What's the best resolution and aspect ratio to use in CSGO?

Jared Wynne Published 30/05/2021

Can one resolution and aspect ratio combination be better than the rest? We aim to answer that question below.

It all depends on what you are most comfortable with, as texture quality, FPS, and field of view all change based on your video settings. What you choose to play with should ultimately come from personal preference, not necessarily what pro players use. Each option has its benefits over the others.

A popular choice for aspect ratio is 4:3, which scales the game down from the 16:9 ratio that most modern monitors display. This smaller scale offers some improvements when running Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on older computers and monitors. It’s less demanding of your system, allowing the game to run more smoothly.

With the 4:3 ratio, you have the option to have black bars on the side of the game to fill in the unused space on your display. You can also choose to stretch the ratio to fit the 16:9 standard. Stretching uses the entire display when in-game and can for some players make aiming feel slightly easier as player models appear wider than they actually are. It also makes aiming left and right feel faster, so you may need to adjust your mouse sensitivity.

The downside to using 4:3 is a more limited field of view. Smaller aspect ratios cut off the far sides of your in-game vision, which could give your opponents an advantage over you in some situations. For example, a player could sneak past you without you knowing.

Another popular choice is the 16:9 aspect ratio. This is the default for most monitors, and the game will likely display at this ratio unless it is manually changed. If you dislike the stretched look, 16:9 is better suited for you. Player models won’t appear as wide, but you are able to see a significant amount more to your left and right. The game may run at a lower FPS, but for higher-end computers, this won’t make much difference.

How to find the best resolution for playing CSGO

Once you decide on an aspect ratio, you can find the resolution that you prefer.

Starting with the native resolution for most monitors,1920×1080 is the highest and clearest quality setting for CSGO. This can be advantageous as players at farther distances will be easier to separate from the background. This resolution can’t be used with the 4:3 aspect ratio, so you’ll have to use 16:9.

When using 4:3, the 1280×960 and 1024×768 resolutions are good options. According to csgopedia.com, these are the two most popular resolutions used by professional players. Using either of these will make the game more pixelated than you’ll see with your monitor’s native resolution, but it may also increase your FPS.

Testing various combinations of aspect ratios and resolutions can help you find the one that best suits you and your computer.

Jared Wynne

About Jared Wynne

Jared Wynne is the Editor-in-Chief at WIN.gg, overseeing its content. He has been working in digital media for over two decades, most often in and around the gaming industry. His all-time favorite games include Baldur’s Gate, Doom, and Counter-Strike, but he’ll play just about anything that seems interesting. His previous credits include The Daily Dot, The Esports Observer, GameLand, and more.

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