How to Get Better at CS2: Check Pro Tips and Tricks for CS2

Currently, there are more than 739,000 active players in Counter-Strike 2, and all of them, in one way or another, pursue a single goal — becoming the top player in the game. However, if you’re starting your journey into the CS world with the new version of the game, it can feel like you’ll need hours of practice and knowledge-seeking before you’ll stand a chance against more experienced opponents.

Luckily, the way how to be better at CS2 isn’t as long as you can imagine, and this guide will provide useful tips and tricks for you to start acting like a pro during every round. So, read on to find out how to play CS2 effectively and what to focus on first.

In competitive play, knowing the most balanced CS2 maps can give teams an edge.

COMMUNICATION

Newcomers often ignore the importance of communication between teammates. However, you’ll need to understand what other players are up to if you want to win — it’s a team game, after all. Those 4 random guys (if you don’t play with your friends) will become your family for the next 13 or even 24 rounds. Here, we have some proven tips for CS2 that every player should follow to organize efficient cooperation in the team:

Stay Friendly

Even if the most toxic person in the world is in your team, you shouldn’t start arguing with them. It won’t help you win, and your teammates will be tired of listening to your ranting. Always try to cheer up each member of your team and maintain the spirit of cooperation because demoralized players will be just unable to focus on the game. Nonetheless, feel free to preserve your mental health by muting people who have nothing constructive to say to you!

Provide Clear Information

Your teammates will be thankful if you start using your microphone to share details about enemies’ positions and weapons instead of just screaming whenever you spot something (it must be a golden rule in any CS2 guide for noobs). Useful phrases you can use:

1. x (amount of players) on (callout position);
2. Going to (callout position);
3. Let's push A/B site;
4. Smoke/flash on (callout position), etc.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to check your microphone to make sure your teammates can hear you loud and clear without any external noise and interference:

1. Open your Steam, click on the Steam button in the left upper corner, and go to settings.

   

2. Then, open the Voice tab and test your microphone. If it doesn’t work or something is off, you can configure all the mic settings in the same tab.

   

For a one-time setup without in-game changes, you should use CS2 best launch options, which allows you to not even open the game to make the settings you need.

Discuss the Strategy

If you want to win the round, your team shouldn’t just have a strategy; you must also be able to adapt it to in-game situations. Get in touch with other players to discuss your actions, money management, and utility usage to take your enemies by surprise and eliminate them.

MAPS

Currently, there are 7 CS2 Active pool maps and 10 to play in the Casual mode. View the ratings of these best CS2 maps by analyzing their popularity, balance, and gameplay. Any beginner should strive to learn the basics of these locations, as you can’t win if you don’t know where to go. Here is how to get better in CS2 by exploring the maps and what to focus on.

Start Small

You don't need to learn all seven maps at once to be an effective teammate. CS2 allows you to choose any map you want before the game starts, even in Competitive mode. Therefore, you can limit yourself to 1-3 of your favorite ones so as to not get overwhelmed.

Learn Main Callouts

Continuing the point about clear information, to coordinate your actions and provide valuable tips about enemies’ positions, you’ll need to memorize the callouts on each map. In the future, it's crucial to remember the maps callouts in the active pool in order to effectively communicate and comprehend the game, such as CS2 Inferno callouts, Mirage callouts, Nuke callouts, Vertigo callouts, Ancient callouts, and Dust 2 callouts. It's also a good idea to learn the callouts on maps that are currently not in the pool but are expected to rejoin it, such as Train callouts.

In case you forget the name of this or that spot, don’t panic! Just have a look under your radar, and you’ll see the name of the zone where you currently are.

