CS2 (CS:GO) Crashes: How to Fix CS2 Freezing & Crashing

Imagine your favorite drinks and snacks are ready, and your friends are already in the lobby. What are you waiting for? Let’s play the whole night and show the opponents the power of high skill. Bang! Your PC freezes, and that match won’t be a winning one. Maybe it will be better in the next match? Now, it’s a turn to the whole crash of the game window.

Sounds familiar? Then it’s a material you need ASAP. Here, we will explore the common reasons why you encounter a CS2 crash and how you can fix it. We recommend you follow the list in order. Still, you have an opportunity to find the only one you need right now. However, let’s save time and find actionable fixes.

Why Does CS2 (CS:GO) Keep Crashing?

Before we begin our trip through the CS2 crash, we must answer one question: Why does CS2 keep crashing? It’s not a secret that there were many different issues after the release of Counter-Strike 2. Valve fixed most of them. Still, we are here, trying to fix another crash and continue the game experience.

The reasons for this could be different, primarily because of our machine’s capabilities. For example, there could be outdated drivers, software conflicts, game settings, and even overheating. It would help if you had particular instructions for each of them. So, let’s find out how to fix the most common things below.

Make Sure Your PC Meets the CS2 Minimum Requirements

The first thing you should be sure of is your hardware and software. There are specific requirements that instantly affect your gaming experience. For example, CS2 works on Windows® 10 OC, which means you cannot play it on Windows® XP OC or Windows® 7 OC.

Also, if your video card is less than 1 GB, CS2 will freeze. Moreover, you will have problems installing it if your storage doesn’t have enough space for the Counter-Strike package. The CS2 minimum requirements are in the list below.

Category	Minimum Requirements
Operating System	Windows® 10
Processor	4 hardware CPU threads – Intel® Core™ i5 750 or higher
Memory	8 GB RAM
Graphics	Video card must be 1 GB or more and should be a DirectX 11-compatible with support for Shader Model 5.0
DirectX	Version 11
Storage	85 GB available space

As you can see, you should upgrade your PC if it doesn’t meet the minimum requirements. Still, sometimes, there is an exception to the rules, and you can run games on a PC below the minimum requirements, but you shouldn’t expect a stable gaming experience without crashing or freezing.

If you want to check if your PC is available for the minimum requirements for Counter-Strike, you need to follow the next steps:

• Click on the Windows Start button.
• Go to Settings.
• Proceed to System.
• Scroll down and click on About.

How to Fix (CS:GO) CS2 Crashing & Freezing?

As you can see, everything begins with your hardware and software. Now, let’s explore the details of how to fix cs2 random crashes and freezing.

Optimize Game Settings

One of the main things you should do is optimize your game settings. The reason for this is optimal performance based on your computer’s capabilities.

Configure Graphics Settings

When you open the game settings for CS2, you should set all the settings to the maximum to get the best visual and gaming experience. Still, you should know that it can strain your GPU, which will be a reason for performance issues. Your PC will be overloaded, and in a better way, CS2 will crash mid-game.

The key to the solution is a balance between the visual and smooth performance. Here is a list of optimal settings that could be helpful for you:

Setting	Optimal
Resolution & Aspect	1920×1080 (16:9)
Global Shadow Quality	High or Medium
Model / Texture Detail	Medium
Shader Detail	High
Particle Detail	Low
Ambient Occlusion	Medium
High Dynamic Range	Quality
AA Mode	4X MSAA
Texture Filtering	Bilinear
VSync	Disabled
Mouse Acceleration	Disabled (Windows)
Polling Rate	1000HZ
Audio EQ	Crisp (Preference)
HUD & Radar	Default with custom scale
Windows & Steam	High performance; Disable GPU rendering

H4: Disable Full Screen Mode

One reason for stability issues can be using full-screen mode. If you choose full-screen mode, you will see a lot of different elements. The more of them there are, the higher the chance of CS2 (CS:GO) freezing.

