Photo of a house in CS:GO. There's a soldier in front of the house.
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How to Enable and Open Console in CS2

Oh, why won't the console key work automatically?

If you’re planning to participate in Competitive Matchmaking in Counter-Strike games, such as CS2 or third-party matchmaking services like FaceIT and ESEA, then the console is an essential aspect. You’ll need the console for various features. However, if you haven’t enabled the console in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you’ll need to do so first. Fortunately, opening the console in CS2 is pretty easy.

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Open the main menu and click on the Settings cog. Once the Settings menu loads, select “Game Settings.” Now, all you have to do is find the “Enable Developer Console” option, toggle it so that it has a positive value, and then hit Apply. And that’s it!

You can also change the keybind for opening the console if you prefer something else to the default button ( `~ ). You can easily do this in the “Keyboard and Mouse” settings by finding the “Toggle Console” entry in the list.

The console is not enabled by default out of Valve’s concern for players who might type in something wrong into it and accidentally mess things up, from minor settings changes to complete obliteration of the game. But that said, it’s not hard to open the console in CS2.

Most competitive players have their own, carefully hand-tailored config to fit their every need and may include technical and visual solutions that are FAR from the default ones, for example.

Make sure to back up the config files before making any edits. That will ensure that you can go “back to square one” in case things go south.

If you are struggling in Competitive mode, check out how to most efficiently rank-up in CS2 Competitive Matchmaking.


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About the Author

Nikola L

Nikola has been a Staff Writer at Prima Games since May 2022. He has been gaming since being able to hold an Amiga 500 joystick on his own, back in the early 90s (when gaming was really good!). Nikola has helped organize dozens of gaming events and tournaments and has been professionally attached to gaming since 2009.