Best CS2 Launch Options in 2026 for FPS, Performance and Low Latency

Launch options are commands Steam passes to Counter-Strike 2 the moment it starts, before the game or your config loads. They control startup behavior, things like skipping the intro movie, setting process priority, and forcing your monitor's refresh rate.

Because they run first, they are the right place for settings that must apply at launch. In-game tweaks like sensitivity, video settings, and your crosshair belong in the settings menu or an autoexec instead. If you are still dialing those in, our Ultimate Guide to Best CS2 Settings covers the in-game side.

Setting launch options takes about ten seconds in Steam.

1. Open your Steam Library.

2. Right-click Counter-Strike 2 and choose Properties.

3. On the General tab, find the Launch Options box.

4. Paste your commands, separated by spaces.

5. Close the window and launch the game.

To remove them later, just clear the box and relaunch.

A clean, safe starting line for most players is -novid -high -nojoy -freq 144. Replace 144 with your monitor's actual refresh rate. Add +fps_max 0 if you want frames uncapped. That is the whole list for the vast majority of setups. CS2 does not need the long command strings people carried over from CS:GO.

Many old CS:GO commands are dead or actively harmful in CS2. Forcing thread counts or legacy DirectX flags can lower FPS or cause crashes on the Source 2 engine. When in doubt, keep your line short. If a command is not on the recommended list above, you probably do not need it.

Mostly no, and that is the honest answer. Launch options do not add frames the way a lower resolution or reduced settings do. What they actually do is remove small startup overheads and make sure the game runs at the right priority and refresh rate from the first second.

The two that matter for feel are -freq and +fps_max 0. Forcing your true refresh rate stops CS2 from defaulting to 60Hz on some setups, which is the single most common reason a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor feels wrong. Uncapping frames lets your GPU push past any default ceiling. Neither rewrites your hardware, so if you want a real FPS jump, the lever is in-game video settings, not the launch line. For that side, see our guide to showing FPS in CS2 so you can measure the change yourself.

What are the best CS2 launch options for FPS?

Use -novid -high -nojoy -freq matched to your monitor, and optionally +fps_max 0. These give the cleanest startup and full refresh-rate use without risky legacy flags.

Does -tickrate 128 work in CS2?

No. CS2 runs on a sub-tick system, so tickrate launch options have no effect. Remove them.

Where do I enter launch options?

Steam Library, right-click Counter-Strike 2, Properties, General tab, Launch Options box, then paste commands separated by spaces.

Can launch options get me VAC banned?

No. Standard launch options are part of Steam and are completely safe. They do not modify game files.