The fastest way to show FPS in CS2 is the in-game menu: Settings → Game → Telemetry, set Show Frame Rate to Always, and the frame rate appears in the upper right corner during a match. The other options are the console command cl_showfps 1, the FPS counter built into the Steam overlay, and the NVIDIA or AMD driver overlay. Below, each method is broken down step by step, followed by what counts as a good frame rate in CS2. If you remember the FPS counter from CS:GO, the idea is the same, but some of the old commands no longer work in Counter-Strike 2.
What the FPS counter in CS2 tells you
FPS (frames per second) is the number of frames the game renders each second. The higher and steadier it is, the smoother the picture and the sooner your mouse movement shows up on screen. A low or unstable frame rate means stutter and hitching, and it usually shows in the heaviest scenes: smokes, flashes and fights with several players on screen at once.
That is why it pays to keep the counter on, at least for a while after new hardware, a change in graphics settings or a big game update. It shows exactly where the frames drop and helps you pin down the cause: the GPU, the CPU, or a frame rate cap you forgot about.
Method 1. How to show FPS in CS2 through the settings (Telemetry)
CS2 has no net_graph like CS:GO did. Valve replaced it with the telemetry HUD, which you turn on without the console and which shows frame time, ping and connection quality on top of FPS.
Launch CS2 and click the gear icon in the main menu.
Open the Game tab and scroll down to the Telemetry section.
Set Show Frame Rate to Always.
Optionally, configure the ping and network quality rows the same way.
Join a match or a bot game: the numbers appear in the upper right corner of the screen.
Every telemetry row has three modes: Never, Always, and a mode that only shows the value when conditions are poor (for example, when FPS drops sharply or ping spikes). The second number next to your FPS, marked "ms", is frame time: the gap between two consecutive frames in milliseconds. Lower and steadier is better. For a closer look at the millisecond readouts in the game, see our guide on what ms means in CS2.
The same options are available as commands, which is handy for a config file: cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2 (FPS and frame time) and cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2 (ping). A value of 0 hides the readout, 1 shows it only when there is a problem, and 2 shows it all the time.
Method 2. The cl_showfps console command
The cl_showfps command carried over from CS:GO and still works in CS2. It puts a compact counter in the upper left corner of the screen. Here is how to use it:
Enable the developer console (see the steps below).
Open the console with the ~ key (the default binding).
Type cl_showfps 1 and press Enter.
Close the console: your FPS now shows in the upper left corner.
To hide the counter, type cl_showfps 0. This command does not let you move the counter. If you want FPS together with ping and frame time, the telemetry HUD from Method 1 is the better choice. For a broader list of useful commands, see our roundup of console commands for CS2.
How to enable the console in CS2
If nothing happens when you press ~, the console is simply turned off in the settings. That is the most common reason the FPS command seems not to work.
In the main menu, click the gear icon and open the Game tab.
Find Enable Developer Console (~) and set it to Yes.
If the ~ key is awkward for you, go to the Keyboard / Mouse tab, find Toggle Console and bind a key of your choice.
A separate walkthrough, including the launch option route, is in our guide on how to open the console in CS2.
Method 3. The Steam overlay FPS counter
Steam can display FPS in any game, CS2 included, with no commands or extra software. Open Steam, then go to Settings → In Game. Older versions of the client have an In-game FPS counter option there: pick the screen corner where it should appear. In current versions of Steam, that option has been replaced by the Performance Monitor, which shows FPS and, in its more detailed modes, CPU, GPU and memory usage as well.
The Steam overlay itself has to be enabled (same In Game section). The advantage of this method is that the counter works the same way in every game, which makes it easy to compare performance across titles.
Method 4. The NVIDIA or AMD overlay
GPU drivers can also draw a frame rate counter over the game, often with detailed hardware stats:
NVIDIA: in the NVIDIA App (formerly GeForce Experience), turn on the in-game overlay, open it with Alt+Z and enable the FPS readout in the statistics settings.
AMD: in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, open the performance section and turn on the metrics overlay, which includes FPS. The app itself opens with Alt+R.
Menu names in these apps change from version to version, so look for words like overlay, statistics or metrics. If the Steam or driver counter shows a slightly different number than CS2 telemetry, that is expected: each tool averages its measurement differently.
What FPS is good in CS2
The main benchmark is your monitor refresh rate. Your FPS should stay at or above it even in heavy scenes, ideally with some headroom:
60 Hz monitor: a steady 60 FPS minimum, 100 or more feels better;
144 Hz monitor: a steady 144 FPS or more, which means a frame time of about 7 ms or lower;
240 Hz monitor and up: 240 FPS or more (about 4 ms per frame), which takes a strong CPU.
Watch the drops, not just the average. A steady 160 FPS feels better than 300 that dips to 90 in smoke. That is exactly why CS2 telemetry shows frame time: sudden spikes in milliseconds are the stutter you feel.
Keep in mind that CS2 runs on Source 2 and is generally heavier than CS:GO: on the same PC you will usually see a lower frame rate than you had in the old game. For how the counter worked back then and which numbers were considered normal, see our article on how to enable the FPS counter in CS:GO.
If your FPS is low: where to start
Once the counter is on and the number is not where you want it, begin with the simple fixes:
Check the frame rate cap: fps_max 0 removes the limit, while an accidentally low value holds your FPS down.
Lower the heaviest graphics settings: shadows, shader detail, anti-aliasing and resolution. Ready-made presets are in our guide to CS2 settings for weaker computers.
Update your GPU driver and close background apps that eat CPU time and memory.
Switch Windows to a high performance power plan, and keep a laptop plugged in while you play.
Review your CS2 launch options: extra or outdated flags sometimes do more harm than good.
If you want to understand what FPS depends on and how to measure performance properly on different maps, read our separate guide on how to check FPS in CS2.
FAQ
How do I see FPS in CS2 without the console?
Use the menu: Settings → Game → Telemetry, set Show Frame Rate to Always. Two more options that need no console are the Steam overlay counter and the NVIDIA or AMD driver overlay.
Why is cl_showfps 1 not working?
Almost always because the console is disabled: turn on Enable Developer Console in the Game tab. Also check that the command is typed correctly, with a space before the 1.
Does net_graph work in CS2 like it did in CS:GO?
No, net_graph stayed in CS:GO. In CS2 it is replaced by the telemetry HUD and the cl_hud_telemetry_* commands, which show FPS, frame time, ping and packet loss.
How do I turn off the FPS counter in CS2?
For the command, type cl_showfps 0; for telemetry, set the frame rate row to Never. The Steam and driver counters are turned off in their own settings.
