Content creator ThourCS2 recently ran a series of benchmarks in Counter-Strike 2 to see how FPS performance on competitive maps changed from September 2023 to September 2024. He shared the results of his benchmarks on Platform X.

This data is interesting because CS2 underwent many changes throughout the year, including patches and map updates. For players looking to maximize performance, these measurements can be an important indicator of how their systems are handling the current version of the game. Of particular interest is how water effects on some maps affect performance.

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How has performance changed?

Since the release of CS2 in 2023, there have been several major updates affecting the game's maps and engine. In August of that year, ThourCS2 began tracking FPS metrics on competitive maps to see what changes the patches brought to the game's performance. The goal of the experiment was to find out how the updates and optimizations affected game performance.

For the tests, 8 maps popular in the CS2 competitive pool - Anubis, Inferno, Ancient, Dust 2, Vertigo, Mirage, Nuke and Overpass - were chosen. These maps are key elements in competitive matches, and they are where players spend most of their time.

Test results

ThourCS2 cited data that shows that the average FPS on most maps has decreased over the past year. The biggest drops were seen on maps such as Mirage (11.73% drop) and Nuke (13.74% drop), which could be due to texture updates or new effects on the maps. Overall, the average FPS dropped by 10.24%, which may be a concern for players, especially those playing on weaker systems.

Not all metrics have deteriorated, however. For example, the so-called 1% FPS, which shows the minimum frame rate during the hardest moments, even increased on some maps like Anubis and Inferno, indicating better game stability in those moments. But maps like Overpass and Ancient, with their water effects, showed the most significant drop, with 1% FPS drops of 17.3% and 11.62% respectively.

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Conclusion

ThourCS2 tests show that the performance of CS2, did not improve at all, but instead seemed to worsen on most maps. Maps with more complex graphics, such as Overpass and Ancient, cause the greatest difficulty for graphics cards, which can affect the gaming experience. Nevertheless, under the standard graphics settings with which the tests were conducted, many players may experience similar results, especially if playing on mid-range systems.