How to Change the Radar Settings in CS2

The radar is one of the most useful tools in Counter-Strike 2. It shows teammates, spotted enemies and the bomb. The default view is zoomed in and spins as you turn, which hides a lot. Good CS2 radar settings fix that in a few minutes.

Where are the CS2 radar settings?

Open Settings and go to Game. Look for the radar section, sometimes labelled Radar/Tablet. Here you can change basic behaviour such as rotation, centring and size.

The menu does not offer every option. For finer control, use the developer console. Turn it on in the same Game tab under Enable Developer Console. Our console guide explains how to open it.

Radar commands and what they do

A lower cl_radar_scale zooms out. A higher cl_hud_radar_scale makes the whole radar bigger.

A good starting setup

Many players use something close to this:

cl_radar_scale 0.4; cl_hud_radar_scale 1.15; cl_radar_rotate 0; cl_radar_always_centered 0; cl_radar_icon_scale_min 0.6

This shows most of the map, keeps north at the top and stops the map sliding around. It is a starting point, not a rule. Adjust it to your screen and the maps you play.

Zoom: how much map do you need?

Fully zoomed out, you can see both sites and mid at once on most maps. The trade-off is smaller icons. If dots become hard to read, raise the zoom slightly or the icon size. Big maps often need a lower value than small ones.

Rotation: fixed or rotating?

A rotating radar always points forward, like a car sat nav. A fixed radar keeps the same layout every time. Most experienced players turn rotation off. The map then matches the callout images you learn, which makes calls faster.

Centring: why turn it off?

When centring is on, you stay in the middle and part of the map goes off the edge. With it off, the radar shows the full map and your icon moves. This works best together with a zoomed-out scale.

How do you read the radar better?

Settings only help if you look at the radar. Build the habit of glancing at it between fights:

• Check after every kill or death. It tells you where the next fight will come from.
• Watch your teammates. A gap on the map often means a site is open.
• Look for red dots. A spotted enemy stays marked briefly, which helps you plan a rotation.

Radar reading is a big part of game sense. Our game sense guide goes deeper, and good utility basics help you act on what you see.

Test your setup before a ranked match

The easiest way to test is on a private practice map with bots. Walk to each bombsite and check that the whole map stays visible. Then throw a few grenades and watch how icons appear on the radar. Change one value at a time, so you know which command made the difference.

When you find values you like, save them in an autoexec file in your cfg folder. That way a reset or a new PC will not wipe them. Write a short comment above each line so you remember what it does later.

Finally, play a few casual or deathmatch games with the new radar. It can take a session or two to get used to a fixed map. After that, most players find it hard to go back.

Radar size and your HUD

If you raise cl_hud_radar_scale, the radar may overlap other HUD parts. You can adjust the overall HUD with the HUD scale setting. Keep the radar large enough to read without leaning in, but not so big that it covers the kill feed.

If you play on a stretched resolution, icons and text can look wider. Recheck your values after any change to resolution or aspect ratio.

Sources and checks

Command names, ranges and defaults were checked on 1 November 2026 against TotalCSGO. Valve may change menu labels or limits in future updates, so confirm values in game.

CS2 settings Radar HUD