How to Improve Aim in CS2

Regardless of which first-person shooter games you have played in the past, you are probably aware that aim is the most essential skill that any FPS gamer can have. Even if you have perfect utility usage, incredible game sense, or have mastered movement, none of it matters if you can’t aim. Aim is the least common denominator, and it is a skill that any great player must master before focusing on other skills.

Wondering how to improve your aim? Because aim is so vital to improving in CS2, we have crafted this guide to help you improve your aim in the game. There are many relevant skills when it comes to mastering aim, and remember that everyone learns differently. Some of these skills will be more relevant to your needs and playstyle than others, so create an improvement routine that caters to your current abilities and goals as a player.

Find the Perfect Sensitivity and Mouse DPI for You

Before mastering aim, you must find the perfect sensitivity and DPI. This is 100% personal preference, and the best way to find the ideal sensitivity and DPI is to try various settings until you find the one for you. Try experimenting in casual games until it truly “clicks” and you find a sensitivity and mouse dpi setting that feels best. Don’t be afraid to change specific settings over time; the worst thing you can do is confine yourself to one pair of settings for life and never realize that you play better with other settings. Start with a lower sensitivity and build up as you improve your mouse control.

Craft the Perfect Crosshair

Alongside sensitivity and DPI, having a good crosshair is key to improving aim, and it is something you should work on before actually doing any practice. Your crosshair is extremely important in game, and making the best crosshair for you will make life much easier in the long run. Remember, crosshairs are dependent on individual players. Don’t try coping crosshairs of pros; rather, build your own that caters to your needs as a player.

Practice Various Aiming Skills

In every game, there are various aspects to aim for. Aim itself is genuinely more of an umbrella skill than an individual one; there are tons of skills that fall under the aim category. Focus on these aiming skills to perfect your aim in Counter-Strike 2:

Counter-Strafing:

Counter Strafing is a skill relevant in many first-person shooter games, but it is especially important in CS. Counter strafing is the process of stopping your movement instantly in order to minimize shot inaccuracy. For example, if you are swinging an angle to the left and holding down your A key, release your D key and quickly tap your A key before firing. This will stop you instantly, resetting any movement inaccuracy that you would have if you shot the weapon before stopping.

Crosshair Placement

Crosshair placement is key to achieving a better aim. The faster you can master crosshair placement, the quicker you will see improvements in game. Crosshair placement refers to where players place their crosshairs (obviously), and good crosshair placement implies that a player’s crosshair is always in a position so that if they were peeked by an enemy, they wouldn’t need to move their mouse before shooting. For example, when holding an angle, a player with good crosshair placement aims their crosshair exactly where the enemy’s head would be so that as soon as the enemy crosses into their vision, all they have to do is click, and the enemy will be dead. To improve crosshair placement, be conscious of where your crosshair is at all times and constantly reset it so that it is in a position where you won’t have to move your mouse before shooting an enemy.

Control Recoil

Spray control is a requirement that any good CS2 player must master before playing at a high level. It is another skill that applies to many different games, but no game requires a mastery of recoil control like Counter-Strike. All automatic weapons in CS2 have a recoil pattern that is always the same as long as you are not moving, so if you can memorize the mouse movements required to compensate for this recoil and keep your shots on your enemy’s body, then you will see a huge difference in your performance across matches. Remember that every weapon has a different spray pattern, so practice mastering the recoil control of each individual weapon to truly master this subcategory of aim.

Spray Transfering

Alongside recoil control is spray transferring, which is the process of transferring a spray(again, obviously) across multiple players. For example, if you see multiple enemies, having good control over a spray transfer would allow you to spray one enemy down and then move on to the next player without resetting your spray. This minimizes the time between kills and increases your chances of getting multiple kills by a significant number.

Flicking

Even if you don’t use snipers often, flicking is still a great skill to master. Although watching professional games may make it appear as though large flicks are nothing more than luck, these insane quick movements are completely calculated and made possible by years of practice. Though the skill can be frustrating at first, lots of practice will make you quite a talented player. Remember to start slow because just going for quick flicks will bring you nothing but aggravation.

Use Aim Training Maps/Community Servers

There are a plethora of aim trainer maps out there, and we highly suggest experimenting with several during your improvement journey. Different maps help improve different skills, so it is important to incorporate several maps into your routine to maximize improvement. Let’s take a look at some of the best maps and community servers for improving your aim in CS.

Aim Botz – Aim Training (CS2)

Aim_Training-Reflex-Spray-1Taps-Dev (CS2)

Aim_Rush / Aim training map

Recoil Master – Spray Training (CS2)

5e_aimhub

Improve Game Sense

Aiming is much more than a combination of “point and click.” It also contains a mental aspect that players refer to as game sense. Mastering game sense is the largest technical leap for any player to achieve in their Counter-Strike improvement journey, and it takes years to achieve a level of game sense that can be considered mastery(though some may argue that there is truly no way to actually “master” game sense). Game sense gives you the ability to predict where and when players will peek, allowing you to actually apply your aim in real-time. However, it is important to note that the only way to acquire game sense is to play the game. Every game of CS where you are fully attentive and trying to the best of your ability will add to your game sense, and after hundreds of games, you will start to make great predictions, play angles perfectly, and truly start to master the game.

Improve Tracking

One of the hardest skills for new Counter-Strike players to master is tracking. Tracking enemies makes hitting perfect shots way easier, but don’t worry; it isn’t as hard as it seems when you first start playing. Here are some tips for improving your tracking:

Practice Smoothness

Trying to be more smooth with your mouse movements makes tracking much easier. If your tracking is sharp and inconsistent, it will cause you to consistently miss your target. Many new players make the mistake of trying to make quick movements while tracking enemies. In reality, you are better off making smooth movements across the screen, as it will be much easier to hit shots.

Stay Calm

One of the hardest parts of tracking is staying calm. It is easy to freak out when you see an enemy(or multiple), but if you remain calm and confident, you will almost always give yourself a mental edge over your opponent. As we said earlier, aiming in CS is a mental game as much as it is a physical one, so keep your mind strong, and you will make great plays.

Consistency is KEY!

Nothing is more important than consistency when it comes to tracking. Keeping your movements, mouse speed, and mind consistent across every round makes improvement more efficient and kills easier to come by. It will take time to create a consistent tracking habit, but it is worth the effort.

Master Reaction Time

Reaction time is a crucial accessory of aim in Counter-Strike. The ability to quickly flick across your screen and click right as your crosshair flies over the enemy’s head is a skill that will take time to learn, but it is extremely necessary to be a good aimer. In a game where milliseconds matter, you must be able to hit your target quickly, or you will be out of the round before you can even register that your opponent is on your screen. Mastering reaction time is actually quite easy to improve, and while many aspects of reaction time require you to manage your real-life activities(get good sleep, eat well, drink water, etc), you can also improve your reaction time in-game as well. The faster your reaction time, the less time spans between when you spot an enemy and when you shoot them. This gives the enemy less time to shoot you and gives you a massive advantage in every duel.

It’s About YOU!

At the end of the day, the ways in which you improve your aim are completely up to you. Many players come from different FPS games and have different backgrounds when it comes to aiming, so you should improve in ways that affect the skills you struggle with the most. Dont waste your time reinforcing skills that you have already mastered; you can do that in actual games. Instead, try to create a balance of all aim-related skills and watch as you achieve better aim by the day.