Guides

CS2 video settings: refresh rate, G-Sync, Reflex and frame limits

What Valve, Steam Support and NVIDIA say about Counter-Strike 2 video settings: refresh rate, G-Sync, FreeSync, V-Sync, Reflex, FPS limits and removed options.

By CSgoFriendsPublished Last checked

Illustration: CounterStrikeGO

Valve has published recommendations on display and frame pacing, plus patch notes that describe individual video options. Below are those recommendations as of the Aug. 14, 2025 update, and where the choice depends on your hardware.

Menu names below are quoted from Valve’s patch notes, Steam Support, NVIDIA’s guide or Valve’s 2020 CS:GO blog.

Start with the display refresh rate

Steam Support’s video recommendations begin with the display. A refresh rate is the number of different images a display can show per second, and higher rates look smoother. Its first recommendation:

A high refresh rate monitor may not be running at its maximum. In windowed or fullscreen windowed mode, CS2 uses the refresh rate from your system’s display settings. Steam Support gives the example of “Advanced display settings” on Windows 10.

Since the June 25, 2024 update, the “Refresh Rate” setting in CS2 shows your display’s current refresh rate in Windowed and Fullscreen Windowed modes. The same update added a Settings Recommendation popup at startup if your display is set below its maximum refresh rate.

Enable G-Sync or FreeSync if your monitor supports it

On a fixed 60 Hz mode, the game has to deliver a new frame every 1/60th of a second. When it misses, the display repeats the previous frame, which Steam Support says can look like a 30 Hz mode. NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync let the display change its refresh rate to match the incoming frames, so on a 60 Hz mode a game running at 57 or 58 FPS can still look smooth.

If your frame rate is above the display mode’s refresh rate, these features have no effect, but Steam Support says they shouldn’t hurt anything either. It recommends enabling them where possible.

NVIDIA G-Sync

  1. Use an NVIDIA graphics card and a display that supports G-Sync.
  2. Enable it outside the game in the NVIDIA Control Panel. Depending on your display, you may need to select several checkboxes.
  3. Restart CS2.

Steam Support warns that on some systems G-Sync can cause visual glitches in non-fullscreen windowed mode.

AMD FreeSync

  1. Use an AMD graphics card and a display that supports FreeSync.
  2. Enable it outside the game in the AMD Software app.
  3. Restart CS2.

CS2 also detects at startup when NVIDIA G-Sync is supported but not enabled and shows a recommendation popup.

Pair G-Sync with V-Sync and NVIDIA Reflex

Running above your refresh rate can cause screen tearing, where the top and bottom of the screen show different frames. It can also cause microstuttering, where the game occasionally seems to jump ahead a frame. V-Sync addresses both by making the game wait for the next display refresh. The cost, Steam Support says, is higher input latency, because input is queued while the game waits.

NVIDIA Reflex reduces latency by inserting a sleep interval before input processing, so the game collects newer input before it renders. Because that interval is an estimate, the game can miss a refresh deadline and stutter. With G-Sync on, the display adjusts to the frame rate and the stutter does not appear.

The trade-off is that your frame rate is limited to slightly below your monitor’s refresh rate. Valve wrote in the June 25, 2024 patch notes that CS2 shows a popup if G-Sync is on but V-Sync or Reflex is not. The “Apply Changes” button applies the recommendation automatically.

Where to find Reflex

NVIDIA’s guide from Sept. 27, 2023 gives this path:

In the gameSettingsVideoAdvanced VideoNVIDIA Reflex Low Latency

Set it to “Enabled.”

NVIDIA also describes an “Enabled + Boost” option. It can lower latency further at the cost of extra power use and a slightly lower frame rate. NVIDIA recommends it in CS2 only for players who put the lowest latency ahead of the highest frame rate. According to the company, Reflex works best when the GPU is under high utilization and can reduce system latency by up to 35%. That figure is NVIDIA’s own and depends on your system.

Frame Pacing and FPS limits

The June 25, 2024 update added a “Frame Pacing” section to the Advanced Video settings page. It contains:

  • An “NVIDIA G-Sync” row that shows whether G-Sync is active with your current display settings. Valve wrote that it may be hidden with the Vulkan renderer or on non-NVIDIA graphics cards.
  • A “Maximum FPS In Game” slider, which controls the fps_max convar.
  • A “Maximum FPS In Menus” slider, which controls the fps_max_ui convar.

Valve raised the default for “Maximum FPS In Menus” from 120 FPS to 200 FPS in that update. The Advanced Video visual preview now uses the “In Game” maximum rather than the menu one.

With V-Sync, G-Sync and Reflex all enabled, the frame rate is held slightly below your refresh rate anyway.

Resolution and aspect ratio

The Aug. 14, 2025 update made it possible to change the rendering resolution and aspect ratio in fullscreen windowed mode.

Other Advanced Video options in patch notes

Setting What Valve wrote Date
Dynamic Shadows A separate Advanced Video setting with the options “Sun Only” or “All” June 10, 2024
Model / Texture Detail The “Very High” option was removed because it was identical to High; texture filtering mode is now a separate setting Oct. 4, 2023
Main Menu Background Scenery, Item Inspect Background Scenery Removed from the Video Settings page; still available on the main menu and in item inspect screens June 25, 2024
Laptop Power Savings Removed; Valve wrote it had never been configurable in CS2 June 25, 2024

Other settings: CS:GO’s Boost Player Contrast and anti-aliasing basics

Boost Player Contrast

Valve added “Boost Player Contrast” to CS:GO on June 10, 2020, enabled by default, under Video->Advanced Video. It is a post-process filter for stationary characters. According to Valve it:

  • increases a character’s contrast against the background at far distances
  • strengthens edge pixels at far distances
  • creates a small blur around a character to reduce background noise
  • adds a small contrasting halo when the character and environment have no color difference

That description dates from CS:GO in 2020.

Anti-aliasing

Anti-aliasing removes jagged edges. For multisample anti-aliasing (MSAA), Wikipedia says most modern GPUs support 2x, 4x and 8x samples, and that higher values give better quality but run slower.

Hardware affects the result

NVIDIA wrote that CS2’s technical changes make it more GPU-intensive than CS:GO. In its Sept. 27, 2023 article, the company said a GeForce RTX 4090 delivered over 400 FPS at 1440p and an RTX 4070 Ti over 360 FPS at 1080p. Treat those as vendor figures for specific cards, not a target for your system.

FAQ

What are the best settings for CS2?

Steam Support recommends playing in your display’s highest refresh rate mode and enabling V-Sync, NVIDIA G-Sync and NVIDIA Reflex together when all three are available.

Should I turn on V-Sync in CS2?

Steam Support recommends V-Sync together with G-Sync and NVIDIA Reflex, which it called “usually the smoothest-looking and lowest input latency settings combination.” On its own, V-Sync adds input latency.

Where is NVIDIA Reflex in the CS2 settings?

According to NVIDIA’s Sept. 27, 2023 guide, it is under Settings, Video, then Advanced Video, as “NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency.”

Can I change fps_max during a match?

No. Since the Aug. 14, 2025 update, fps_max can no longer be changed while you are connected to a server. Set it before you connect.

What does Boost Player Contrast do?

Valve added it to CS:GO in 2020 as a post-process filter that makes stationary characters stand out at far distances.

Sources