Here are the best video settings for CS:GO

Adjusting your video settings can make playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive a whole lot easier and give you an edge over your competition. This time, we won't be focusing on getting the most FPS out of your PC. Instead, we'll be looking at options that will allow you to improve your CS:GO experience.

What resolution is best for CS:GO?

An essential question to ask yourself early on in choosing the best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive video settings is what resolution to use. When it comes to the best resolution for Counter-Strike, 1280x960 and a 4:3 aspect ratio are most commonly mentioned.

The reason for this is that CS:GO will be slightly stretched out on the sides, so character models, among other things, will be larger. And since they will be larger, they will be easier to hit. You might find it harder to play at first because the models will be moving faster, but you'll get used to the way CS:GO works.

1280x960 resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio are also settings favored by top professional CS:GO players. These include Natus Vincere's Oleksandr "s1mple" Kostyliev and G2 Esports' Nikola "NiKo" Kovač. Based on their results, it's safe to assume that choosing these options only makes it easier for them to compete in top Counter-Strike esports tournaments.

If you're playing at 1280x960 with a 4:3 aspect ratio and the game doesn't seem to be stretched across the entire screen, it's a good idea to reset the game. After restarting, your aspect ratio should be all right and everything should look as expected. If that doesn't help, we recommend that you try selecting the "Full screen" scaling option in your graphic card software.

The best CS:GO Graphics Settings

In the CS:GO options, we have a lot of different graphics settings to choose from. We can change the appearance of shadows, textures, and indicate the desired level of detail. So what are the best video settings to help you get the best results, rather than hindering you?

What Global shadow quality setting in CS:GO should you choose?

One of the few options that you should set to "High" is "Global shadow quality". This selection will allow you to see the shadows of other players' models from a much greater distance than by selecting "Low" in "Global shadow quality". "Model/Texture Detail" can be set to "Low". When you're playing a fast-paced game like CS:GO, you don't need great-looking models, but a few more FPS instead.

The next two options available in the CS:GO video settings are "Shader Detail" and "Effect Detail". You'll want to go for the highest settings here. You'll notice the difference when you look through smoke from a Molotov fire or a smoke grenade. However, you have to reckon with the fact that choosing these settings may cost you a reduction in FPS.

In 2020, a brand new graphics option was introduced to CS:GO that allows you to boost player contrast. The game's producers wanted to ensure that players running around various arenas didn't blend in with their surroundings. It quickly turned out that enabling this option can actually help us spot our opponents more efficiently. The option makes the contours more clearly defined, and also increases the contrast between the model and the surrounding world.

Texture filtering mode in CS:GO

"Multi-core Rendering" should be enabled so that CS:GO can use the full power of your multicore CPU. " Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode ", "Texture Filtering Mode" and "FXAA Anti-Aliasing" are options that have a negligible effect on the appearance of the game. Therefore, there is not much point in enabling them.

Vertical sync - enabled or disabled?

Using the "Wait for Vertical Sync" feature should definitely be turned off. It can cause reduced FPS as well as mouse input lag. In a game like CS:GO, no one wants to experience this. Similarly, we recommend that you disable the "Blur” - the option will cause the image to blur during e.g. flicks, making the game more realistic, which is not our goal.

Here are the best video settings in CS:GO:

• Aspect ratio: 4:3
• Resolution: 1280x960
• Global shadow quality: High
• Model/Texture detail: Low
• Texture streaming: Disabled
• Effect detail: High
• Shader detail: Very high
• Boost player contrast: Enabled
• Multisampling anti-aliasing mode: None
• FXAA anti-aliasing: Disabled
• Texture filtering mode: Bilinear
• Wait for vertical sync: Disabled
• Motion blur: Disabled
• Triple-monitor mode: Disabled
• Use uber shaders: Enabled

It's worth remembering that CS:GO video settings are not completely zero-one and there is no guarantee of repeatability. Your graphics card models, drivers, and monitor settings, among other things, can vary. So it's worth trying other solutions to see if they work better for you and your comfort level while playing Counter-Strike.