Can I Run It? CS2 System Requirements

Valve has coined Counter-Strike 2 as "the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike's history," while fans eagerly await the imminent sequel. The free upgrade to the baseline game CS:GO went live on September 27, 2023, ending the exclusive limited test.

Counter-Strike 2 will set the benchmark for FPS games everywhere. A host of new changes are coming to the classic shooter, including volumetric smoke grenades, upgraded graphics, and even an improved tick-rate system to make the game feel more responsive - all changes that players have been begging for.

However, with a new game and technological advancements, the average system requirements have made leaps and bounds compared to more than a decade ago when CS:GO first launched. As such, Valve may have some slightly different system requirements for Counter-Strike 2 for players to be able to run the game efficiently.

Below are our minimum and recommended system requirements to play CS2. Will your computer be able to handle it? Read on to find out.

Counter-Strike 2 Minimum And Recommended System Requirements

While the official system requirements for Counter-Strike 2 are yet to be released, we can make rough guesses and estimate the potential system requirements for CS2 based on other Valve Source 2 titles like DOTA 2 and Half-Life: Alyx.

Valve typically only releases its official system requirements after a game has been released, and CS2 officially launched on September 27 as the next champter in CS history begins. Here are the minimum system requirements for Counter-Strike 2, as defined on Steam.

Counter-Strike 2 minimum system requirements

Here are the estimated minimum requirements to run Counter-Strike 2.

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit operating system
• Processor: Dual-threated CPU: Intel Core i5 750 or AMD Dual Core processor at 2.8 GHz speed, or higher
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Graphics: GeForce GTX 650 or Radeon HD 7750 graphics card. Video card must be 1 GB or more and be DirectX 11-compatible.
• Storage: 85 GB of free space

While 85 GB of hard disk space seems like a lot, players need to remember that much of the CS:GO's popularity derives from the custom content created by players, like maps and models. As such, having more free disk space is better than not enough.

With these specifications, players will hardly need a beastly gaming PC to run CS2, as the GeForce FTX came out over a decade ago!

These minimum requirements should allow players to get around the 30-60 FPS mark, with some small degrees of lag around the new responsive smoke grenades and more graphically taxing areas.

While the game is runnable on these baseline specs, you don't want to settle for low FPS and graphics! These factors can impair your gameplay and reaction times, especially if you suffer from lag.

Counter-Strike 2 recommended system requirements

To be able to run Counter-Strike 2 at a capacity to incorporate the upgraded graphics settings and changes, here are our predicted specs for CS2 recommended system requirements.

• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit operating system
• Processor: Core i5-7500 / Ryzen 5 1600
• Memory: 12GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 580 or GTX 1060 (at least 6GB VRAM)
• Storage: 60GB

These predicted specs are taken from the Counter-Strike 2 limited test. Suppose players want to use a more powerful setup. In that case, they will need an equally powerful monitor with a high refresh rate (at least 144Hz or higher). This allows your computer's performance to reach new heights, with better FPS and overall performance.

Once CS2 has launched, play around in the game's graphics settings to see what suits you and your PC. Remember that while higher graphical settings may be pretty to look at, they may not be practical for your PC, causing frame rate drops and computer burn-out.

Final Thoughts

That's everything we currently know about the requirements to be able to run Counter-Strike 2 so far. Remember that these requirements are only guidelines, butr if your PC happens to fall below the minimum, you may struggle with lag and poor performance, which in turn will affect your gameplay.

In any case, players can expect most computers to be able to run Counter-Strike 2 without difficulty, so they can dive into the FPS and frag out in no time.

If you want more Counter-Strike content, check out our Same Game Combos for professional CS:GO tournaments, the best CS:GO crosshair settings, how to know if you have a CS2 invite, and information on ESL Pro League S18!

FAQs

When will CS2 launch?

While Counter-Strike 2 was initially given a Summer 2023 launch, it seems more likely that the game will launch on September 27, 2023, after official word from Valve on Twitter teasing the game's release is imminent.

What are the current CS:GO PC requirements?

According to the Steam Store, here are the minimum system requirements to run Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. As you can see, these are pretty outdated, so it should be no surprise that the CS2 system requirements will differ massively.

• OS: Windows 7/Vista/XP
• Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8750 processor
• Memory: 2 GB RAM
• Graphics: Video card should be 256 MB or higher. Must be DirectX 9-compatible with support for Pixel Shader 3.0
• Storage: 15 GB available space

How do I get a CS2 limited-test invite?

While CS2's launch is only days away, Valve is still continuously rolling out new invites for players to participate in the beta. The selection process is based on a "number of factors deemed important" by the CS2 development team, including recent playtime on Valve official servers, trust factor, and current Steam account standing.