How To Switch Hands In CS:GO

One of the best things about Counter-Strike is the accessibility to change your options and customize them to meet your preferences. One thing every CS:GO player should look to check is whether they should use the right hand viewmodel or the left one. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how to switch hands in CS:GO.

How To Change To Left Hand In CS:GO?

In CS:GO, the only way to switch your hand viewmodel was through a console command. Before we get into it, let us remind you that you must have your developer console enabled, which can be done through the in-game settings menu. With that out of the way, let’s uncover how switching your hand works. 

CS:GO Switch Hand Command

As mentioned earlier, you will need to implement the left hand CS:GO command to switch your hand in CS:GO. The command to switch your hand is “cl_righthand [Value]”. 

Here’s how you can use the cl_righthand command to change to the left hand in CS:GO:

1. In CS:GO, open your developer console by pressing the “~” key. 
2. Next, type in the command “cl_righthand 0”.
3. Finally, hit the Enter key to input the command.

If you have followed the steps correctly, your viewmodel hand will switch over to the left hand side. If you want to revert it and go back to the right hand, you can use the command “cl_righthand 1” to change it back. 

CS:GO Switch Hand Bind

Though changing your hand in CS:GO is very simple, as we have just discussed above, many tryhards actually use both the left and right hand viewmodels, choosing to cycle through them situationally. 

The idea is, for example, you are about to peek at a corner on your left. If you are using the left hand viewmodel, your gun will obstruct your vision, giving you a disadvantage in the fight. This is why players would switch over to the right hand just to peek the corner and have full sight of their left side. 

If you think this is something that is very helpful to you, you can do this by setting a bind command to switch between the two hands with one press of a button. 

Here is how you can set up the CS:GO switch hand bind:

1. In CS:GO, open your developer console by pressing the “~” key. 
2. Next, type in the command “bind “[key]” toggle cl_righthand 0 1”.
3. Finally, hit the Enter key to input the command.

Of course, you should switch “[key]” with your desired button. We recommend setting it to something close to you, like Mouse 4, Mouse 5, or any keyboard keys on your left side. 

When the bind command is implemented correctly, you can continuously switch between the left and right hand viewmodel by pressing the button at any time. 

How To Switch Hands In CS2?

As you might know, we are now in Counter-Strike 2, where things are a little bit different when it comes to the CS:GO left hand command. 

For some reason, Valve has completely removed the “cl_righthand” command from the entire game. For almost an entire year since the game was released, every player in the game was forced to play with the right hand viewmodel since there was no option to change it to the left.

However, they have finally added the left hand viewmodel into the game. 

CS2 Switch Hand Settings

Now that the “cl_righthand” command no longer exists, Valve has fortunately added the option to change the hand viewmodel, this time directly through the in-game settings. 

Here’s how you can switch your CS2 hand through your settings:

1. In CS2, open your in-game settings menu.
2. Next, go to the “Game” settings category.
3. Then, go to the “Item” section.
4. Finally, look for “Preferred Viewmodel Left/Right Handedness” and select which hand you prefer.

Now, you no longer need a command to change your viewmodel hand. Your changes will be saved so that the game will always launch with the viewmodel hand you selected. 

CS2 Switch Hand Bind

However, now that the command is no longer available, we cannot set a switch hand bind command through the console. How can we change our handedness without opening the settings menu all the time?

Fortunately, Valve has made a built-in bind that allows players to change their viewmodel hands with one press of a button. The default key is set to “H”.

If you would like to change the keybind for the switch hand option in CS2, follow the steps below:

1. In CS2, open your in-game settings menu.
2. Next, go to the “Keyboard / Mouse” settings category.
3. Then, go to the “Weapon Keys” section.
4. Finally, look for “Switch Viewmodel Left/Right Hand” and change the key to whatever you prefer. 

However, the downside is that your player model will go through the pull-out animation of your current weapon whenever you switch your hands. This means you cannot change your viewmodel hand in the middle of a gunfight, as you won’t be able to shoot until the animation ends. Still, you can preemptively change your viewmodel hand before you swing a corner. 

How To Determine Which Hand You Should Use?

You might see your favorite professional players rocking the left hand viewmodel when most of the playerbase is still using the right hand. However, settings in Counter-Strike entirely come down to personal preference, so how can you actually tell which hand is better for you? 

Determining Your Dominant Eye

In real-life, there is a real concept of “dominant eye” when shooting. This is why you often see people close one eye when shooting. The only eye they are opening is their dominant eye, which helps them become more accurate when they open fire. This same concept can be applied to Counter-Strike, and it is recommended to set your hand viewmodel based on which of your eyes is dominant. 

Here is a step-by-step guide to determining which one of your eyes is the dominant one:

1. Open both of your eyes wide open.
2. Next, extend your arms in front of you, with your palms facing away.
3. Now, form a small triangle shape with your thumb and pointing fingers. Remember to keep your arms extended throughout this entire process.
4. Then, look for a target that is at least a few meters away from you. This could be your doorknob, AC remote, or anything around the size of your hand. 
5. Now, aim that target inside your small triangle shape you’ve formed with your fingers.
6. Keep the target in the center, and stay still.
7. Then, close your right eye and keep your left open. And then take turns – close your left eye and keep your right eye open. 
8. The dominant eye will ensure that the target will remain in your triangle. So, if your left eye is open and you see the target inside, your left eye is dominant. If your right eye is open and you see the target inside, your right eye is dominant.

Choosing The Recommended Hand Viewmodel

Now that we know which one of our eyes are dominant, how do we apply this to our hand viewmodel? 

• If your right eye is dominant, it is recommended to use the left hand viewmodel.
• If your left eye is dominant, it is recommended to use the right hand viewmodel.

That’s right. You should use the opposite side for your viewmodel hand. So, professional players with a left hand viewmodel have their right eye as their dominant one. 

You should not choose your hand viewmodel side based on whether you are right handed or left handed in real life!