You can reduce the chance of crashing and freezing by turning off full-screen mode. Also, it gives you more clarity. Just follow the instructions below:

• Right-click on the CS2.exe file.
• Select ‘Properties’.
• Navigate to the ‘Compatibility’ tab.
• Tick the box for ‘Disable fullscreen optimizations.’
• Switch from full-screen to windowed or borderless window mode.

Update GPU Drivers

One of the main reasons for CS2 (CS:GO) crashing is outdated GPU drivers, which can cause stability issues. That’s why it’s essential to keep your graphics drivers updated. Moreover, Counter-Strike is kept up-to-date with these latest updates.

The game’s popup will tell you your drivers are outdated. Still, you can check the updates yourself. There are some differences between them. Let’s check the process of updating the most popular GPU manufacturers, like NVIDIA and AMD.

NVIDIA

The easiest way to update the NVIDIA drivers is to use the Geforce Experience software. The app shows the available updates for your drivers. The only thing you need to do is click the button to update them.

If you want to avoid telemetry by Geforce Experience, you can manually download the drivers from the official NVIDIA website. You need to select the model of your GPU, download it, and install it.

AMD

To avoid CS2 crashing, you can also update the AMD GPU automatically and manually. The first method requires you to use AMD’s Radeon Software.

If you want to update the drivers manually, you need to visit the official AMD website, find the drivers for your GPU, download the latest version, and install it.

Run Windows in Compatibility Mode

Compatibility mode is another feature that helps you prevent (CS:GO) CS2 from crashing. To use it, you need to follow the following instructions:

• Right-clicking the game’s executable file.
• Select ‘Properties’.
• Navigate to the ‘Compatibility’ tab.
• Tick ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:.’
• Choose an appropriate Windows version.

If your PC supports Windows 11, you should rather use this version. Otherwise, use Windows 10 or Windows 7.

Use Task Manager

The Task Manager is your control panel for checking and managing each process running on the PC. This feature is important to avoid (CS:GO) CS2 random crashes and freezing. For example, you may have apps running in the background. It’s better to stop these processes to have the best experience while playing Counter-Strike.

Follow these steps to use the Task Manager:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager.
• To identify high-resource processes, go to the Processes tab and examine the CPU and Memory usage rates.
• Close the unwanted processes to free up system resources and improve the gameplay experience.

Disable Startup Programs

As you can see, it’s essential to save the system resources. Startup programs follow the processes we mentioned earlier. In other words, you need to turn off non-essential startup programs, which will free up your PC’s resources.

Follow these steps to turn it off:

• Open Settings.
• Navigate to Apps.
• Click Startup.
• Toggle off the programs you don’t want running at startup.

Address Overclocking and XMP Profiles

Some users are ready to do everything for the best game experience. That’s why you can find the instructions for overclocking and using XMP. Still, you should know that could be a reason for system instability and crashes.

That happens because overclocking pushes your CPU and GPU beyond their limits. At the same time, XMP profiles force your RAM to operate faster, in contrast to the standard CPU specifications.

Reset Overclocked CPU or GPU

To reset an overclocked CPU or GPU, you must use tools like MSI Afterburner. If you have problems launching the app, delete the profile files in the installation folder to cancel the changes. That step helps you understand that you are not forcing your hardware to be productive.

Disable XMP Profiles

If you need to disable XMP profiles, you must enter your PC’s BIOS or UEFI settings at startup. Look in the “Memory” or “Overclocking” sections for the XMP settings. Then, disable the XMP profile, save changes, and exit. Your PC will restart, and your RAM will operate at standard speeds.

H3: Verify Game Files Integrity

It’s also essential to verify the integrity of the game files. It’s like checking the car’s engine: without only one element, it might be unstable. Fortunately, you can verify the CS2 files on Steam.

