How I Fixed CS2 Freezing: A Step-by-Step Guide
When CS2 started freezing on me, I tried everything to fix it.
Here's what worked:
First, I closed all background programs. This freed up resources for the game.
I reduced the volume of player voices in the audio settings. High-pitched sounds were causing overload.
In the game settings, I switched to displaying player numbers instead of avatars. This helped with performance.
I started typing "clear" in the console every round. It seemed to prevent some freezes.
To avoid inactivity-related freezes, I made sure to move or shoot at the end of each round.
The most important fix was adjusting the launch options. I right-clicked CS2 in my Steam library, went to Properties, then General, and added these launch options: -dx11 -threads [my thread count] -tank_WorkerThreadCount [my thread count]
(I found my thread count in Task Manager under Performance > CPU > Logical Processors).
Another big help was closing the Runtime Broker program before launching CS2. You can do this through Task Manager each time you play.
I switched to Windowed Fullscreen mode to prevent Runtime Broker from restarting.
Other things I tried:
- Disabling Nvidia Game Filter
- Turning off Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling
- Checking my monitor's refresh rate
- Updating GPU and motherboard drivers
- Verifying game files
- Removing RGB software
- Disabling antivirus temporarily
- Reducing in-game graphics settings
- Disabling Discord overlay
For more technical issues, I:
- Used DDU to clean install GPU drivers
- Checked my power cables
- Tested my RAM with Memtest86
- Monitored CPU and GPU temperatures
- Checked my SSDs for errors
- Reverted any overclocks on my CPU, GPU, or RAM
By working through these steps, I was able to fix CS2 freezing and get back to smooth gameplay.
About the author
I'm the Head of Research at Clash.gg. With over 7 years of experience in the Counter-Strike niche, I have developed extensive knowledge of the game, its strategies, and the competitive scene. My insights are based on years of in-depth analysis and close involvement with the Counter-Strike community.