If you consider yourself a bit of a Counter-Strike veteran and you’re diving into Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), then you may well have been surprised when you’ve found yourself dropped into a mandatory Training Day session before you can queue for any of the regular game modes. While this tutorial is excellent for new players learning the ropes, it can be frustrating for those who’ve already clocked hundreds or thousands of hours in previous CS titles.
Fortunately, you can actually skip Training Day in CS2—and in this guide, we’ll walk you through exactly how to do it – in detail. Whether you want to jump straight into matchmaking or you’re just fed up with waiting for scripted NPCs to finish talking, it’s time to skip training day!
What is Training Day?
First, let’s look at exactly what it is – and why it exists. Well, Training Day is basically CS2’s introductory tutorial to the game, and it’s been designed to onboard players to the game by teaching them the basic movements, weapon usage, objectives, and utility. The mission is scripted, and it basically involves you, non-playable characters (NPCs) and a set of objectives.
Of course, this is great for first-timers – but it can be more than a bit annoying for people who know a lot about CS:GO and/or some of the other earlier Counter-Strike titles.
Why Is Training Day Mandatory?
Well, Valve implemented Training Day to make sure that all new players understand the basics before they try their hand at matchmaking. However, because it is mandatory, you won’t be able to access the Competitive, Deathmatch, or even Casual modes until you’ve either completed it – or bypassed it.
How to Skip Training Day in CS2: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you are looking to skip Training Day, then you’ll need to enable and use the developer console – the main feature that lets you input commands that can change gameplay. Here’s how to do it…
1: Enable the Developer Console
If you haven’t already enabled the console, it’s pretty easy to do:
- Open CS2 and click on the settings (gear) icon you’ll see in the bottom left corner.
- Open up the “Game” tab.
- Find the option that says “Enable Developer Console (~)” and then set it to “Yes.”
- Then, either click on the “Apply” button or exit the menu to save your settings.
Now you’ll be able to open the console whenever you want by pressing the tilde (~) key.
2: Launch Training Day
To activate the skip, first, you’ll actually need to enter the Training Day session, which you can do from the main menu:
- Click Play.
- When prompted with Training Day, click on “OK” to begin.
- Wait for the session to load and start running.
Once you’re loaded into the map and have control, you can start using the commands.
3: Input The Console Commands
Next, hit on the tilde (~) key, which will open the developer console, and then either type or paste the following command:
sv_cheats 1; mp_maxrounds 1; mp_restartgame 1
So, let’s break down exactly what each of these special commands does:
- sv_cheats 1: This enables cheat commands (which are necessary for the next steps).
- mp_maxrounds 1: This one limits the match to one round, so it ends quickly.
- mp_restartgame 1: Restarts the match after 1 second with your new settings.
Then just press Enter to set it in motion.
After just a moment, your game will restart with the new settings applied.
4: End the Round Instantly
Once the game has restarted, use the tilde key to open up the console again and enter:
- bot_kill
And this will instantly kill all bots in the match and trigger the end of the round. After the end screen appears, the system will treat it as though the Training Day has been completed, so you can start with the regular matchmaking modes.
5: Exit to Main Menu
After you’ve completed the round, go back to the main menu, and you’ll now be able to see all standard CS2 game modes unlocked. If they are still greyed out for some reason, just restart the game, and this will usually force the system to register that Training Day has been completed.
Resetting Training Day
If, for some reason, you do ever want to replay the tutorial, you can actually also reset the Training Day status by using this console command:
- cl_new_user_phase 1
This command will tell the game that you’re a new user again – and, as such, it will prompt the Training Day the next time you try to queue.
Why You Might Still Want to Complete Training Day
Although it is skippable, it does actually serve some practical purposes—especially if:
- You’re completely new to CS, or you don’t have much experience with first-person shooters in general.
- You want to adjust to CS2’s updated gunplay, movement, and tick-rate system.
- You’re a bit curious about it – and want to have a nose around Valve’s onboarding process and game design.
Training Day is also great if you want a bit of time to get used to CS2’s visual upgrades, subtick mechanics, and soundscape changes without having to adapt in the middle of a live combat game.
Tips for Using the Developer Console Safely
The console is invaluable when playing CS2 – as long as you keep these best practices in mind:
Don’t Use Cheat Commands in Online Matchmaking
sv_cheats 1 only works if you’re in a custom or offline match. If you try to use it online, not only will there be no effect at all, but it can also lead to account restrictions if it’s abused or used with external tools.
Bookmark Common Commands
If you like to test things or prefer sandbox environments, you might want to consider creating an autoexec.cfg file where you can store your most frequently used commands.
Stay Updated
CS2 is literally always being updated. While this method works right now… as of June 2025, be aware that it could change at any given time
Other Ways to Practice Without Training Day
Don’t worry – even if you do skip Training Day, there are still plenty of ways to get practice in
Workshop Maps
Lots of the classic CS:GO aim, movement, and utility maps have been ported over to CS2:
- Aim Botz – great for training your aim
- Yprac series – best for utility practice
- Recoil Master – if you want to master spray patterns
Custom Games with Bots
You can also load into a private match with bots and tweak things like the difficulty, the maps, and various scenarios. This can be great for warming up without having to deal with the script-heavy nature of Training Day.
Community Servers
Lots of CS2 community servers run skill-based scenarios like retake training, surf maps, or deathmatch—which can all be great ways to build your skills without diving straight into Competitive.
Skipping Training Day Is Easy — But Use It Wisely
Training Day in CS2 is a great way to ease new players into the game, but for those more experienced users, it can feel more like a speed bump than a necessity. However, thanks to the developer console, it’s quick and painless to skip it.
However, that doesn’t mean you should rush straight into matchmaking. Even if you are au fait with CS:GO, there have been enough subtle gameplay updates that it’s probably well worth getting a bit of offline practice or having a few warm-up matches on community servers before getting stuck on.
So skip the tutorial, customise your training routine, and get ready for some real action.