Know the Most Efficient Spots for Smokes

A well-placed smoke will help your team enter any zone, significantly reducing the chance of getting killed. Here is how to get better at CS2 by using utility and what to do to discover the best spots for smokes:

1. Watch guides. You can find a lot of videos and articles in which professional players share their experiences and show the best zones to place smoke. We at Profilerr are always happy to assist you with that, so you can check our guides for relevant grenade lineups on maps from the active pool: CS2 Vertigo smokes, CS2 Overpass smokes, CS2 Anubis smokes, Inferno CS2 smokes, Ancient CS2 smokes.
2. Improve your skills in the Practice mode. Just navigate to “Play”-> “Practice” -> “Casual”, and select the desired map. After that, enable Infinitive Warmup, Grenade Camera, and Infinite Ammo. To practice your skills, we recommend that you train smoke grenades using our CS2 smoke practice commands guide.

Use the Environment

Always consider your surroundings and try to avoid standing in the open if you don’t want to get shot during the first seconds of the round. Take into account that your movement will be slowed as soon as you get under fire, so make sure you always can hide from your enemies’ bullets and grenades.

WEAPONS

There are 53 weapons in the game, and each of them has its own unique features. It’s extremely important to know where and when you should use a certain rifle, pistol, or SMG. We have prepared the best CS2 weapon loadout to make it easier for you to choose your favorite weapon and where to use it. Here’s the list of major aspects you should know to get better at CS2 that will help you become a weapon master:

Master Your Skills on Aim Training Maps

Practice is key to success. With this in mind, the Counter-Strike 2 community created a variety of maps where you can master the usage of any rifle, SMG, or pistol. Check all the CS2 aim training maps and select the one that's most suitable for your skills training. If you don’t know how to start your training, it’ll be a good idea to opt for Aim Botz, which you can download through the Steam Workshop. Here are several more CS2 aiming tips on how to get good in CS2 in terms of shooting:

1. Adjust the speed and behavior of the targets to make them perfect for your training needs;
2. Improve your aiming skills by playing a variety of available target scenarios and exercises;
3. Always measure your performance using the tools available on this custom map.

Get Acquainted With Core Weapons

It’s highly recommended to use only the core rifles if you’ve just started playing Counter-Strike 2. It’ll help you learn the basic information about spray patterns and develop your own shooting strategies.

The first steps on how to improve in CS will usually involve using the best guns, which are AK-47 for Terrorists and M4A4/M4A1-S if you join the Counter-Terrorist team. First of all, it is important to know how to use ak in CS2, as well as how to shoot in CS2 accurately with the M4A4/M4A1-S, which will give you a significant boost in shooting skills. Both these rifles boast decent accuracy, versatility, and high damage. Besides, don’t forget to fire short bursts to increase accuracy when shooting at long distances.

In addition, if you want to develop your sniping skills, you may start by mastering CS2 AWP guide. It’s the most powerful sniper rifle in the game, able to eliminate enemies with a single shot to the body or head. On the other hand, when several opponents take you by surprise, this weapon may be next to useless due to its slow rate of fire.

Learn Spray Patterns

Learning spray patterns is one of the most important CS2 Pro tips that helps to shoot precisely. Each weapon has its unique pattern, and your task is to control the recoil by moving the mouse down and compensating for its horizontal movement.

The best way to develop this skill is to train on special maps such as aim_warmupz. Plus, you may practice in Headshots Only mode in case you feel ready to challenge yourself.

MOVEMENT & PEEKING

Moving through the maps in Counter-Strike 2 is extremely dangerous, even if you know each location like the back of your hand. Your enemies may be smart enough to set traps for your team and catch you off guard. Here are the major things you should learn if you’re wondering how to get better at Counter-Strike 2:

Learn Main Strategies

Did you know that even one smoke placed in a certain position or a player in particular callout can reveal the opposing team’s strategy? But for that, you need to learn the signs to look for. That is, getting to know 3-5 main strategies for each map (rush, eco-round, B/A taking) can greatly increase your chances of winning.

