The main objective in Tactical shooters like CS:GO is to secure kills and the main visual aid to it is your crosshair. This is why having a good crosshair is one of the most important aspects of any FPS game. CS:GO offers a flexible crosshair customization system and here we will be utilizing that to show you some of the best crosshairs in the game.
CS:GO allows players access to the developer console, a powerful tool that allows you to change just about anything in the game including customizing your crosshair. Although the in-game settings allow basic customizing capabilities, in order to truly personalize it you have to go through the developer console.
How to change Crosshair in CS:GO
In-game settings
Over the years after constant updates, the in-game customization options from the settings have come to a point where you can get a personalized crosshair without ever opening the developer console. This menu can be accessed in the game from Settings>Game>Crosshair.
From here you can change a variety of settings and you can also see what it looks like against some of the game backgrounds. Here are the settings and what they do:
Crosshair Style
- Default: Monstrosity of a crosshair, change ASAP
- Default Static: Decent crosshair, similar to the default one except does not change with movement or firing.
- Classic: The classic CS 1.6 green crosshair with outer lines. It is dynamic so cthe outer lines expand with movement and spraying to depict inaccuracy.
- Classic Dynamic: Same as classic but without the outer lines. This is a good crosshair if you’re a beginner because it will indicate when you’re moving so you can practice coutner strafing.
- Classic Static: This is the classic crosshair but it is not dynamic meaning it does not expand due to player movement or spraying. A solid option that even a lot of late-game players still use.
Center Dot: Toggles a center dot in the crosshair. A common thing to do is turn off all other settings and just keep the dot as the crosshair.
Length: Adjust how long each of the horizontal and vertical lines are
Thickness: Adjusts how thick each of the horizontal and vertical lines are
Gap: Adjusts the distance between the horizontal and vertical lines on the inner part of the crosshair.
Outline: Adds a black outline around the horizontal and vertical lines. Can be enabled or disabled. Adjusting the slider changes thickness.
Red/Green/Blue: You can set the color of the crosshair by adjusting these settings.
Alpha: Sets the transparency of the crosshair.
T style: Removes the top vertical line and the crosshair appears in the form of a T. Many pros such as Hiko use this but its down to personal preference.
Deployed Weapon Gap: This setting changes the crosshair gap depending on the weapon you have equipped. More accurate weapons like rifles will tend to have a smaller gap and machine guns will tend to have a slightly larger gap.
Show player crosshair: This allows you to see the crosshair of other players while spectating. Expect to see some pretty useful, crazy, funny, and dumb crosshairs. We recommend turning this on just for the fun of it. You have no idea that how many people are still using the default crosshair.
CS:GO Crosshair Console commands
Till now this was and still is the best way to customize your crosshair. It can be jarring for newcomers to adjust your crosshair through the developer console but it is the only way to fully personalize your crosshair. At first, you have to enable the console from Settings> Game > Game > Enable developer console. Then you can type in the below commands to adjust accordingly.
- “cl_crosshairgap -1” Using this console command, you can adjust the gap in the middle of your crosshair. Change the number to adjust the gap. The smaller the value, the smaller the gap. Negative values are also allowed.
- “cl_crosshairsize 2” By using this command, you can control the length and size of the four lines that make up a standard crosshair. Change the number to adjust the size. Using a low value will make your crosshair lines very small, while using a large value will make your crosshair lines very long.
- “cl_crosshairstyle 4” With this command, you can customize your crosshair into any preset crosshair. 0 – Default, 1 – Default Static, 2 – Classic, 3 – Classic Dynamic, 4- Classic static, 5- Classic static with firing error. Recommended ones are 3 for beginners and 4,5 for the rest.
- “cl_crosshairthickness 0.3” By using this console command, you can customize the thickness of your in-game crosshair. Change the number to adjust the thickness.
- “cl_crosshair_drawoutline [0 / 1]” – You can use this console command to enable (1) or disable (0) the small black outline that surrounds your crosshair. This can enhance crosshair visibility for some players.
- “cl_crosshaircolor [1-10]” – You can use this console command to change the colors. Try out different numbers to see what you get.
- “cl_crosshairalpha [0 – 255]” – You can use this console command to adjust the crosshair transparency. Lower values make it more transparent and higher values make it opaque. 200-255 recommended.
- “cl_crosshairdynamic [ 0/1]” – You can use this console command to enable dynamic crosshair, which basically means if you are moving, the crosshair will also indicate the inaccuracy by spreading apart. Useful if you are new to the game and are learning counter strafing.
By tweaking these settings, you can get almost any kind of crosshair you want. Don’t be afraid to experiment by messing around with the values and see what you get.
CS:GO Best Crosshairs
Here we will be showing some of the best and most useful crosshairs by categorizing them into each type.
The cross
This is arguably the most popular crosshair consisting of a small static cross. Overall a well-balanced crosshair.
Here are the commands to set up the crosshair. Simply copy and paste the entire text from the box into your console.
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “11” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “255.000000” cl_crosshaircolor “1” cl_crosshaircolor_b “50” cl_crosshaircolor_g “250” cl_crosshaircolor_r “50” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “-2” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “2” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “1” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
The Dot
This crosshair consists of a static dot at the center of the screen. Ideal for players who prefer precision.
