How to Customize Your Radar or Minimap Settings in CS2
Many parts of Counter-Strike are subtly important and one is the radar or minimap. There are a few different ways you can customize your radar, so read on to learn more!
Many parts of Counter-Strike are subtly important and one is the radar or minimap. There are a few different ways you can customize your radar, so read on to learn more!
Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is an immensely complex game with so many moving parts. During a match, you are constantly thinking about your positioning, your teammates, and your opponents. One important thing that can help you with this is the radar, also known as the minimap. In this article, we’ll help you customize the settings so your radar feels just right.
Note: To find these options, click the gear icon in the main menu for settings, then “Game” followed by “Radar”
This setting affects where your player dot is located on the radar. You have the option for the dot to be centered at all times or in different places depending on the best fit of the map. “Yes” will center the dot in the radar and “No” will make its position dynamic.
“Yes” on left | “No” on right
While you can have this setting on “No” if you prefer, “Yes” is simply more useful for most players. The point of the radar is to orient yourself within the space around you and that’s easier if your dot is always in the same place. This makes “Yes” a better option for most players.
This setting changes how the radar moves relative to which way your player model is facing. You can have the radar rotate with the model as it turns or have it stay static, locked in one direction. “Yes” will have the radar rotate and “No” will keep it static.
“Yes” on left | “No” on right
If you need help understanding where you are on the map, then having this set to “No” will be helpful. This lets the radar be a zoomed-in picture of the map instead of having to orient yourself every time as it spins.
If you want the radar to mirror what you see in front of you, then “Yes” is a better choice. This allows the radar to better represent the map from your POV with what’s in front of you being on top.
This option is used to adjust the size of the radar within your screen. It does not affect what is displayed on the radar, just how large it is on your screen. Instead of having binary options, you get a sliding scale with potential values from 0.8 to 1.3.
Size “0.8” on left | Size “1.3” on right
This setting changes how zoomed in the map on the radar is. It does not affect the size of the radar or the positioning of the player dot, it changes how much of the map you can see. Instead of having binary options, you get a sliding scale with potential values from 0.4 to 1.0
Zoom “0.4” on left | Zoom “1.0” on right
A lower value (around 0.4-0.6) will show more of the positions and players on the map but will be hard to get details from and could be overwhelming.
A greater value (around 0.8-1.0) will provide less information on the map, which makes it less useful. However, it will be easier to read.
This option does not change what the radar looks like normally, it changes how it looks when you pull up the scoreboard (usually by holding “Tab”). You can have the radar turn into a small version of the entire map by choosing “Yes” or stay the same by choosing “No”.
“Yes” on left | “No” on right
Selecting “Yes” to give yourself the option to view the whole map is a good idea so you can see it if you want to.
Instead of changing your settings through the main menu, you can also use the console. The console is accessed by enabling it in the menu and then pressing “~” to display it. You can then type in any commands to adjust your game settings. Here are the commands related to the radar and their corresponding settings in the main menu:
cl_radar_always_centered - Radar Centers on the Player
cl_radar_rotate - Radar Is Rotating
cl_hud_radar_scale - Radar HUD Size
cl_radar_scale - Radar Map Zoom
cl_radar_square_with_scoreboard - Toggle Shape with Scoreboard
After typing the desired command, press space and type “true” or “false” to adjust binary settings like rotation, or type a number to adjust sliding ones like zoom.
CS2 has lots of subtly important features. The radar is a prime example as it is small but used constantly throughout every game you play. You use it as a way of getting information that is not right in front of you and to better understand what is going on around you concerning your teammates and opponents.
There are several different things you can do to make your radar fit you best and more effectively fill the role you want it to serve. You can make it zoomed out or static to learn about the layouts of maps as you play or refine it to reflect exactly what your POV looks like on screen. Whatever your style, the radar is an important part of the game and you should take the time to make it right for you.
Good luck and have fun!