Many beginner players, when they first enter the game, see the standard FullHD resolution on their screen — this is the gold standard for most games. However, for CS2, this is not always the best option.
The reason lies in several factors, with the main ones being the excessively wide field of view and the thin player models. This is why most professional players choose the stretched 4:3 aspect ratio.
Your resolution doesn’t necessarily have to be strictly 1280×960; you might prefer a 5:4 format instead. However, if you don’t want to experiment, below you can see all the screen resolutions with a 4:3 aspect ratio.
| # | Resolution | Standard Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 640×480 | VGA |
| 2 | 720×576 | PAL |
| 3 | 800×600 | SVGA |
| 4 | 1024×768 | XGA |
| 5 | 1152×864 | XGA+ |
| 6 | 1280×960 | SXGA |
| 7 | 1280×1024 | SXGA (5:4) |
| 8 | 1440×1080 | FHD 4:3 (cropped) |
For example, professional players like DONK, m0NESY, ZywOo, b1t, and many others use the stretched 1280×960 resolution. Although the movement speed of the model on the horizontal axis is higher with these settings, the size and overall feel of the game completely offset this advantage.
Regarding the other settings, the main ones relate to shadows. They should be set to the maximum to ensure that the lighting elements on the map function as intended, allowing you to spot opponents effectively.
| # | Setting | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maximum FPS In Game | 0 | This setting removes any frame rate cap during gameplay, allowing the system to perform at its full potential. This ensures a smoother gaming experience, particularly for high-performance configurations. |
| 2 | Maximum FPS In Menus | 200 | Frame rate in menus is capped to prevent unnecessary GPU strain while navigating options and loading settings. This helps reduce overheating and conserves system resources during non-gameplay moments. |
| 3 | Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode | 4X MSAA | This anti-aliasing method smooths out the jagged edges of objects, eliminating the “stair-step” effect. It provides a more refined visual experience, albeit at a moderate performance cost. |
| 4 | Global Shadow Quality | High | High shadow quality enhances realism by rendering more detailed and accurate shadows, which adds depth to the game world but may slightly impact frame rates. |
| 5 | Dynamic Shadows | All | This enables real-time shadows for all objects, ensuring that everything casts dynamic shadows, from players to environmental elements, increasing visual immersion. |
| 6 | Model/Texture Detail | Low | Lowering the texture and model detail reduces the overall resolution of in-game textures and 3D models, which boosts FPS at the cost of detailed visuals. |
| 7 | Texture Filtering Mode | Anisotropic 4x | This setting improves texture clarity when viewing surfaces from an angle, preventing blurriness on distant objects while maintaining decent performance. |
| 8 | Shader Detail | Low | Lower shader detail simplifies lighting calculations and special effects, which improves performance, especially in scenes with complex lighting. |
| 9 | Particle Detail | Low | Reduces the density and complexity of particle effects such as smoke, fire, and explosions, providing better performance without significant visual compromises. |
| 10 | Ambient Occlusion | Disabled | Disabling ambient occlusion removes soft shadowing around objects, making the environment slightly less realistic but improving frame rates significantly. |
| 11 | High Dynamic Range | Quality | This enables HDR to deliver a wider range of brightness and color, enhancing contrast and making visuals appear richer and more vibrant. |
| 12 | FidelityFX Super Resolution | Disabled (Highest Quality) | Disabling this upscaling technology ensures the game renders at the native resolution, maintaining the highest possible image clarity without performance optimizations. |