Open your Steam library and find Counter-Strike. Right-click on the game icon and find “Properties” in the menu. It would help if you found the “Local Files” tab here. Click on the “Verify integrity of game files” button. Steam will check all game files for integrity in the next few minutes.

Manage Third-Party Overlays and Apps

You can enrich the gaming experience with Third-Party overlays and apps like Discord or record your game using Windows Game Bar. Still, it could also be a reason for (CS:GO) CS2 crashing or freezing.

If you want to disable Discord Overlay, open the app and find the settings menu (click on the icon near your username at the bottom left corner). Here, select the “Overlay” option and toggle off the “Enable in-game overlay” option.

To disable the Windows Game Bar, press the Windows key on your keyboard and open the Windows Settings menu (you can type “Settings” and click Enter to open it). Now find “Gaming” and then “Game Bar.” You need to find the setting that says “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game Bar” and toggle it off.

Adjust Virtual Memory Settings

Also, you can increase the maximum virtual memory on your PC to have sufficient memory to perform running CS2. The paging file must be at maximum size to prevent out-of-memory errors and (CS:GO) CS2 crashing mid-game. Here are the instructions:

• Click Start > All Programs > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Virtual Memory.
• Click Change.
• In the Maximum size field, set the value to the recommended value shown at the bottom of the window.
• In the Initial size (MB) field, enter a value that is half of the maximum size value.
• Click Set, and then click OK.

Disable Background Applications

One more thing you need to check is your Background Application. They could hog the PC’s resources, which would be a reason for Counter-Strike 2 crashing. Let’s check the instructions and a short list of types of applications to close.

Limit Background Processes

As mentioned, you can limit background processes by using the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc). You should also check for unnecessary apps running in the background and draining the PC’s resources.

That tip is important for owners of an underpowered PC. Here is the list of types of applications that you should close to prevent the Counter-Strike crushing:

• Browser: Each browser uses some of your PC’s resources. The more pages you want to open, the more resources it needs.
• Streaming Software: If you want to share your game process with subscribers and followers in real-live streaming, you must know you need a powerful computer for smooth streaming (a good processor, ample RAM, and a dedicated graphics card).
• Antivirus Programs: It might be necessary to turn off antivirus software if your PC’s resources are limited or for extremely demanding games. Still, there could be a variant of using gaming modes on antivirus programs, which prioritize gaming performance while still providing protection.

Check for Windows Updates

We recommend keeping your Windows always up to date. An outdated OS could also be the reason for Counter-Strike crushing (or other games, too). You can check for updates automatically or manually.

The Windows system shows you the availability of updates in the taskbar in the right corner below your screen. There, you will find an icon with a special sign to inform you about new updates. Also, every time you power off or reload your PC, you will see a warning about updating.

To manually check updates, press the Windows key on your keyboard and type “Check for Updates” into the search box. Click on “Check for Updates” and click on it one more time. If there are any updates, you can download and install them. If there aren’t any updates, your Windows install is up to date.

Optimize Power Settings for Gaming

If you want a better gaming experience, you can set your Windows power settings to High Performance (Gaming mode).That means the system will prioritize performance over power efficiency (higher fan speed, more power to CPU and GPU to run it at higher clock speeds).

Here are the instructions to adjust Power Settings:

• Press the Windows key, type “Control Panel,” and press Enter.
• Click on “Hardware and Sound,” then “Power Options.”
• Choose the “High Performance” power plan from the list.
• Click “Change plan settings” and then “Change advanced power settings.”
• Adjust settings like minimum processor state to ensure your CPU is always running at its peak performance.
• Set the hard disk to “High Performance” to optimize read/write speeds.

Reinstall CS2 if All Else Fails

The more radical method is to reinstall CS2 if all else fails. There are a few steps for doing this:

• Uninstall the game through Steam.
• Go to the CS2 folder on your PC and delete the remaining files.
• Reinstall CS2 on a disk with plenty of extra space.

CS2 (CS:GO) Crashing & Freezing FAQ