How To Fix Stuttering & Lag Issues In CS2

Counter-Strike is a fast-paced game where every second counts. Being slightly ahead of your opponents can determine whether you kill them first, or you get blown in the head before you kill them. That being said, it can be very frustrating when you get CS2 lag spikes or stuttering which throws off your aim entirely.

In this article, we’ll go over ten effective methods that will teach you how to fix CS2 lag and hopefully provide the CS2 stuttering fix you are looking for. 

Verify Integrity Of Game Files

If you’re ever experiencing an issue in Counter-Strike, the first thing you always have to do is to verify the integrity of your game files – it is the most effective solution out there.

There might be some corrupted files in your CS2 client that is preventing the game from running properly and potentially causing your game to start stuttering or lag out. 

Follow these steps below to verify the integrity of your game files:

1. Close Counter-Strike 2.
2. Next, open your Steam desktop client.
3. Then, go to your Steam Library where all your games are stored.
4. Look for Counter-Strike 2, right-click the game, and then go to the “Properties” section.
5. In the Properties menu, click on the “Installed Files” section.
6. Finally, click the button that reads “Verify Integrity Of Game Files.”

The verifying process will take less than 10 minutes. Simply wait for the process to be completed, then try launching your game again. With this solution, all your corrupted files should be cleared out. 

Run Counter-Strike On High Performance Mode

If you think your computer isn’t putting enough focus into running Counter-Strike and it is the cause of your stuttering and lag issues, you can try telling Windows to run the game in high performance mode for optimal performance.

You can do this straight through your Windows settings. Here’s how:

1. Open your Windows Settings menu.
2. Next, navigate to the “System” section.
3. Then, select “Display” and then go to the “Graphics” section.
4. Now, you will see a list of all your downloaded applications. Search for “cs2”.
5. Next, click on “cs2” and then open the game’s “Options”.
6. Finally, select “Graphics Preference” and then choose “High Performance”.

When doing this, you should see the name of your graphics card in the settings. Make sure you are using the correct one. Performing this step can also increase the amount of FPS you get from Counter-Strike. 

Set Counter-Strike To High Priority Mode

Aside from setting CS2 to high performance mode like we did previously, we can also set Counter-Strike to high priority mode so your GPU will focus on running it at maximum capacity when other programs are opened as well.

Changing CS2 to high priority mode can be done through the Task Manager. Here’s how:

1. Open your Task Manager.
2. Next, make sure you are under the “Processes” section.
3. Look for the CS2 process, then right-click it.
4. Then, select the “Set Priority” button.
5. Finally, open the drop-down menu and choose “High”.

However, keep in mind that setting CS2 to high priority mode will make Alt + Tabbing slower since there is less focus on other programs. 

Play Counter-Strike On Fullscreen Mode

For those unaware, it is best to play video games in full screen mode to ensure the best performance possible. This means it is better to play in full screen compared to fullscreen windowed or even windowed mode. Playing on other modes can cause your performance to drop and also result in stutters throughout your gameplay. 

There are two ways to ensure your game is running in full screen mode:

#1 Through The In-Game Settings

The first way can be done directly through the in-game client in the settings menu:

1. Launch Counter-Strike 2.
2. Go to your Settings menu.
3. Under the “Video” section, look for the “Display Mode” setting.
4. Change the Display Mode to “Fullscreen”.
5. Finally, save your changes by clicking “Apply Changes” at the bottom-right corner. 

Now, your game should immediately turn into full screen mode at all times. 

#2 Through Launch Options

Unfortunately, Counter-Strike video settings might reset whenever you play the game on a different computer, for example, a LAN cafe. If you often play on other computers, using launch options is a more reliable way to make your game full screen.

Here’s how:

1. Exit Counter-Strike 2 and open your Steam desktop client.
2. Open your Steam Library where all of your games are stored.
3. Find Counter-Strike 2, right-click it, and then go to the “Properties” section.
4. Under the General window, you should see “Launch Options”.
5. In the text box, type in “-fullscreen”.

Once you’re done, feel free to exit out as it will automatically save your changes. 

