Being officially released in Sept. 2023, Counter-Strike 2 is a relatively fresh title on the FPS market. Therefore, you could think that running it on your PC would be a challenge, but luckily, it’s not.
CS2 operates on Source 2 engine, developed by Valve in 2015. Those who enjoyed other games from the Bellevue-based developer should be familiar with it, since it’s used in Dota 2 and Half-Life: Alyx, for example. Similarly to those titles, running Source 2 and CS2 on minimum requirements is far from challenging. However, if you want to have the smoothest possible experience, you need to have a solid, advanced PC.
CS2 minimum and recommended system requirements
When compared to a massive AAA game release, CS2’s minimum requirements are pale. They are still higher when compared to the title in the famous franchise, CS:GO. All in all, though, they’re something your PC should handle. Here are the minimum and recommended system requirements for CS2.
CS2 minimum system requirements
Here are the minimum system requirements to run CS2.
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core™ i5 750 or higher (quad-core)
- Memory: 8GB of RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 11-compatible card with 1GB of memory or more, with support for Shader Model 5.0
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: Up to 86GB of space
CS2 itself won’t take as much as 86GB of storage at first. However, a pivotal element that players forget is the Workshop and its community content. Player-made maps, models, configs, game modes, weapons, and more will be downloaded on your PC if you join a community custom server. Therefore, having at least 40GBs of additional storage space is smart. At the time of writing, downloading CS2 on my PC would take 45GB.
With these specifications, players can expect to hit the magic 60FPS mark with drop-offs around interactive elements like Molotov fire or smoke grenades. As you can see, the minimum requirements are very easy to meet for most modern rigs, making the game really accessible for most players nowadays.
CS2 recommended system requirements
CS2 does not have official recommended system requirements from Valve. Here are our suggestions for recommended system requirements:
- OS: Windows 10 64-Bit
- Processor: Core i5-7500 / Ryzen 5 1600
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Graphics: GTX 1060 or RX 580, with at least 6GB of memory
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: Up to 86GB of space
To have the best gameplay experience, pair a more powerful rig with a high refresh rate monitor with at least 144Hz or higher. Once you do, experiment with the graphics settings. Your main priority would be to have that refresh rate in FPS at the minimum, which is 144FPS for 144Hz. Once you have an advanced hardware and monitor, it will be easily doable.
In case you’re looking for a higher refresh rate, then you’ll need to find better upgrades. Luckily, Source 2 relies a bit more on the GPU to improve performance. However, it still mostly uses the strength of your CPU. So if you want to maximize your refresh rate, search for the most powerful CPU within your budget.
Hardware like Intel Core i7 9700k or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X have often been named as the CPUs who run CS2 at maximum settings without any issues. Naturally, with equipment like that, you should be able to easily run other games on your PC as well, so while that would be a substantial investment, it should last for years.
If your budget is unlimited, you might want to look at the pros’ hardware. They compete at international events each week, so it’s safe to say their settings and equipment are solid and tested. We’d recommend looking up ZywOo or s1mple‘s settings.
Can you play CS2 on Mac?
At the moment of writing, CS2 isn’t supported on Mac. However, that’s not because the latest Macs can’t run software like CS2, but Valve has yet to launch a version of their FPS that’s compatible with Apple’s hardware.
If you’re really keen on running CS2 on Mac, there is a workaround you can use. Software like Boot Camp is able to install Windows onto Macs. Although, usually it would require an Intel chip in your Mac equipment if you want it to work. There are numerous tutorials on the internet on how you can potentially launch the game on a Mac.
