Checking your network information, like packet loss, is important to keep your head in the game. Nobody likes to lose due to outside forces.
Nobody likes a dismal experience online, especially if they are playing an online competitive shooter. Counter-Strike 2 is the epitome of reaction time and split-second decisions. This is why any disruption to the game’s flow is bound to cause frustration. This is even more palpable when the disruption is out of the player’s hands, for example, network issues.
Packet loss is already a dreaded term for online gamers everywhere. Every online game has its own way of showing the player their network information. Previous iterations of CS played it simple with a quick command that showed everything on your screen. It is not as easy to understand in CS2.
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Checking Packet Loss in CS2
There are two ways to check for packet loss in your game. One is using the console command “cq_netgraph 1”. The other is to use the Steam in-game overlay, which shows precise information about the server, packet loss, and routing.
Checking packet loss in CS2 through the console commands is a bit harder now. Valve is trying to simplify the UI to let new players catch on quickly. Therefore, they are focusing on removing the need to go to console commands for necessary information and are trying to implement those natively.
Using Steam Overlay
Using the overlay is the easier approach. Valve recently updated the UI, and it is cleaner and more useful than before.
- Open the Steam tab on the client and navigate to Settings.
- Open the “In Game” tab and check the “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game” option.
- When on the server, press “Shift + Tab” to open the in-game overlay to view your network settings and check packet loss.
Until Valve changes the Net Graph command, we recommend using the in-game overlay, as it also shows you the most accurate reading and updates in real time.
Using Console Commands
Console commands can still be used to view network and FPS information. To check your Packet Loss in CS2, you can do the following:
- Open the developer console in-game.
- Type: “cq_netgraph 1″ into the console.
- Once you enter an online server, you will see the net graph at the top right of the screen. The red bars indicate packet loss; and significant presence is not a good sign.
This is still hard to read as it is vague and difficult to understand to what degree you might have network issues. The simpler way is to use the Overlay.
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