Use Performance-Related CS2 Launch Options

Just like we did a little earlier, we can use more launch options that are related to improving performance in CS2. Launch options ensure that these settings are immediately enabled whenever you launch the game, so they will work every time you play CS2. 

Here are some useful launch options you can implement to Counter-Strike to reduce or prevent stuttering and lags from happening at all:

Launch Option	Use
-novid	This launch option will remove the annoying intro video at the start of launching, which will improve your game’s performance.
-nojoy	This launch option will remove joystick controller support for the game, which is unnecessary and makes your game slightly laggy.
-high	This launch option ensures Counter-Strike becomes a high priority program on Steam, allowing your GPU to pool in more focus to the game and reduce stuttering.
+cl_forcepreload 1	This launch option will preload the entire map while you’re loading into the game, meaning your game will be smoother while playing.
-fullscreen	This launch option was discussed earlier – it makes your game run in full screen mode at all times to prevent stuttering.
+r_drawparticles 0	This launch option removes all small particles on your screen, which can improve performance and reduce lag.

Here is how you can use these launch options on Steam:

1. Exit Counter-Strike 2 and open your Steam desktop client.
2. Open your Steam Library where all of your games are stored.
3. Find Counter-Strike 2, right-click it, and then go to the “Properties” section.
4. Under the General window, you should see “Launch Options”.
5. In the text box, type in the desired launch options you’d like to use

Remember to separate all of the launch options using a space – do not separate them with commas or anything. 

Turn Of The Steam Overlay In CS2

The Steam Overlay is a very useful tool which displays a lot of information such as the time, your friend’s list, and other handy information. For those unaware, you can open the Steam Overlay by holding Shift + Tab. 

 

Unfortunately, displaying such information comes at a cost, as the Steam Overlay can reduce your game’s performance and is frequently a cause of stuttering issues. If you want to prevent your game from stuttering, we recommend turning the overlay off.

Here is how you can disable the Steam Overlay:

1. Open your Steam desktop client.
2. Next, go to the top-left corner and click the “Steam” button.
3. Once a bunch of options appear, click on the “Settings” button.
4. Under “Steam Settings,” look for the “In-Game” category.
5. At the very top, uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game”.

After changing the setting, you can safely exit out as your changes will be saved immediately. 

Tone Down Your Video Settings

One more thing you can do in your Counter-Strike client is to tone down your video and graphics settings. 

If your computer isn’t strong enough, you shouldn’t force the load and change almost all of your video settings to the lowest option. Most players play Counter-Strike to shoot heads, not to enjoy the view.

Close Unnecessary Background Applications

Another reason why your game might be lagging or stuttering is because you have too many background applications running. These applications could be your browser, Photoshop, or any other programs. 

We highly recommend closing all background applications when playing Counter-Strike with the exception of necessities such as Steam and your communication platform, for example, Discord or TeamSpeak. 

Also, try to avoid Alt + Tabbing in the middle of your games if your computer isn’t strong enough!

Update Your Graphics Card Drivers

Everything we’ve covered above is pretty much all you can do to reduce stuttering using the Counter-Strike or Steam client. Unfortunately, if you are still experiencing issues, the cause might be your hardware, mainly your graphics card.

If you’re not looking to upgrade your graphics card, one thing you can do is to update your graphics card drivers and ensure it is in its latest version.

Here is one way to check and update your graphics card drivers:

1. Go to your Device Manager.
2. Next, select the “Display Adapters” section.
3. Once you see the name of your graphics card, right-click it.
4. When new options appear, click on “Update Driver”.
5. Next, click on “Search Automatically For Drivers”.
6. If a driver update is available, follow the on-screen instructions. 

If you want to double-check, you can always go to your manufacturer’s website and search for your exact graphics card name. Then, go to the Driver’s section and download the most recent version. 

Check Your Internet Connection

If you’re asking yourself, “why CS2 is laggy” whenever you’re playing, there might be a solid chance that the issue is coming from your internet connection. There is a difference between stuttering and network lag, so if you see that your latency on the server is over 100, that means you’re playing on bag ping which is caused by your internet. 

If you are getting lag spikes all the time and CS2 feels laggy, consider upgrading your internet speed or start playing on a wired connection. These two solutions are the only way to reduce network lag in CS2.