How to Change Hands in CS2 — Is This Available Already?
In CS:GO, many players used to set a view with a left shooting hand. This allowed them to get a non-standard weapon view, which may fool the opponent and open the view on the right side of the screen.
Well, CS:GO is no more, and now there is only CS2. Although at first glance it seems that there are no major differences between the versions except for the graphics, players who are used to putting a left-hand view can find an unpleasant surprise. In particular, in CS2, there isn't such a feature anymore. How did this happen, and is it possible to change something in this situation? Read this guide to learn how to switch to the left hand in CS2 and whether you need this information at all.
Previously, this could be done with the command:
cl_righthand 0
How to Switch to Left Hand in CS2
So, you've decided to learn the CS2 switch-hands command but found out there is no way to do it now. You should know that there is a huge commotion on forums regarding this topic; therefore, there is a high probability that the old command to change hands will work again at some point. So, it won’t be in vain to prepare beforehand.
This is how it could be done, starting with CS 1.6, and probably will be relevant for CS2, once Valve add this feature:
First, go to the settings and enable the developer console.
Then press ~ or `, which is usually the key to the left of the number 1 on the keyboard.
- Next, enter the left-hand command —
cl_righthand 0
After that, your shooting hand will move to the left edge of the screen. This could be a great help if you are left-handed or want to have an alternative angle of view. Also, changing your hand could be useful during grenade throws. To place your weapon back into the right hand, simply change the value from 0 to 1 — cl_righthand 1.
Additionally, learning how to swap hands in CS2 can be useful not only for left-handed people but to gain an advantage during picking or shooting. Therefore, players often bound this command to switch hands quickly. Just enter the following line into the console: bind "X" "toggle cl_righthand true false" — instead of X, you can add any key you will be comfortable with. Now you know how to change hands in CS2 by simply pressing one button of your choosing.
Explore CS2 all commands for a full list of customization options, including hand-switching techniques.
Why Did Valve Remove the Hand Changing Feature?
New graphical features require sacrifices. In this case, leg shadows and the legs themselves have been prioritized over the command for the left hand in Counter-Strike 2. According to data miners, the game files contain references to the old command to change hands, but it doesn’t work now.
Moreover, the developers apparently decided to cut this command from the game completely. This is likely because the shadow mapping technology now tries to behave much more physically correctly. If you change the place of the hands, the bullets will still fly to the same point, but other little things in CS2 may simply break. Valve doesn't want that and, therefore, chose to disable the ability to change players' hands altogether.
Is Valve Going to Bring Back the Left Hand?
There is no word yet on whether the left-hand command in CS2 will work any time soon. At the time of writing this article, it looks like Valve has sacrificed a good old feature for graphical finesse. However, a lot of people are unsatisfied with this decision, as many of them played left-handed for over 5 or sometimes even 10 years. They bombard Valve with forum topics, Tweets, and tickets, and if developers care about their players, we will soon hear some news regarding the left-hand command.
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Currently, it’s impossible to use the CS2 left-hand command, and it is also unclear if this will be added later or if Valve won’t bother about. Nevertheless, it is better to be prepared and know the ways to change hands in CS2 if developers decide to bring back this feature.
