Counter-Strike 2 is one of the most popular PC shooters in the world. But, to properly play CS2 and enjoy the experience, your PC must meet the minimum requirements, or preferably, the recommended specs.
While CS:GO ran capably on most PCs, the same can’t be said about CS2, as some maps like Ancient and Train are very demanding — especially during intense gunfights or a wall of smokes plus a couple of incendiaries. And, as CS2 is a competitive game, the difference between 100 FPS and 300, can be what makes you kill your opponent.
Find out below what the official minimum system requirements are to run CS2, and what specs we recommend for smooth play.
These are the minimum system requirements, according to CS2’s official Steam page:
Please note that you’ll have to set your graphics to low, and you’ll probably face some frame drops when there are big gunfights and a lot of smoke grenades being thrown. Additionally, CS2 is always shipping updates, and depending on how many custom maps you download, you’ll need at least 100GB of storage.
While Valve doesn’t list the recommended specs to run CS2 efficiently, there are a couple of factors to consider.
CS2 is very GPU demanding, so we recommend at least a modern graphics card with 8GB, preferably 12GB or higher. Also, if you want to take CS2 somewhat seriously, you’ll want to play on a monitor with a higher refresh rate. Many pros are already using 360Hz monitors, but my 144Hz monitor still does the job just fine.
Personally, here’s what I think is an ideal setup to run CS2 smoothly. Unless you’re planning on streaming or practicing to go pro, this will cover your needs:
And, of course, these specs will be enough for you to play all new game releases, including AAA titles.
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