How to Show FPS in CS2: Current Commands & Overlays

To show FPS in CS2, enable the developer console and enter cl_showfps 1. The readout appears at the top of the screen. Hide it with cl_showfps 0. For a persistent no-console option, open Settings > Game > Telemetry, then set Show frame time and FPS to Always.

Commands and UI checked 30 August 2026. Commands were checked against the current CS2 registry and UI routes against Valve, Steam, NVIDIA, and AMD documentation. No current local-client build number was recorded. The exact Steam disable label, CS2 readout corner, and non-AMD recording behavior were not tested locally.

Which CS2 FPS Display Method Should You Use?

Use cl_showfps 1 for one immediate number. Use Telemetry for frame time or networking. Choose Steam, NVIDIA, or AMD when placement and hardware data matter.

Method	Data shown	Placement	Persistence	Capture	Overhead evidence
`cl_showfps`	FPS; separate smooth-FPS and server-MS modes	Top of screen; no documented movement control	Not archived	Not locally tested	No fixed CS2 cost established
CS2 Telemetry	FPS, frame time, ping, misdelivery, network graphs	HUD position; exact corner unverified locally	Archived settings	Not locally tested	No fixed CS2 cost established
Steam Performance Monitor	FPS, graphs, optional CPU, GPU, and RAM data	Position, size, text, saturation, and opacity controls	Steam setting; restart untested locally	Not locally tested	No fixed CS2 cost established
NVIDIA App	FPS, FPS 1% Low, hardware and latency data	Defaults top-right; configurable	App setting; restart untested locally	Not locally tested	No fixed CS2 cost established
AMD Adrenalin	FPS, frame time, 99th% FPS, stutter and hardware data	Corners or custom coordinates	App setting; restart untested locally	Documented output control	No fixed CS2 cost established

Use one counter at a time when benchmarking. Different tools can overlap and calculate their numbers differently.

The CS2 FPS Command

Enable the console through Settings > Game > Enable Developer Console, open it with your assigned key, then enter:

cl_showfps 1

Turn it off with:

cl_showfps 0

The current registry promises only a display at the top of the screen. Exact corner, color, size, and movement claims require a current-client test.

Current documented cl_showfps values and the publication limits for each CS2 mode

Command	Verified meaning	Limitation
`cl_showfps 0`	Off	Hides the display
`cl_showfps 1`	FPS	No frame time, ping, or 1% low
`cl_showfps 2`	Smooth FPS	Smoothing window is undocumented
`cl_showfps 3`	Server MS	Not verified as ping or tick rate
`cl_showfps 4`	Shows FPS and logs to a file	Path, format, fields, and CSV behavior are unverified

The registry labels cl_showfps 2 as Smooth FPS, but it does not define the smoothing method or window. It should not be described as a min/max display or a 1% low.

Show FPS And Frame Time Without The Console

Use:

Settings > Game > Telemetry > Show frame time and FPS > Always

The console equivalent is:

cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2

Telemetry uses 0 for never, 1 for poor conditions only, and 2 for always. Its default is 1, so the display may remain hidden when performance is normal.

For always-visible ping and network-delivery details:

cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2
cl_hud_telemetry_net_misdelivery_show 2
cl_hud_telemetry_net_detailed 2

FPS is rendering throughput. Frame time is how long each frame takes in milliseconds. A steady 240 FPS equals about 4.17 ms per frame, but a high average can still feel rough when individual frame times spike.

Ideal frame intervals at common CS2 frame rates and what the conversion cannot prove

A bare FPS counter does not calculate 1% lows. A 1% low averages the slowest 1% of sampled frames. Ping measures round-trip delay, packet loss means data never arrived, and jitter means arrival timing varied. CS2 misdelivery is broader than raw loss because it covers commands or snapshots missed due to network conditions.

Current CS2 Telemetry convars, defaults, ranges, and diagnostic meanings

Use Steam Performance Monitor

Steam replaced its old In-game FPS counter route with a configurable Performance Monitor:

Steam > Settings > In Game > Performance Monitor

Its official levels are Single FPS Value, FPS Details, FPS Details, CPU & GPU Utilization, and FPS, CPU, GPU & RAM Full Details. The first is best for a small movable counter; the others add graphs and hardware context.

Steam also provides position, text-size, saturation, and background-opacity controls. Its minimum single-frame FPS is not a 1% low: one is an extreme frame, while the other averages the slowest percentile.

Disable the monitor in the same section. The exact disabled-option label was not captured locally, so this article does not guess whether it currently says “Off” or “None.”

Use NVIDIA Or AMD Overlays

NVIDIA App

Open NVIDIA App > Settings > Features > In-Game Overlay. Press Alt+R to show or hide statistics and Alt+Shift+R to cycle metrics. The display defaults top-right and is configurable through Alt+Z > Statistics > Configure heads up display.

NVIDIA documents a metric explicitly named FPS 1% Low, plus utilization, temperatures, and latency-related data. Press Alt+R again or disable In-Game Overlay to remove it.

AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

Search Metrics in AMD Software, open Performance Metrics, and enable Show Metrics Overlay. Ctrl+Shift+O toggles it.

AMD shows FPS, frame time, stutter rate, hardware data, and 99th% FPS. Do not rename that metric a conventional 1% low without a documented definition. AMD supports corner or custom placement, size, columns, transparency, and text color. Its Show In Video/Stream Output control determines whether metrics appear in fullscreen output.

No reliable source establishes one fixed CS2 performance cost for any counter. Compare repeated runs with one display and one capture setup.

What Happened To `net_graph` In CS2?

The old CS:GO net_graph command is absent from current CS2, and no command restores its combined display. Current diagnosis is split across separate Telemetry controls for FPS, frame time, ping, delivery problems, and network graphs.

cq_netgraph is not a current FPS method either. It was a command-queue and network diagnostic, not an FPS counter, and Valve removed it in February 2024.

The closest current network graphs are:

cl_hud_telemetry_net_quality_graph_show 2
cl_hud_telemetry_serverrecvmargin_graph_show 2

The first visualizes jitter and netframe loss or reordering. The second shows how early or late commands reach the server. Disable them by changing 2 to 0.

BO5’s guide to CS2 net jitter and packet loss covers persistent connection symptoms without confusing them with rendering performance.

How To Keep The FPS Counter On After Restarting CS2

cl_showfps is not marked as archived, so do not assume a one-time console command will survive every restart.

For startup execution, add this exact line under CS2 > Properties > General > Launch Options:

+cl_showfps 1

The leading + tells the engine to execute a console command. BO5’s CS2 launch options guide covers the wider syntax.

Persistence, placement, capture visibility, and off controls for CS2 FPS display methods

Telemetry is the cleaner persistent choice when you also need frame time or ping because its relevant settings are archived. A CS2 autoexec makes sense only when you already manage several verified startup commands. It is unnecessary for one FPS line, and so is a bind or alias.

If Your CS2 FPS Counter Is Not Showing

Which FPS, frame-time, hardware, or network signal to inspect for common CS2 symptoms

Check these in order:

Load an offline map or match instead of testing only in the menu.
Enable one counter at a time to remove overlaps and hotkey conflicts.
Set Telemetry to Always, or enter cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2.
Enable Developer Console under Settings > Game, then enter cl_showfps 1.
Enter cl_showfps alone to inspect its current value.
Fix launch syntax to +cl_showfps 1, including the plus sign.
Enable Steam Overlay globally and for CS2 before using Performance Monitor.
Confirm NVIDIA In-Game Overlay or AMD Show Metrics Overlay is enabled.
Restart only the relevant game or app first.
Verify CS2 files through Steam if only built-in methods remain broken.

Do not disable security software, edit the registry, delete every config, or reinstall drivers just to restore an FPS counter.

How To Turn Every Counter Off Or Reset It

cl_showfps: enter cl_showfps 0.
Telemetry: set each menu control to Never, or use 0 for its convar.
Steam: disable Performance Monitor under Steam > Settings > In Game.
NVIDIA: press Alt+R, or disable In-Game Overlay.
AMD: press Ctrl+Shift+O, or disable Show Metrics Overlay.

To clear the main Telemetry displays and graphs:

cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 0
cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 0
cl_hud_telemetry_net_misdelivery_show 0
cl_hud_telemetry_net_detailed 0
cl_hud_telemetry_net_quality_graph_show 0
cl_hud_telemetry_serverrecvmargin_graph_show 0

What To Check After You Can See Your FPS

Low FPS points toward rendering or hardware load. High FPS with frame-time spikes points toward pacing. Stable FPS with rubberbanding or network warnings points toward ping, loss, jitter, or misdelivery.

When rendering is the problem, compare one change at a time using the best CS2 settings for FPS. Keep the map, resolution, counter, capture method, and test route unchanged.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Show FPS In The Top Right In CS2?

Use Steam Performance Monitor or NVIDIA App rather than cl_showfps. Steam offers position controls, while NVIDIA defaults to the top-right. The exact current corner of CS2’s built-in cl_showfps and Telemetry readouts was not independently verified in a local client.

Does Showing FPS Lower Your FPS In CS2?

No universal penalty is established. Overlays and capture paths can add work, but a fixed percentage from another PC is not reliable. Test one counter at a time, keep the recording setup unchanged, and compare repeated runs.

Why Does My FPS Counter Disappear After Restarting CS2?

cl_showfps is not marked as archived. Use +cl_showfps 1 in Steam launch options, or use Telemetry when you also want frame time or ping. An autoexec is only worthwhile when it already manages several commands.

What Is The Difference Between FPS And Frame Time?

FPS counts completed frames each second. Frame time measures how long each frame takes. A high average can still feel uneven when individual frame times spike, which makes Telemetry’s combined display more useful for diagnosing stutter than a bare counter.

Can You Show Ping In CS2 As Well?

Yes. Set the ping display to always visible under Settings > Game > Telemetry, or enter cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2. Ping measures network delay, so compare it with misdelivery, loss, and jitter rather than treating it as an FPS value.