How can you improve your aim in CS2?

Aiming is the most important thing to master in any FPS game, but perhaps the most important in CS2. There are no real abilities or power-ups like in games such as VALORANT, Apex Legends or Overwatch 2. That means that working to improve your aim in CS2 is one of the best ways to see better results in your matches.

Counter-Strike 2 is a very challenging game, and for new players in particular it can feel really difficult to keep up with more experienced players and their snappy aim. However, like any skill, aiming is something you can work at and improve over time. Even better is that your aim will carry over to other FPS titles, so following these steps will improve your skill across a wide range of games.

Here are some of the best things you can do to improve your aim in CS2 and win your matches.

Just like a footballer who wants to score more goals, or a tennis player who wants to land more serves, practice makes perfect. In a CS2 match, you don't actually spend a lot of time aiming. There is buying items, moving around the map and waiting in position for an enemy to appear.

That means that simply playing CS2 matches isn't the most efficient way to improve your aim. Instead, using an Aim Trainer to specifically train your aim is going to help you improve a lot faster.

There are two very popular aim trainers, both avaliable on Steam:

Both are very good options, and players have their own preferences between them. We would suggest Aimlabs to start, seen as it is free to use. Both have a lot of different exercises, and playlists to use.

One of the most important things to work on is flicking. This is because of the extremely high time to kill in the game, and way most players quickly peek in and out of cover. You should focus your aim training on flicking if you want to improve your aim in CS2.

In Aimlab, there is a great exercise for this. It is called Gridshot, and will rapidly improve your flicking and mouse control. There are lots of other exercises across both Aimlabs and KovaaK's so see which ones you enjoy and find the most useful.

Crosshair placement is really important in CS2, and improving your aim should focus on getting your crosshair placement to be as accurate as you can. Based on where you hit an enemy damage is different. This ranges from a huge 400% damage, down to 75%.

That means if you are not placing your crosshair exactly where you want it, your damage can be penalised. Hitting a headshot is lethal and if you do this regularly you will quickly see a lot more success in game.

Of course, you want to keep an eye on your improvement as you work to improve your aim. If you use the same aim trainer and tasks often, both produce stats and graphs as well as record your high score. Keep an eye on these, you can see if you are actually improving - plus it is very satisfying to beat your high score!

Aim training is a great way to focus on your aim in CS2, but for real improvement you will also need to spend time in game too. Placing your crosshair accurately and flicking sharply is only part of the battle. You need too also learn gun recoil and blast patterns. That requires you do be physically playing the game.

Luckily, there is a mode in CS2 that is designed to help you improve your aim. This is called Deathmatch, often referred too as TDM. This includes custom maps specifically for in game training.

Deathmatch games in CS2 have a very simple objective. Get as many kills as you can in the time avaliable. You respawn very quickly after dying, and you have unlimited ammo and can easily swap between guns. That means you can focus on improving with one, a few or all weapons. That makes this mode perfect for practicing and a great way to improve your aim in CS2.

Using a crosshair that suits you in CS2 can help improve your aim in CS2. Lots of the very best CS2 players all use a different crosshair. You'll need to find whichever one suits you best, and this can take some trial and error.

When you are finding your ideal crosshair, here are some general words of advice to guide your choices:

You'll need to change your sensitivity in CS2 as well. You might want to copy this over from a different game. Once again, this is personal preference and you can test different sensitivity out in an aim trainer or in game via Deathmatch.

One thing to note is your physical mouse and mousepad impacts the best sensitivity for you. A lighter mouse or faster mousepad can use a lower sensitivity. The actual size of your mousepad is also important. You want to have room to flick across the screen in one big sweep - so make sure you can do that with whatever sensitivity you settle on.

A big thing to consider when you want to improve your aim in CS2 is movement penalties for aim. In CS2, walking or running lowers your accuracy in CS2. That means to really focus in and hit your shots, you need to be stood still.

When to stand skill and when to run and walk is something you can focus on in Deathmatch. Just bear that in mind, as you might feel like your aim is terrible when in reality it is because you are walking or even slightly strafing when in a duel.

For more CS2 news and guides, stay tuned to esports.gg!