The days and weeks that followed the introduction of CS2 were marked by a significant increase in the number of game crashes. The majority of the crashing issues have been resolved by Valve as of today; nevertheless, it is important to note that there is not a single game that is completely free of crashes. We understand that it is never enjoyable to spend your planned gaming night debugging a game that is crashing, which is why we have compiled a guide to assist you in situations where the game or your computer is letting you down.
CS2 keeps crashing for a variety of reasons, and in this brief article, we will discuss some of those reasons as well as solutions to properly resolve them.
CS2 Minimum Requirements
Since this speaks for itself, it is not a step on the troubleshooting list. Should your PC fall short of CS2’s minimal requirements, you should either update it or obtain a new machine that does. While running games below the minimal requirements is occasionally feasible, consistent performance is not guaranteed in these situations.
- Operating System – Windows® 10
- Processor – 4 hardware CPU threads – Intel® Core™ i5 750 or higher
- Memory – 8 GB RAM
- Graphics – The video card must be 1 GB or more and should be a DirectX 11-compatible with support for Shader Model 5.0
- DirectX – Version 22
- Storage – 85 GB available space
Configure Your CS2 Settings
The engine used to create CS2 is the more recent Source 2. In terms of visual quality, this is a significant improvement for the game. But it also makes CS2 somewhat more resource-demanding; if your settings are off-target, it might be the cause of your problems. A PC able to run CS:GO is not certain to run CS2 without issues.
Your FPS will be much lower running the game on high settings. Moreover, using high settings is not competitive-friendly as it could lead to latency problems.
Fret not; we already have a thorough CS2 Settings guide updated often to match any modifications done to the game. The first step is matching your graphics settings with the guide’s options.
Verify Your Game Files
Missing or damaged files obviously might lead to unstable CS2 and crash generation. Though that is not what we are here to address, there might be several reasons you have missing or damaged data. Our fixing of this takes the front stage. Fortunately, I do not have to reinstall the game. The Steam launcher lets you quickly confirm the integrity of the files in your game.
Here’s how to verify the integrity of your game files in CS2:
- Launch Steam and navigate to your Library.
- Find CS2 from the games on the left panel and right-click on it.
- After that, click on Properties
- A new window will appear. In that, navigate to Installed Files.
- There, click on Verify the Integrity of Game Files.
Disable Full-Screen Optimization
Windows 10 and 11 provide a built-in function called Full-Screen Optimization that enhances game operating in Full-Screen mode performance. Still, the outcomes differ from game to game. Regarding CS2, several users claim increased stability and higher performance when full-screen optimization is turned off. Although it’s a fantastic feature, it could cause problems and doesn’t always fit with CS2. Turning it off as part of your troubleshooting path is therefore advisable.
Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
Older graphics card drivers are one of the main causes of CS2 crashes—that is, crashes in any game, for that matter. As CS2 is also maintained current with these upgrades, maintaining your graphics card drivers current is rather vital. Older drivers will lead to instability problems and collisions.
Although the game will let you know when your graphics card drivers are out-of-date, even if you won’t see that popup in the game itself ,it might be a wise idea to update them nevertheless.
Depending on the graphics card you are using, upgrading your graphics drivers goes differently. We have described the procedures used by both the two main GPU producers.
Update Windows
Another reason you could be seeing regular CS2 problems is an antiquated Windows setup. Should your Windows be out of the current, you may run into compatibility problems. It is advised that you therefore maintain your Windows current as well.
Close Background Applications
Check your Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) in CS2 to see whether any extraneous programs are running in the background. Discord is good; yet, you should close everything else you are not using right now. These programs may crash your PC as they consume its resources.
Usually, you should simply close whatever you are not using because it may be the reason why CS2 keeps crashing. Particularly if your PC is weak, it is not wise to waste valuable resources by running several tabs open in your browser in the background.
Conclusion
Hopefully, reading this will solve your problem. Crashes are irritating, especially in rated matches. Unknown causes are much more irritating. This article should help you fix (or diagnose) your issue so you can game without distractions.