CS2 crosshair share codes: import, export and the new format
How crosshair share codes work in Counter-Strike 2 after the Sept. 30, 2026 update: the new CS prefix, what the code stores and why old CSGO- codes fail.
Counter-Strike 2 lets you share your crosshair as a short code and import someone else’s. Since the Sept. 30, 2026 update, that code has a new format: it starts with CS and has no dashes. Valve wrote in the patch notes that it “changed the format of the crosshair share code to accommodate newly included crosshair settings.”
This guide covers where crosshair settings live, how the new code differs from the old one and what the code stores. It also explains what to expect when a code from CS:GO or an earlier CS2 build no longer imports.
Where crosshair settings are
The Sept. 22, 2026 update added a “Crosshair/Scopes” tab to the Settings menu with updated crosshair settings. It also made crosshairs resolution independent and made “Dynamic Quad” the default crosshair.
Crosshair sharing was part of a CS:GO update on Feb. 24, 2020. In those patch notes, Valve wrote that players could “share your crosshair code with others or import a code to try someone else’s.”
What a code looks like now
A code made after the Sept. 30, 2026 update is in the new format. According to the documentation of akiver’s open-source csgo-sharecode module, a code CS2 produces today is “prefixed with CS, not dash separated.” The module’s example looks like this: CSvbPubOq37zTGqtsPTP5QTrp5CB4xFXiKRLfzJsm49ZRe.
Importing a code
A code you receive should start with CS.
What changed in the code on Sept. 30, 2026
Valve listed these crosshair changes in the Sept. 30 update:
- A crosshair outline color option.
- A new “Static Quadrant” style.
- Negative gaps for the classic dynamic crosshair style.
- Alpha increments of 0.01 for the classic dynamic style.
- Scope dot scale and color preferences, now included in the share code.
The code format changed to carry these extra settings. In the csgo-sharecode documentation, the layouts are named versions:
| Format | What it stores, per the module’s documentation |
|---|---|
| CrosshairLegacyV3 | Sizes (gap, length, thickness) as integers in pixels at the screen height the crosshair was created for |
| CrosshairLegacyV4 | Same as V3, with an outline mode (none, full or half outline) and the Static Square style |
| CrosshairV1 | Outline color, scope dot preferences (scale from 0.1 to 2, whether it uses the crosshair color) and the Static Quad style; gap may be negative; split alphas use 0.01 steps instead of 0.05 |
The module’s documentation says each container numbers its versions from 1. That is why it writes the format as a string such as cs2-v1. It also says the legacy container is closed and any new format will be a cs2-vX code.
Pixel units and resolution
Valve explained the new units in its Sept. 23, 2026 notes. Thickness and length are now in pixels. Previously, values used an arbitrary scale that was converted to pixels based on display resolution.
Valve gave this example: for a 1-pixel-wide crosshair with a bar length of 8 pixels and a gap of 4 pixels, set thickness to 1, length to 8 and gap to 4.
The new system also rescales pixel counts when the display resolution changes. Valve’s example: a crosshair set up at 1280x720 with a thickness of 2 pixels becomes 4 pixels at 2560x1440, so it stays proportionally the same.
Other crosshair changes since the redesign
- Half-outlinesValve added an option to draw only the top-left portions of the outline (Sept. 23, 2026).
- Zero gapa bug that prevented a 0 gap width from being respected was fixed (Sept. 23, 2026).
- Freeze-time grenade crosshairsyou can hold any grenade attack button to get a grenade crosshair during freeze time for insta-smokes (Sept. 30, 2026).
- Thickness 3 fixgrenade crosshair rendering was fixed when thickness is set to 3 pixels (Oct. 2, 2026).
- Workshopthe workshop convars whitelist was updated with the new crosshair settings (Oct. 2, 2026).
Crosshair convars
The csgo-sharecode module can also generate the console variables (ConVars) for a crosshair. Its documentation says the ConVar names depend on the crosshair format, so the names for a legacy-format crosshair differ from those for a new one.
FAQ
Why does my old CSGO- crosshair code not import in CS2?
According to the csgo-sharecode documentation, CS2 no longer accepts the legacy CSGO- container on import.
How can I tell a new crosshair code from an old one?
A new code starts with CS and has no dash separators. The old container looked like CSGO-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx.
Does the share code include scope dot settings?
Yes. Valve wrote in the Sept. 30, 2026 notes that scope dot scale and color preferences are now included in the new share code.
Will my crosshair look the same at another resolution?
Valve wrote that the new system automatically rescales pixel counts when the display resolution changes, so the crosshair stays proportionally the same. Its example is a 2-pixel thickness at 1280x720 becoming 4 pixels at 2560x1440.
What are the crosshair size units now?
Thickness and length are in pixels, according to Valve’s Sept. 23, 2026 notes. Valve’s example also sets a 4-pixel gap as gap = 4.