How to Fix Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) FPS Drops and Stuttering on PC

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) offers intense multiplayer FPS action, but nothing ruins the fun faster than performance issues. FPS drops, lag, stuttering – these problems throw off your aim and reaction time. And constant choppy visuals diminish CS2’s immersive environments.

If you want to fix these issues for smooth, competitive play, this guide can help. We’ll walk through proven troubleshooting steps to eliminate FPS drops and stuttering.

Before Getting Started…

Before attempting to fix performance issues in CS2, verify that your system meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

If you don’t know how to find your PC specs, take the steps below.

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo + R keys simultaneously to invoke the Run box.
2. Enter msinfo32 and hit Enter.
3. In the left navigation menu, click System Summary and review the information displayed on the right-hand side.
   
   

If you’ve confirmed that your PC is able to run this game perfectly fine. Try these methods:

1. Close Non-Essential Applications
2. Update Your Graphics Drivers
3. Verify Integrity of Game Files
4. Optimize Video Settings for CS2

1. Close Non-Essential Applications

Having too many programs running in the background can tax your computer’s CPU and RAM resources. This can lead to FPS drops and stuttering issues in games like Counter-Strike 2 that require stable system performance.

Closing out any non-essential applications before launching Counter-Strike 2 can free up valuable resources for the game. This allows your computer to devote more processing power and memory to Counter-Strike 2, potentially smoothing out performance.

To close background processes:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo + R keys simultaneously to open the Run box.
2. Type taskmgr and hit Enter to open the Task Manager.
   
   
3. Look for any programs you aren’t currently using and don’t need active in the background. This may include web browsers, chat clients, media players, etc.
4. Right-click on any non-essential processes and select End task to close them out.
   
   You can also sort the Task Manager by CPU or memory usage to identify processes that are hogging resources. Prioritize closing these heavier applications first.
   
   
   
   Be careful not to force quit any critical background services or apps required for normal system operation.

After closing unused apps, launch Counter-Strike 2 and see if your FPS is improved.

2. Update Your Graphics Drivers

Graphics drivers are software that allow your operating system and games to properly communicate with your graphics card hardware. Keeping your drivers up-to-date ensures optimal performance and compatibility. Outdated or corrupt drivers can cause FPS drops, stuttering, crashes, and other issues in games.

Updating to the latest graphics drivers can potentially fix many performance problems in Counter-Strike 2. In fact, many users on Reddit have reported that upgrading to the newest AMD drivers specifically fixed major stuttering problems in the game. This underscores the importance of keeping your Nvidia, AMD, or other graphics card drivers fully updated.

There are two options to update your graphics drivers:

Option 1: Manually

You can update your graphics driver by clicking on the link below based on your exact graphics card model. Then find the latest driver, and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it for your system.

Nvidia
AMD
Intel

Option 2: Automatically

If you don’t have the time, patience, or computer skills to update your graphics drivers manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact graphics card, and your Windows version and it will download and install them correctly.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the 7 days free trial or the Pro version of Driver Easy. It takes just 2 clicks, and you get full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee with the Pro version:

If you’re still suffering from drastic FPS drops and insane stutters, don’t fret! Below we’ll walk you through other methods.

3. Verify Integrity of Game Files

One common cause of FPS drops and stuttering in CS2 is corrupted or missing game files. Verifying the integrity of game files can identify and replace any corrupted or missing files that may be causing performance issues.

Steam provides a simple tool to verify and restore game files called “Verify Integrity of Game Files.” Below is how you can utilize it to scan your game files, identify any issues, download any missing files, and replace corrupted ones.

1. Restart your computer and launch Steam.
2. In your LIBRARY, right-click your game and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
   
   
3. Select the Installed Files tab and click on the Verify integrity of game files button.
   
   
4. Steam will verify the game’s files – this process may take several minutes.

Kindly note that you should not run the verification process while performing other system-intensive tasks like defragmenting your hard drive or running antivirus scans.

When the verification process is complete, launch CS2 and test your gameplay to see if there is any performance boost.

4. Optimize Video Settings for CS2

Counter-Strike 2 includes various graphical and display settings that can impact performance and FPS. Tweaking these options appropriately for your system can help eliminate stuttering issues and boost FPS in the game.

Display Mode

Switching Counter-Strike 2 to a fullscreen display mode is an easy change that may fix frame rate issues for some users. The game will render without distraction from other open windows and programs. Testing fullscreen is worthwhile to experience the smoother and more immersive gameplay it can provide compared to windowed modes.

To make your game run in fullscreen mode, all you have to do is:

Click on the gear icon to open settings. Then select VIDEO > VIDEO and find Display Mode. Select FULLSCREEN from the drop-down list.

Vertical Sync

Vertical Sync (VSync) is a graphical setting that synchronizes the frame rate output of your game with the refresh rate of your monitor. This prevents screen tearing, but it can also cause performance issues like FPS drops and stuttering when the game struggles to stay at the capped frame rate.

To improve FPS performance and reduce stuttering caused by the frame rate fluctuations, try to disable it. All you have to do is:

Under ADVANCED VIDEO, find Wait for Vertical Sync and disable it.

NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency

If you’re an Nvidia GPU user, you might want to enable NVIDIA Reflex Low Latency.

It is a technology exclusive to Nvidia graphics cards that reduces input lag in games. It optimizes rendering to align game frames more closely with mouse clicks, keypresses, and movements. This results in a more responsive feel and lower latency.

You can see it under the ADVANCED VIDEO section.

After applying these changes, relaunch your game and test if you can have a smoother gaming experience.

So this is the full guide on how you can have a smooth, stutter-free gaming experience on Counter-Strike 2. I hope this helped you out, leave a comment if you have any questions.