Get the Most Out of CS:GO: Discover How to Open Console

Counter-Strike Global Offensive (CSGO), being the VALVe and Source game it is, gives its players massive customization and control. CSGO has a different side to it–it’s a tactical shooter that requires peak performance and precision unless you wish to sit in the low ranks at the bottom of the scoreboard.

To reach maximum performance levels, you will have to tailor the game to your liking, tweaking and changing everything so it fits you perfectly. By doing so, you will increase your likelihood of doing well in-game, as well as improve your overall enjoyment of the game. 

The best way of doing all of this is undoubtedly the developer console. It allows players to dive deep into the game’s engine and tweak everything to their heart’s content. It's one of the most useful tools in CS, but many do not know how to open it. Worry not; we’ve got you covered.

What About the In-game Settings?

Before we get into the developer console’s opening and use, we will briefly glance over the game’s built-in Settings menu. It is thorough enough for players starting in the game. The visuals are nice, and remembering countless commands isn’t necessary for full utilization.  

However, once players become more advanced in the game, they should switch to using the console for most of their tweaking. There are only so much a few buttons, and a slider can do, and writing stuff into a console directly is the best way to go. The Settings tab should suffice if you find the console complicated. 

How Does the CSGO Console Work?

The CSGO developer console works based on shortcodes known as ‘commands.’ These commands correspond to the game’s many different sides. 

For example, the ‘cl_’ commands tweak the client side of things and are most familiar to players. ‘Sv_’ commands impact the server side and are usually reserved for those running servers or hosting private matches. 

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These commands are many, countless even. But, those most common are not too numerous; learning them by heart is not that big of a deal. Moreover, commands can be pasted into an Autoexec or config file, running automatically every time you start the game. 

How to Open Console in CSGO?

To open the CSGO console, you must use the in-game Settings menu to enable it. By default, it is disabled. Here’s how to enable the developer console:

1. At the Main Menu Screen, go into Settings, and open the Game Settings tab. 
2. At the top, you should see ‘Enable Developer Console.’ 
3. Change the Setting from ‘No’ to ‘Yes.’ 

And that’s about it; you should now be able to toggle the console with the default ‘~’ key at the top left of your keyboard. Of course, you can remap this key to whatever you wish, but keeping it default would be the best idea. 

10 Useful CSGO Console Commands 

What use is the console if you don’t know which console command to type into it? We’ve compiled a short list of the best commands for the CSGO console. Keep in mind that the list of all commands would be extensive, and we’ve cut it down to fit an article of this nature. 

1. ‘Net_graph 1’ – shows your FPS, ping, packet loss, and more. 
2. ‘Disconnect’ – disconnects you from the current match.
3. ‘Retry’ – reconnects you to the last connected match without having to type in an IP address. 
4. ‘Quit’ – closes the game immediately 
5. ‘Volume 0-1’ – changes the game’s volume. 
6. ‘Voice_enable 0’ – disables the in-game voice chat. 
7. ‘Voice_scale 0-1’ – changes the in-game voice chat volume. 
8. ‘R_cleardecals’ – clears decals like blood, bullet holes, Molotov char, etc. Useful for clearing up the map and improving visibility. It can be bound to any keyboard key with bind ‘KEY’ r_cleardecals
9. The jump throw. We’ve gone in-depth about the jump-throw in a separate article that you should check out. However, here’s the command to bind it to a keyboard key. - bind ‘key’ +jump; -attack; -jump
10. ‘Fps_max 0’ – removes the limit from your FPS. Official matchmaking servers have a max fps of 400, so going beyond that is impossible. 

And that is all on the developer console, how to open and use it. We highly encourage you to take the time and effort to master the console and its many commands. The pre-built Settings are good enough for beginners, but none can rival the customization of a console command. The ten commands above don’t scratch the surface of the best and most helpful console commands in Counter-Strike Global Offensive.