Counter-Strike has been one of the most popular online shooters since its inception in the late 90s, and it’s still rolling strong. With the release of Counter-Strike 2, fans have more ways than ever to enjoy this classic FPS series, including on the go. While ports of the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have been around for quite some time, it may take us a while to see CS2 make its way to other systems, so being able to take CS2 on the go with our Steam Decks could be a dream come true. That is, however, if it works as it should on the Valve-developed hardware.
Does Counter-Strike 2 Play Well On Steam Deck?
With Counter-Strike 2 finally releasing, you may be eager to grab your Steam Deck and get ready to play on the move or docked on your favorite PC screen. To those keen, I would say to wait for now, as some issues are preventing the game from running the best it can on the Steam Deck. Audio issues, choppy framerate, and a plethora of other issues are making the portable powerhouse the least ideal spot to play since there aren’t many other options available.
While you may be able to eke out anywhere from 40 to 60 FPS by playing on Low 800p, you’re still likely to run into Shader Compilation stutter for longer than you would like to. However, we can expect Valve to be working hard in the background to ensure that Counter-Strike 2 becomes much more playable in the future, but as it stands, it’s playable, just not great. If you’re adamant about giving CS2 a try on your Steam Deck, be sure to use these settings:
- Resolution: 1280×800
- Refresh Rate: 60 HZ
- Wait for Vertical Sync: Disabled
- Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode: None
- Global Shadow Quality: Low
- Model/Texture Detail: Low
- Shader Detail: Low
- Particle Detail: Low
- Ambient Occlusion: Disabled
- High Dynamic Range: Performance
- FidelityFX Super Resolution: Low
As time continues to pass, we’ll likely see plenty of tweaks made to the game to ensure that it’s a much more playable experience on the Steam Deck than it is now, but if I were to offer some advice, I would avoid trying it out until we know that it’s fully verified on the system. It’s an excellent game that offers plenty of competition, both friendly and non-friendly, but you may find yourself on the receiving end of plenty of bullets if you’re playing on this platform.
No matter if you’re hoping to jump into Counter-Strike 2 to practice and play against bots, or you’re hoping to make yourself known in the Ranked modes, there is plenty to do and see here. Be sure that you’re checking out our Counter-Strike 2 section below to get your hands on plenty of new information about the game, and get ready for the ultimate shooter competition.
