To show ping on screen in CS2, open Settings, go to the Game tab, scroll to the Telemetry section and set the ping display to Always: your latency in milliseconds will stay visible during the match. For a quick check, hold Tab and read your ping on the scoreboard; from the console, cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2 does the same thing as the menu option. The net_graph 1 command that displayed ping in CS:GO no longer exists in Counter-Strike 2. Below are all the CS2 methods step by step, plus how it worked in CS:GO.
Checking Ping on the CS2 Scoreboard
The simplest method needs no setup at all. Hold Tab during a match, and the scoreboard lists every player's ping in milliseconds next to their name. You see your own latency as well as that of your teammates and opponents.
The limitation is that the scoreboard only shows the current value, and only while you hold the key. It won't reveal latency spikes or packet loss, so for constant monitoring the telemetry HUD is the better option.
How to Show Ping on Screen in CS2 Through Settings (Telemetry)
In CS2, the old net_graph counter has been replaced by the built-in Telemetry HUD. It shows FPS and frame time, ping and packet-loss information in a corner of the screen, and you can turn it on without the console:
Open Settings (the gear icon in the main menu).
Go to the Game tab.
Scroll down to the Telemetry section.
Set the ping option to Always.
Optionally, enable FPS and frame time and the packet-loss readout in the same section.
Each telemetry option has three modes: never show, always show, or show only when your connection is poor. The last one suits players who find constant numbers distracting: ping appears only when the network starts acting up. The same section is where you enable the FPS counter in CS2.
Console Commands to Display Ping in CS2
If you prefer the console, enable it first: Settings, Game tab, Enable Developer Console, Yes. Our guide on how to open the console in CS2 walks through it. Then press the ~ (tilde) key and enter the command you need:
cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2: ping always on screen;
cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2: FPS and frame time;
cl_hud_telemetry_net_misdelivery_show 2: packet loss and misdelivered packets;
cl_hud_telemetry_serverrecvmargin_graph_show 2: a graph of your connection quality to the server.
All of them take the same values: 0 turns the readout off, 1 shows it only when the connection is poor, and 2 shows it at all times. These are the same switches as in the Telemetry menu, so the setting persists after you restart the game. More useful commands are collected in our list of CS2 console commands.
How to Display Ping in CS:GO: net_graph 1
In CS:GO, ping was shown with a console command. You enabled the console in the game settings, opened it with ~ and typed net_graph 1. A block of numbers appeared at the bottom of the screen, and net_graph 0 removed it.
The CS:GO net_graph counter displayed:
in-game FPS;
frame time in milliseconds;
ping to the server;
packet loss as a percentage.
The block was customizable. net_graphproportionalfont 0 made the font smaller, and net_graphproportionalfont 1 brought back the large one. Its position was set with net_graphpos: 1 moved it to the bottom right, 2 to the center, 3 to the bottom left.
The CS:GO frame counter has its own guide on how to enable the FPS counter in CS:GO. In Counter-Strike 2, net_graph, net_graphpos and net_graphproportionalfont do nothing: if you type them from an old tutorial, nothing happens. Use the telemetry options described above instead.
Reading the Ping Numbers
Ping is the number of milliseconds it takes data to travel from your PC to the server and back. The lower the number, the sooner the server registers your actions. What counts as a normal value and how stable ping differs from jitter is covered in our article on what MS means in CS2.
If the numbers on screen stay high or keep jumping, the cause is usually one of these:
the server is far from your region;
you are on Wi-Fi instead of a wired connection;
background downloads, torrents or updates are eating bandwidth;
your ISP's network is congested or routes traffic poorly.
Step-by-step fixes are in our separate breakdown of why ping is high in CS2. One setting is worth mentioning here: the Game tab has a maximum acceptable matchmaking ping option. Lowering it keeps matchmaking from placing you on distant servers. Skip the registry tweaks and obscure network commands from old CS:GO guides: some of those commands don't exist in CS2, and the rest rarely make a difference.
FAQ
How do I check my ping in CS2 during a match?
Hold Tab: every player's ping is listed on the scoreboard. To keep the number on screen permanently, enable the ping option under Settings, Game, Telemetry, or enter cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2 in the console.
Does net_graph 1 work in CS2?
No. net_graph was a CS:GO command, and it was removed in Counter-Strike 2. Telemetry replaces it: FPS, ping and packet loss are enabled in the settings or with the cl_hud_telemetry_* commands.
How do I show ping and FPS at the same time?
Turn on both options in the Telemetry section: ping, and FPS with frame time. In the console, that is cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2 plus cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2. If your FPS is low, see our CS2 settings for weaker PCs.
How do I remove ping from the screen?
Set the ping option to Never in the Telemetry section, or enter cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 0. A middle ground is value 1, which shows ping only when the connection is poor.
