How to Change Your CS2 Viewmodel

One of the more unique features that CS2 allows you to personalize is where you hold your gun! Referred to as the viewmodel, adjusting these viewmodel settings can give you a significant advantage over your enemies. In this article, we’ll cover the viewmodel in CS2, why you may want to change your viewmodel, how to change them with easy-to-use viewmodel commands, and also give you some settings pros use. This article is separate from FOV, which you can learn more about in this article, which is also published here on SkinsLords!

What is the CS2 Viewmodel

Simply put, your viewmodel is where you hold your gun in CS2. More than just being able to switch to your left hand, CS2 allows you to use commands to control more precisely the position in which you hold your weapon, whether it’s closer/further (y-axis), higher/lower (z-axis), or even more left/right (x-axis). You may have already seen custom viewmodels in your gameplay – usually somewhat good but occasionally just super goofy.

Why Change Your Viewmodel?

The most popular reason to change your viewmodel is to provide an advantage over enemies in your matchmaking games. By putting your weapon in, say, the bottom right corner of your screen, you can see more of the center of your screen compared to enemies with default viewmodels. If you are serious about improving, changing the position of your weapon is crucial in ensuring your weapon position doesn’t block your sight. Some players also modify their viewmodel to make shooting more comfortable, increasing/decreasing the perceived recoil in their weapons. Below is an image of a default view model compared to ZyWoo’s.

How to Change Your Viewmodel

There are four simple console commands that you can use to change your viewmodel settings.

• **If this is your first time opening the command console, follow these three steps below:
  1. Enable the Console – Head over to the game settings, go to the “Game” tab, and switch “Enable Developer Console” to “Yes.”

• Open the Console: To open the console, the default key bound is the tilde key (~). You can easily change this based on your preferences in the keybinds menu settings.
• Use the Console: CS2 features many console commands that allow you to adjust different aspects of your game in addition to the viewmodel commands listed below.

To use these four console commands, simply insert a value between the parameters for each command in place of “[value],” replacing the brackets.

Changing the Horizontal Position – viewmodel_offset_x [value]

Parameter – (-2.5 to 2.5)

• Using this command adjusts the horizontal position of your weapon, with higher values shifting your gun to the right and smaller values shifting your weapon to the left. This is separate from switching from left hand/right hand, which is separate from viewmodel settings.

Here is an image of the default viewmodel settings compared to the highest x-offset

Changing the Vertical Position – viewmodel_offset_z

Parameter – (-2 to 2)

• This command adjusts the vertical position of your weapon, with higher values shifting your weapon higher on the screen and lower values shifting your weapon lower on the screen.

Here is an image of the default viewmodel settings compared to the highest z-offset

Changing the Distance of Your Hands – viewmodel_offset_y

Parameter – (-2 to 2)

• This command adjusts the distance of your hands from the screen, with higher values shifting your weapon further from the camera and smaller values shifting your weapon closer.

Here is an image of the default viewmodel settings compared to the highest y-offset

The Optimal CS2 Viewmodel

There is no one optimal viewmodel setting you can use to boost your game. The key is to explore which values feel most comfortable to you, but try to aim to adjust your viewmodel so that your weapon blocks as little of the screen as possible – some players even strive to make their weapons not visible at all. Many players stick with the default viewmodel settings in CS2, as that’s what they’re already used to.

If you’re unsure of the best viewmodel settings, referring to what viewmodel pro players use is always safe.

Viewmodel Settings of Pro Players

Unsurprisingly, many professional players use the same viewmodel settings, as they block as little of the screen as possible. Many top professional players, including Karrigan, ZyWoo, m0NESY, donk, and NiKo, use the settings below.

• viewmodel_offset_x 2.5
• viewmodel_offset_y 0
• viewmodel_offset_z -1.5

The FOV used in all of their settings is 68, the maximum FOV.

Wrapping Up!

As you change your viewmodel settings, experiment with different values and choose the one you’re most comfortable with. Refer to other articles on the SkinLords blog page to learn about other topics related to CS2 settings and gameplay guides. With that, keep exploring, and have a great day!