CS2 Guides

Config and settings, gameplay fundamentals, the rank systems you climb through, and the gear pros actually use.

The Complete CS2 Guide

New here? This one page maps every guide on the site, ordered the way you actually learn the game - settings first, then fundamentals, then the systems you climb.

Settings & Config

Before anything else, make the game feel right. Your crosshair, sensitivity, and video settings are the foundation every pro tunes first. Start with the crosshair and mouse settings, then lock the whole config into an autoexec so a game update never wipes it.

How to Change Your Crosshair in CS2

Set up your CS2 crosshair the modern way: import any crosshair with a share code in seconds, or tune it by hand with the full console command reference.

CS2 Pro Crosshair Codes: Reference Database

Paste-ready CSGO- share codes for NiKo, ZywOo, donk, m0NESY, ropz and more pros. Import in two clicks via Settings, no console needed.

CS2 Pro Crosshair Settings: Data From 1,000+ Pro Profiles

What crosshair CS2 pros actually run - style, color, size, gap, thickness, and dot - aggregated live from cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles, with denominators disclosed.

CS2 Mouse Settings: Raw Input, Windows Sens, and Polling Rate Explained

The correct CS2 mouse configuration - raw input, Windows pointer speed, sensitivity, and polling rate - explained mechanically and anchored to cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles.

CS2 eDPI Explained: What Sensitivity Do Pros Use?

The real CS2 pro sensitivity curve, computed live from cs2pedia's pro dataset - what eDPI is, where pros actually cluster, and how to find your own number.

CS2 Polling Rate: 1000Hz vs 4000Hz vs 8000Hz

What polling rate does, what CS2 pros actually run, and whether 4000Hz or 8000Hz is worth it, computed live from cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles.

CS2 Video Settings: What Pros Actually Use

The CS2 video settings pro players actually run - resolution, scaling, max FPS, texture, shadow, and Reflex - computed live from cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles, with honest denominators on every setting.

CS2 FPS Optimization & PC Settings for Max FPS

A hardware-aware guide to maximizing CS2 FPS - Windows settings, GPU panel, launch options, and config tweaks, each explained by why it gains frames.

CS2 4:3 vs 16:9: Which Aspect Ratio Do Pros Use?

A clear majority of CS2 pros run 4:3 stretched - proven live from cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles. The real distribution, why it happened, and how to set each option yourself.

CS2 Autoexec Guide: How to Save Your Settings Permanently

How to build an autoexec.cfg so your CS2 settings survive every update - with command values anchored to cs2pedia's pro-settings dataset, not generic placeholders.

CS2 Console Commands & Launch Options: Competitive Config Reference

No-bloat command reference for CS2: network rates, FPS commands, working launch options, dead CS:GO flags to remove, and a full practice config.

Gameplay & Improvement

Settings get you a clean canvas; these are how you actually get better. Learn the callouts so your comms mean something, drill spray control, and stop throwing rounds away on bad economy calls.

CS2 Spray Patterns & Recoil Control

How spray patterns work in CS2, why sub-tick changes the feel from CS:GO, and a 30-minute weekly drill to make recoil control stick.

CS2 Economy Guide: Buy, Force, and Eco Decisions

How CS2's money math works in 2026: the loss bonus ladder, the July 2025 CT kill bonus, and a round-by-round framework for buy, force, and eco.

CS2 Weapon Tier List & Buy Guide (2026)

Situation-first buy guide for CS2 - exact weapons to buy on full buys, force rounds, and eco, anchored to the March/April 2026 reload patch.

Best CS2 Workshop Maps: Aim, Movement, and Utility

One best pick per training category - aim, recoil, prefire, utility, KZ, bhop - with Workshop IDs and a clear reason to pick each over its alternatives.

Ranks & Game Systems

The systems you are climbing through, explained without the guesswork: how Premier and Competitive ranks actually work, whether FACEIT is worth the switch for where you are now, and what makes a skin cheap or expensive.

CS2 Ranks Explained: Premier, Competitive, and Distribution 2026

The two CS2 rank systems side by side: Premier CS Rating tiers, per-map Competitive ranks, Season 4 distribution, and what actually moves the number.

CS2 FACEIT Guide: Levels, Elo, vs Premier, and How to Climb

How FACEIT levels and Elo actually work in 2026, how they compare to Premier CS Rating, and what it takes to climb once you're in.

CS2 Skins Explained: Floats, Patterns, and StatTrak

Why two identical-looking AK-47s can differ by $500: the breakdown of float values, pattern index, StatTrak, wear tiers, and case mechanics as they stand in 2026.

Gear & Setup

The hardware pros actually use, ranked by real usage data across 1 001 tracked players - not sponsorships. Find the right mouse and monitor, or build a full budget setup from scratch.

Best Mouse for CS2

The mice CS2 pros actually use, ranked by live usage data from cs2pedia's pro dataset - plus which one to buy for your grip, weight target, and budget.

Best Wireless Mouse for CS2

The wireless mice CS2 pros actually use, ranked by live usage data from cs2pedia's pro dataset - plus why wireless won, what battery life really matters, and which one to buy.

Best Budget Mouse for CS2

You don't need a $160 mouse to compete in CS2. The sensor gap between a $40 mouse and a flagship is near zero - here's what the pro dataset shows you're actually paying for, and the budget picks worth buying.

Best Mousepad for CS2

The mousepads CS2 pros actually use, ranked by live usage data from cs2pedia's pro dataset - plus how to pick on size, thickness, and surface for your eDPI.

Best Keyboard for CS2

The keyboards CS2 pros actually use, ranked by live usage data from cs2pedia's pro dataset - plus what Rapid Trigger does, which form factor fits, and which board to buy at every budget.

Best Monitor for CS2

The monitors CS2 pros actually run, ranked by live usage data from cs2pedia's pro dataset, plus why the field still hasn't moved off ZOWIE TN panels, and what to buy for your budget.

Best Headset for CS2

The headsets CS2 pros actually use, ranked by live usage data from cs2pedia's pro dataset - chosen for positional accuracy, low-latency comms, and footstep localisation, not surround-sound gimmicks.

Best Mouse Bungee for CS2

A mouse bungee only matters if you run a wired mouse, and most CS2 pros don't anymore. Here's the honest case for one, plus the three current bungees worth buying.

Best Budget CS2 Setup: Mouse, Mousepad and Monitor Under $150

A complete CS2 peripheral starter setup under ~$150 (mouse, mousepad, and monitor), each pick grounded in cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles, with the honest gap to the pro tier.

How to Build a CS2 Pro Gaming Setup

A priority-ordered guide to building a competitive CS2 setup, grounded in cs2pedia's dataset of 1,000+ pro profiles - what gear actually moves your aim, in what order to buy it, with links to every category deep-dive.

Go deeper with the data

1 001 pro configs - sensitivity, DPI, crosshair, and gear for every tracked pro.

Browse players →

Every mouse, monitor, and keyboard tracked across the pro field, ranked by real usage.

Browse gear →

Aggregate sensitivity, DPI, resolution, and gear trends across all 1 001 pros.