One thing all newcomers to CS:GO have in common is terrible crosshair placement. Usually, the only prior experience new players have is playing casual game modes in titles such as Call of Duty and Battlefield, where they can get away with such mistakes more easily. The most common spot for new players to look while running around maps is the ground below them. There are various theories for this phenomenon, ranging from the fact that new players are still discovering the map and need to watch where they walk, eventually getting used to looking down, to the fact that view models are too large and players look down to clear more space on the screen to see enemies.

No matter the reason, these ‘newbies’ are very quickly confronted with enemies who have long been learning to look for their opponent’s heads rather than the dust on the floor. As a newcomer, this gap in skill can feel quite unfair and even demovating. Not to worry though, as in this guide I will lay bare all secrets when it comes to crosshair placement.

Aim for the head

The main purpose of optimal crosshair positioning is to minimize the time and distance required to move your crosshair from its initial position to the enemy when you spot him. If your crosshair is removed too far from your opponent’s position, it will take you too long to reach your target who will be able to force a bullet through your skull before you can even lift your crosshair from the ground.

Instead of looking at the dirt under your feet, you should always look straight ahead, placing your crosshair at about the same height as your enemies’ heads. This takes some getting used to, and you might notice yourself aiming too high or too low in the beginning. There are several ways to practice crosshair placement depending on your comfort level. Keep in mind that, even when you have perfected your crosshair placement, enemies will try to throw you off by crouching a few seconds after you start your spray. Consequently, you should also practice your spray control so you can adjust accordingly.

Beginner

If you recognize yourself in the opening paragraphs of this post and frequently catch yourself staring at the floor instead of your enemies, you should first familiarize yourself with looking ahead instead of downwards. The best way to practice this is going into a custom workshop map such as the ‘CSGOHUB.com Skills Training Map'. Focus on hitting headshots and getting used to the height at which you should aim to minimize mouse movement to horizontal sweeps.

Next time you play a competitive game of CS:GO, make sure to focus your attention on putting into practice what you’ve learned during the training. Most likely, you will notice yourself slipping up now and then, especially in high-pressure situations. That’s alright, just make sure to create a mental note on what you did wrong. The more you call yourself out on your mistakes, the faster you will improve. One tip: at the start of the match, aim at the head of one of your teammates. That way, you get a quick reminder of the average height at which you should aim.

Advanced

When you’re comfortably aiming at head level, it is time to move to the next step, which is being able to predict the head level of enemies at different locations. The maps in CS:GO’s are not just stretched plains, but rather intrinsically designed levels making clever use of height differences to create various angles. So, even if you know what height to aim at when you and your opponent find yourselves on the same level, you will not always find yourself in that situation. Consequently, you still need to learn how to adapt your crosshair height to the layout of the map.

The best way to learn a map, of course, is to play the map. Luckily, there is a way to brute force that practice. Find yourself a free-for-all deathmatch server that has the ‘headshot only’-mode enabled and start practicing on the maps you want to learn. Don’t get demotivated if you get killed left, right, and center by overwhelmingly fast one-tappers. Instead, focus on getting a feeling for the height you need to aim at enemies in different positions to get your crosshair as close as possible to an enemy’s head at different height levels.

Aiming below the head

Interestingly, during the Astralis era a new theory was developed by fans who noticed that Astralis’ players usually aimed a bit below the head instead of right at it. The reason for this is that you deal some initial damage by hitting the body shot, and, because of the recoil, your bullets spray upwards, securing the headshot. Aiming slightly below the head works particularly well with the scoped weapons in the game, the SG and the AUG. Now, this is definitely a valid strategy to use, especially on off-angles and defensive positions. However, before you can purposely aim below the head, you have to know how to aim at the head. Consequently, I would only recommend trying this method to advanced players that are very familiar with crosshair placement already.

Tracking corners

As stated previously, the main benefit of good crosshair placement is that it reduces mouse movement to a minimum, giving you greater accuracy and faster reactions. This principle is just as applicable when it comes to turning around corners. Players all too frequently turn a corner running straight past it, using the left or right side of their screen to scout for possible enemies lying in wait instead of their crosshair. When these players then see the enemy, they have to make a long sweep with their mouse to take aim at the enemy. In that time, a decent opponent will have had time to get the kill, take a selfie and order a body bag through Amazon with Prime delivery.

To even the odds in any given confrontation, you must track your corners. The goal is to see as much of the battlefield as possible while exposing as little of your flesh as you can. By slowly turning the corner while tracking the open angle right next to it, you can fairly safely scan the entire area in front of you and immediately be in the best position to flick to the enemy, as you will need only minimal mouse movement to correct your crosshair’s position. This advice does not apply exclusively to corners but any form of cover or obstruction of sight. By tracking the edge of whatever object is in front of you, you make sure that you scan the entire area and not miss a spot.

Distance yourself

No, this is not me reminding you to practice social distancing when you go outside (although I highly recommend it.) After all, in CS:GO, the only virus you can catch if you’re not careful is a bullet to the brain. Sadly, there are no such things as facemasks in the game to protect yourself (and others) from this virus. However, there is smart positioning.

One of the situations in which smart positioning is crucial is exactly the one we just discussed, namely when turning corners. Due to the view models, if you stand close to a corner before peeking, the opponent on the other side of the corner will see your player model before you can see him, giving him the perfect opportunity to pre-fire and get the kill on you even before your brain registers his presence. At the same time, you want to get as close to the corner as possible to minimize your exposure from other angles and protect yourself against an aggressive push.

To get the best of both worlds, hug the wall as much as possible until you’re close to the point where the enemy would see your arm. From that position, peek around the corner, but instead of moving in a straight line aligned with the wall you were behind, move away from the wall in a diagonal line. That way, you increase the distance to the wall, giving you a better vision-to-cover ratio while maximizing the time you’re protected by the wall. Moreover, it gives you a fairly solid defensive position against any possible pushes.

You can also choose to hug the corner and show yourself very briefly on purpose, for example, to bait out an AWP shot. To successfully taunt your enemies without sacrificing some flesh, you must ‘jiggle-peek’ the corner. To jiggle-peek, you move in the direction aligned with the wall you’re behind and immediately move back in the opposite direction just before the enemy can spot you. Due to the inevitable delay, this should make your arm briefly visible to the enemy. Just make sure to move back in time, otherwise, you might find your arm punctured by a devastating bullet from an AWP.

Conclusion

In this guide, we went over the importance of crosshair placement. You want to put your crosshair at head height, which can vary across different locations on the map. Moreover, when turning corners you should use your crosshair to scan the newly discovered area instead of using your eyes to look at the right or left side of the screen. Finally, when you do peek around a corner, get close to the edge and then peek out by moving vertically away from the wall. That way, you get to enjoy optimal protection while readying up for any possible assault.

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