How to train and improve your aim in CS2

Several factors are important in FPS, such as tactics, positioning and utilities, but none match combat skill. A good shooter may have gaps in strategy, but will still perform well, winning games with ease.

Of course, the higher your rank or rating, in special mode, the more important Counter Strike's tactical matters will be. But it’s impossible to deny that the aim is the basis for any FPS, and it needs to be your initial focus.

It’s with this in mind that we, at UmGamer, worked on this content with tips for you to improve your aim in CS2. Check it out!

The game's default aiming may not be effective for you, as it usually happens. I recommend that you change it, and there’s a section for this in CS2. Go to the settings, click on “Game” and then on the “Aim” tab.

This topic is very personal, choose a crosshair that you feel comfortable with, I just recommend leaving it in a color that doesn't blend in with the walls of the map or enemies, as well as not making it as small as possible, to avoid it disturbing your precision and vision.

Use this adjustment time to also change the game's sensitivity, until it’s adequate for you.

CS2 professionals’ Aims

In December 2023, ESPN Brasil published an article with the aiming settings of CS2 professionals, with a table showing the player's name and their aiming code. If you want, copy one of the codes and go to the same settings tab, click on “Share or Import”, paste and import.

Each weapon has a recoil, raising its aim and interfering on where the shots will land, check out this image which illustrates the concept.

This recoil is standard, all magazines of the same weapon have the same recoil, it’s standard for each piece of equipment. You can see this discrepancy between the AK-47's shots, which go up more, and the M4A1's, check out our test video.

Each weapon will always have the same shot trajectory, the main tip is to understand it and always make the opposite movement. For example, if the first 12 shots from the AK raise your aim, lower it with your mouse to keep it at the center point. When it starts to go to the right, move the crosshairs to the left and vice versa.

Remember that each piece of equipment has a different trajectory, so practice with all the different weapons you play in CS.

Another vital point to improve your aim, learn to enter places on the map with your weapon already aimed at some corners where an enemy may be, and preferably at head height.

Entering any door just looking straight ahead means signing your death sentence, always pay attention to the sides, enter first looking to the left or right, go back and then open again towards the other side.

Now, we'll cover some great modes and maps to practice your FPS shooting!

Deathmatch

Deathmatch is a quick mode, a 10-minute match where the focus is on shooting, there are no utilities or C4 with the objective of planting or disarming, just focus on eliminating as many players as possible. In fact, choosing a side only serves to define which weapons you’ll have at your disposal in the confrontation, CTs and Ts can kill among themselves, as you can see below.

When you’re shot down, you’ll revive instantly, allowing you to experience numerous combat situations in just 10 minutes, strengthening your aim learning. Take the opportunity to use rifles, snipers and submachine guns at will, I just don't recommend using pistols, the frenetic pace of Deathmatch makes us unproductive with it.

Use workshop maps to improve aiming in CS2

The CS2 community is amazing and always gifts us great free training maps.

If you want to use any community map, just click on its link, or access CS2 in your library and go to “workshop”, and search by name. After signing up for it, restart the game, and it’ll be available.

Here, I am using CSStats Training Map (CSGOHUB). I saw that it has high ratings and several tools to customize your training, such as number of bots, distance, level of vests, and even the behavior of the bots, whether they will stay still, change positions, or rush at you.

In addition to all this, there’s a challenges tab, allowing you to choose a speed mode, where a single bot appears in a random location on the field for a few seconds, forcing you to improve your agility.

One of the differentials are the “KZ” and “BHOP” challenges, two movement techniques that weren’t mentioned in today's article, but that eventually deserve your focus to become a complete player.

This is a single map I found in a quick search, feel free to browse the thousands of works in the community!

I hope this article helped you master aiming in CS2! I'm open to questions and suggestions in the comments.