Here are the commands to set up the crosshair. Simply copy and paste the entire text from the box into your console.
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.300000” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “6” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “2” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “150” cl_crosshaircolor “5” cl_crosshaircolor_b “0” cl_crosshaircolor_g “255” cl_crosshaircolor_r “0” cl_crosshairdot “1” cl_crosshairgap “-2” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “-0.3” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “1.5” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “-100” |
Large Cross
This crosshair is basically a bigger version of the cross. It features longer and thicker lines for maximum visibility and is ideal for snapping to targets at close range during entry fragging.
Here are the commands to set up the crosshair.
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0.35” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.5” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “7” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “255” cl_crosshaircolor “1” cl_crosshaircolor_b “50” cl_crosshaircolor_g “250” cl_crosshaircolor_r “50” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “-1” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “5” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “2” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
The Box
Often looking like a meme crosshair, at first sight, the box crosshair has is a niche one that is surprisingly functional.
Here are the commands to set up the crosshair. Simply copy and paste the entire text from the box into your console.
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0.35” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.5” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “7” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “255” cl_crosshaircolor “5” cl_crosshaircolor_b “0” cl_crosshaircolor_g “255” cl_crosshaircolor_r “0” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “-7.000000” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “2.000000” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “7.000000” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
CS:GO Pro Crosshair settings
Now we will be showcasing crosshairs of some of the most notable professional players out there in CS:GO.
s1mple Crosshair
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0.35” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.5” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “7” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “255” cl_crosshaircolor “1” cl_crosshaircolor_b “50” cl_crosshaircolor_g “250” cl_crosshaircolor_r “50” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “-2” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “1” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “1” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
dev1ce Crosshair
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “1.000000” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “5” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “255.000000” cl_crosshaircolor “1” cl_crosshaircolor_b “50” cl_crosshaircolor_g “250” cl_crosshaircolor_r “50” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “-2” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “3” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “1” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
NiKo Crosshair
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0.35” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.5” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “7” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “250” cl_crosshaircolor “5” cl_crosshaircolor_b “144” cl_crosshaircolor_g “195” cl_crosshaircolor_r “27” cl_crosshairdot “1” cl_crosshairgap “-1” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “1” cl_crosshairstyle “5” cl_crosshairthickness “0.4” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
GuardiaN Crosshair
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0.35” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.5” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “7” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “200” cl_crosshaircolor “1” cl_crosshaircolor_b “50” cl_crosshaircolor_g “250” cl_crosshaircolor_r “50” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “0” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “2” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “0.5” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
ZywOo Crosshair
| cl_crosshair_drawoutline “0” cl_crosshair_dynamic_maxdist_splitratio “0.35” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_innermod “1” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitalpha_outermod “0.5” cl_crosshair_dynamic_splitdist “1” cl_crosshair_friendly_warning “1” cl_crosshair_outlinethickness “1” cl_crosshair_sniper_show_normal_inaccuracy “0” cl_crosshair_sniper_width “1” cl_crosshair_t “0” cl_crosshairalpha “250” cl_crosshaircolor “1” cl_crosshaircolor_b “250” cl_crosshaircolor_g “250” cl_crosshaircolor_r “250” cl_crosshairdot “0” cl_crosshairgap “-3” cl_crosshairgap_useweaponvalue “0” cl_crosshairsize “2” cl_crosshairstyle “4” cl_crosshairthickness “0” cl_crosshairusealpha “1” cl_fixedcrosshairgap “3” |
Best Crosshairs in CS:GO (A Complete Tier List)
- S-Tier: Classic Static, The Cross, GuardiaN’s crosshair
- A-Tier: Classic, The Dot, ZywOo’s crosshair, dev1ce’s crosshair, s1mple’s crosshair
- B-Tier: Classic Dynamic, NiKo’s crosshair
- C-Tier: The Box, Large cross
The classic static and cross are some of the most balanced crosshairs which have good visibility to snap to targets at close range and are also accurate enough to get headshots at long range. This is why they make the S-tier in our tier list. GuardiaN’s crosshair employs a modified version of it with a larger gap.
The classic is a good crosshair which was some dynamic elements but isn’t too distracting. The dot is an excellent crosshair for long-range gunplay. ZywOo, dev1ce, and s1mple’s crosshairs employ a version of this with various lengths and gaps.
The rest are okay with the classic dynamic being good for learning purposes. NiKo’s crosshair is excellent at long range but is so thin that it isn’t easily visible at all. The last two ones do work in short ranges but are mostly referred to as meme crosshairs.
- Read More: Best Commands to use in CS:GO
At the end of the day, the crosshair just comes down to personal preference. As long as your crosshair is easily visible to you and is a good fit for your gameplay style it will be suitable for you. Although some people might think employing a new crosshair or copying their favorite pro/streamer’s crosshair might make their aim better, it is mostly down to placebo. However, don’t let that discourage you from trying out the ones discussed today to find what works for you. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your perfect crosshair.
