Valve has fixed one of the most debated issues in Counter-Strike 2 — the unpredictable spray behavior. According to recent tests, it now fully matches CSGO at 128 tick and is no longer dependent on FPS. This means weapon control in CS2 has become more stable, predictable, and closer to what players were used to in classic CSGO.
How Spray Worked Before
CS2 spray is now same as CSGO 128 tick:
Detailed thread starts here:
CS2 now follows 128 tick csgo recoil pattern
CSGO spray was frame independent, CS2 spray is now frame independent. Thank you @CounterStrike pic.twitter.com/SECtFTs8zg— CS2 Kitchen (@iamcs2kitchen) September 19, 2025
Since the release of CS2, players complained that recoil in the game behaved strangely. While in CSGO spray was frame independent, in CS2 for a long time it changed depending on FPS:
- at 64 FPS the pattern matched CSGO on 128 tickrate;
- at high FPS values it resembled CSGO on 64 tickrate.
This created chaos for professional players and enthusiasts: recoil training on one setup could be useless on another, and the consistency of shooting mechanics was practically absent.
What Changed in the September Update
Well-known analyst CS2 Kitchen published a series of tests on Twitter/X proving that Valve has finally resolved this long-standing issue. According to his findings:
- CS2 now fully mirrors the CSGO 128 tick recoil pattern;
- recoil has become frame independent, meaning it no longer depends on FPS;
- differences in frame rates no longer affect spray.
Kitchen emphasized that this applies specifically to recoil mechanics. However, other factors such as visual feedback or server netcode may still influence how spray feels in practice.
Community Reaction
The update sparked heated debates among players and streamers, with opinions divided:
- Kerovski: “No, the spray isn’t exactly the same. The pattern is identical, but it’s still tick & frame dependent. CSGO spray on 128 tick was faster and more fluent.”
- Nikus (2220 ELO EU): “The spray is awful and completely random. Spray transfer feels terrible, and shooting at long range is almost impossible. The only upside — one taps are much easier.”
- hobshy: “I played a few matches after the update and the shooting feels really good. Not sure if it’s at CSGO level, but it’s definitely much better and the one taps feel unreal.”
- uixeR: “Nah, spray in CSGO felt way better compared to CS2.”
- NEXT highlighted a technical detail: “How is it possible that CS2 on 64 tick mirrors CSGO’s 128 tick if the spray patterns were different between 64 and 128 in CSGO?”
- eugenio8a8 clarified: “This has nothing to do with view angle magnitudes. After hours of testing, we confirmed it’s a separate issue. Either way, this is a big win.”
Why It Matters
Recoil stability is one of the core factors in competitive Counter-Strike. Professional players spend years building their skills, and even minor changes to weapon spray patterns can disrupt the balance of the game.
CSGO earned its reputation as “the most honest shooter” largely because of its predictable recoil, which allowed players to train their muscle memory and achieve consistent results. CS2’s FPS-dependent spray undermined that philosophy and frustrated the professional scene.
Now that CS2 mirrors CSGO 128 tick and recoil has become independent of frame rates, this update marks a major step forward in the game’s development.
Valve has listened to the community and delivered one of the most important updates to CS2 since its release. While players still disagree on whether the spray feels as smooth as in CSGO, the majority acknowledge that shooting has become more stable, predictable, and competitive. There will still be plenty of debates and testing on the pro scene, but this update could serve as the foundation for restoring CS2’s reputation as a reliable esports discipline.