Pay Attention to Surrounding Sounds

It’s impossible to imagine a comprehensive list of CS2 tricks for beginners without this important advice! If you don’t want to get shot in the first 30 seconds of the round, you should listen carefully to everything that happens around you.

This aspect of the game is so important that the players aiming for the competitive scene typically purchase top-quality earphones specifically for sound awareness. You can discover your enemies simply by listening to their footsteps, jumping, or scoping. Remember that the sound of each step depends on the surface a player walks on!

At the same time, make sure you don’t make any unnecessary sounds yourself. It’ll be a good idea to shift-walk in case you want to scout a zone that may be under your enemies' control. Simply hold the Shift button to start sneaking towards the desired point without being heard by the opposing team.

Check our article on the best audio settings for CS2 for even more tips.

Opt for Safe Peeking

Peeking is a swift move a player makes out of their cover to check an angle or find an enemy. In case you react in time and your rival is on the spot you’re entering, you’ll probably get a frag.

Plus, you may use this trick to get information about the movement of the enemy team. But make sure you don’t stand in the open for too long. Practice A and D keys combinations to move sideways to get a quick look ahead and return to your cover.

Practice Counter-Strafing

Standing still while shooting is one of the basic and most effective CS2 tips. This tactic will significantly reduce bullet spread and provide you with a chance to make an accurate headshot. However, you need to learn to come to a complete standstill as soon as you see your enemy.

Luckily, you can use a technique called CS2 counter strafing to start accurate shooting immediately. Press the opposing movement key to perform this trick. For instance, if you are moving by holding W, quickly push S and immediately release it. Try to avoid moving diagonally near your enemies’ locations because, in this case, you’ll need to press two opposing keys, which is more difficult.

OTHER USEFUL TIPS FOR CS2 BEGINNERS

Now you know how to get better in your favorite online shooter. However, we still have some useful secrets for you. Here are some additional Counter-Strike 2 tips that will help you play better and impress your teammates the next time you start a round:

Use Your Utilities

Noob players usually underestimate the value of grenades and don’t buy them. This mistake can easily cost your team the round! Don’t be like that, and learn how to improve at CS2 by applying the following advice for utility:

1. If you play as a terrorist, always buy Molotov. Placing it right can easily push your enemies out of their covers, providing you with easy kills.
2. Start buying a defuser (or at least pick it up from your fallen teammate)! This kit may save your whole team, allowing you to defuse the bomb in 5 seconds (instead of the usual 10).
3. Always inform your teammate you are going to use a grenade or flash to make sure you won’t damage or blind them.
4. Buy Kevlar and helmet if you have enough money. Making this investment is a sure way to improve in CS2 and significantly increase your survivability, which is especially important if you’re a beginner.

Keep an Eye on Your Ammo

Have you ever jumped out at your enemies only to realize you have only a few bullets left in your magazine? If you want to avoid such unpleasant situations in the future, you should always reload your gun before entering combat.

Be mindful that you’re extremely vulnerable when changing magazines. Thus, you should ask your teammates to cover you or find a safe place before reloading. Maybe it doesn’t sound like the advice that explains how to play better at Counter-Strike 2, but it ensures you’ll always be ready to face your opponents no matter what.

Stop Dying for Nothing

Although you’ve already learned a lot of helpful CS2 tips and tricks, this one should cross your mind during each round. Playing safely and staying alive always pays off!

If you survive the round, you won’t lose your weapons and equipment, contributing to your team’s economy. You can save money, which will give you a significant advantage in the next rounds. At the same time, you won’t be providing your enemies with extra funds, which they can use to buy better guns and have even better chances of getting you again.

FINAL WORDS

Following the tips provided by our guide on how to become better at CS2, you are receiving an opportunity to enhance the level of your skills and reach the top levels of Counter-Strike 2 quicker. Always think carefully about your strategy, stay in touch with your teammates, and practice often to become undefeatable. And, maybe, one day, your name will appear in one of our lists of Counter-Strike Major Championship winners!