How to improve aim in CS2 with damage prediction

Valve just added damage prediction to CS2, but will it improve the aim for competitive players?

Counter-Strike 2 is the undisputed top competitive FPS on Steam, with a thriving esports scene and active high-level community. Naturally, players often tweak their settings, from the best CS2 launch options to picking the best pro crosshairs.  However, one feature has been wanted by the community for years. Damage prediction, a feature that gives the player immediate audio-visual feedback for dealing damage without waiting for the server, has arrived to CS2 in the latest patch.

Some players believe it’s a game-changer for the competitive CS2, but there are some caveats to consider.

Will damage prediction improve my aim in CS2?

CS2 players can use damage prediction to potentially improve their snap aim in CS2, but it can also lead to more mistakes.

Damage prediction theoretically makes hits more responsive,  which may improve player performance. Many CS2 players do seemingly bizarre things to up their game, even by the slightest of margins. For example, some players stretch their resolution to make enemy players a larger target. Damage prediction could be another tool in a player’s optimization kit.  Players can customize how much damage prediction they want via separate toggles of body shots, headshots, and kill ragdolls.

In practice, damage prediction gives players immediate feedback from a hit, giving them those precious few microseconds to make a decision. Whether they continue pouring the heat or turn their attention elsewhere, the cumulative time saved by confirming hits slightly faster gives players an edge.

However, there are some caveats. With the way damage prediction works,  the feature isn’t technically detecting a hit. A hit only counts once the server confirms it, and Valve has outright said it could be occasionally wrong. For example, a player may shoot someone in the head, see the audio-visual cue of a headshot, and then focus on another player.

However, the server hasn’t confirmed the headshot, and so the supposed headshot victim now turns their attention to the shooter. With the shooter’s attention elsewhere, they are a sitting duck for the headshot victim they thought was a goner. In those scenarios, damage prediction may make a player overconfident in their aim. Ultimately, damage prediction is just another optional setting for players to feel comfortable with their CS2 experience. Whether that translates to actual in-game improvements for CS2 players is a skill issue.