe” button.
- The map will begin downloading. Make sure to restart your game for the changes to apply.
After following the steps above, the crashz’ Crosshair Generator map should be installed to your computer.
How To Play On Crashz’ Crosshair Generator Map
The next step is to load into the map. Here’s how you can load into crashz’ Crosshair Generator map after downloading it:
- Launch Counter-Strike.
- Click on the “Play” button at the top of your screen.
- Go to “Workshop Maps” and then select the crashz’ Crosshair Generator map.
After following these steps, you should be loaded into the map.
How To Change Your Crosshair With Crashz’ Crosshair Generator
Now, let’s actually talk about how you can change your crosshair with the crashz’ Crosshair Generator map. There are different ways you can customize your crosshair, so let’s talk about the features the map offers.
- Manual Crosshair Customization: When you load into the map, you will immediately see a screen with all crosshair components listed out. You can interact with this screen to make adjustments and changes to your crosshair components, and you can also see how it will look on different maps.
- Copy Professional Player Crosshairs: If you look behind, you will see a huge wall with a list of the best professional players in the world, categorized by their professional teams. You will see hundreds of different crosshairs. To copy any of these crosshairs, simply shoot at their respective portraits. There is also a wall dedicated to content creators, streamers, and influencers that you can copy as well.
- Restore Crosshair: After making tons of changes to your crosshair, there is a “Restore Crosshair” button that will revert all your changes and return your crosshair to the original one you first loaded into the map with.
- Show Crosshair Code: If you are a big fan of the crosshair you have just made, you can display the crosshair code and copy it to save it somewhere to share it with your friends for them to try.
#5 Using Crosshair Generator Websites
If you’re too lazy to download the Crosshair Generator map we’ve covered above, you can also create a new crosshair using websites on the internet. Crosshair generator websites have all the crosshair settings you are looking for, and will allow you to adjust them according to your preferences.
You will get to see the result of your crosshair throughout the entire process of editing it. Most of these websites will display your crosshair with the background of maps in the Competitive Map pool, and will allow you to shuffle through different maps to test out what your crosshair would look like in different lighting and backgrounds.
You will have sliders for all the crosshair component settings that will allow you to design and edit your crosshair with ease. You can also change its color and slide through the different RGB values to create custom colors.
Once you are done changing your crosshair, you will be given your crosshair config, which is a list of all the crosshair console commands required to make your specific crosshair. All you need to do is copy and paste all of these commands into your developer console to make it work.
Then, you can go to your Counter-Strike settings page and head over to your crosshair section, where you can copy the code of your crosshair in case you want to keep it somewhere or show it off to your friends.
#6 Copying Someone Else’s Crosshair In-Game
Let’s say you’re in the middle of a Competitive match, and you really like the looks of your teammates’ crosshairs. Fortunately, you don’t have to ask him for his crosshair code anymore, as Valve has already implemented a “Copy Crosshair” feature that allows you to identically copy someone’s crosshair in the middle of your game.
If you have identified the player whose crosshair you’d like to copy, you can follow the steps below:
- In the middle of the match, open your scoreboard by holding your TAB key or whatever it is bound to.
- Next, left-click the name of your desired player.
- Once a handful of options appear, click on the “Copy Crosshair” button which is located at the bottom-right corner.
After you have followed the simple steps, the crosshair should immediately be copied and applied immediately to your game.