CS2 HUD Customization: Commands, Radar Settings and Clean HUD
How to hide the HUD with and without cheats, every HUD, team ID, radar and telemetry setting with its command, dead CS:GO commands and a ready HUD config
The HUD in Counter-Strike 2 is everything drawn over the game: health, armor, ammo, radar, timer, money, teammates, kill feed. Some players want it smaller and cleaner, some want it gone for videos and screenshots, some just want a radar that shows the whole map.
In this guide I show how to hide the HUD completely, with and without sv_cheats, what every setting in the HUD, Team and Radar menus does and which command is behind it, which old CS:GO HUD commands don't exist anymore, and a ready config for a clean competitive HUD. All commands are checked against the current CS2 build.
What the CS2 HUD Shows
HUD means Heads-Up Display. The idea came from fighter jets and later cars: important data in front of your eyes, so you don't have to look away. Shooters took it over early, and Doom (1993) made the classic FPS HUD with health, ammo and the famous reacting face. Counter-Strike went the other way over the years: less decoration, faster reading. CS2 has the cleanest HUD of the series so far, and the most settings.
- Radar
- Top left. For beginners it's orientation, for experienced players it's rotations, gaps in map control and teammates' positions without asking.
- Health and ammo
- Bottom. Low HP changes how you take a duel, little ammo changes how long you hold an angle.
- Timer and players
- Top. The timer sets the pace of the round, the player icons show who is still alive. Many switch avatars to plain numbers.
- Weapons and utility
- Bottom right. In a clutch it's easy to forget whether you still have a flash, this is the reminder. More on that in grenade binds .
- Money
- Bottom left. Not for the middle of a fight, but between fights it helps to plan the next buy early.
How to Hide the HUD in CS2
The menu can change the HUD, but it has no "off" switch. For that you need the console: Settings → Game → Enable Developer Console (~) → Yes, then ~ in game. There are two ways.
Hide the HUD Without Cheats: cl_draw_only_deathnotices
Works everywhere, Valve servers included. It hides health, armor, ammo, radar, timer, money and equipment, and leaves only the crosshair and the kill feed. Valve made it for moviemaking.
cl_draw_only_deathnotices 1
Add crosshair 0 and only the kill feed is left. To bring everything back: cl_draw_only_deathnotices 0 and crosshair 1.
Clean HUD on One Key
The toggle switches both at once, one press clean, next press back to normal. I use C here, change it if you need that key for something else:
bind "c" "toggle cl_draw_only_deathnotices 1 0; toggle crosshair 0 1"
To keep the bind after a restart, put it into your autoexec.cfg, how that works is in my CS2 config guide. A bind you make in the console is also saved by the game itself in cs2_user_keys_0_slot0.vcfg. More about binds: how to bind keys in CS2 and useful binds.
Hide Everything: cl_drawhud 0 (sv_cheats)
cl_drawhud 0 removes the whole HUD, crosshair and kill feed too. It's cheat-protected, so it works only on your own server, in Practice or on workshop maps with cheats on.
sv_cheats 1 cl_drawhud 0
With the HUD off you can bring single parts back. These three don't need sv_cheats themselves, they only matter when the HUD is hidden, and -1 forces the part off:
cl_drawhud_force_radar 1 // radar stays cl_drawhud_force_deathnotices 1 // kill feed stays cl_drawhud_force_teamid_overhead 1 // teammate markers stay
One thing cl_drawhud 0 doesn't hide is the build info in the corner. Turn it off with r_show_build_info 0.
Why Players Hide the HUD
- Videos and screenshots
- Frag movies, tutorials, thumbnails, B-roll for YouTube . The number one reason.
- Immersion
- Offline or casual games without numbers on the screen, just the world.
- Training
- No timer, no radar, no ammo counter: you play by sound, timing and feel.
- Map testing
- Mappers check lighting, visibility and angles without UI over the picture. For seeing players through walls in practice there's the legal wallhack .
CS2 HUD Settings and Commands
The HUD menu is at Settings → Game → HUD. Every option there is a console command, so you can set it once in the menu and keep it in a config.
HUD Scale
hud_scaling 0.95
From 0.9 to 1.1. Most players keep 0.95 to 1. On big high-resolution monitors a bit bigger can be easier to read.
HUD Color
Color of health, armor and ammo. Pick one that doesn't blend into the maps.
cl_hud_color 10
- 0
- Team color (default)
- 1 / 2
- White / bright white
- 3 / 4
- Light blue / blue
- 5 / 6
- Purple / red
- 7 / 8
- Orange / yellow
- 9 / 10
- Green / aqua
- 11 / 12
- Pink / teammate color
Large Player Count (Numbers Instead of Avatars)
Replaces player avatars at the top with a simple count for each team. Cleaner, and on weak PCs a bit less UI work.
cl_teamcounter_playercount_instead_of_avatars 1
Glow Weapon With Rarity Color
Weapon icons in the HUD glow with the rarity color of your skins, the way the menu describes it. Some like the extra highlight, some prefer the plain look.
cl_weapon_selection_rarity_color 1
Community Notification Location
Where Steam pop-ups (friends, achievements) appear. Move them away from the radar and the crosshair:
ui_steam_overlay_notification_position topright
Values: topleft, topright, bottomleft, bottomright. For a fine offset there are ui_steam_overlay_notification_position_horz and _vert, 0 to 100.
Override Spectating HUD Color
While you spectate, the HUD takes the color of the team or the watched teammate. A matter of taste, mostly for demo watchers.
cl_force_spec_hud_color_to_team 1
Hidden HUD Settings That Are Not in the Menu
A few useful commands only exist in the console:
- safezonex / safezoney
- How much of the screen the HUD may use.
safezonex 0.9pulls the HUD 5% in from each side, handy on ultrawide monitors. Height goes from 0.8 to 1. - cl_deathnotices_show_numbers
- Kill feed with player numbers: 1 numbers instead of names, 2 numbers next to the names.
- cl_show_clan_in_death_notice
- 0 removes clan tags from the kill feed.
CS2 Team ID Settings: Teammates Through Walls
Settings → Game → Team. The main option is Show Team ID Through Walls: markers above teammates, visible through walls.
cl_teamid_overhead_mode 1
- 0
- Off
- 1
- Pips only
- 2
- Pips and names
- 3
- Pips, names and equipment (default)
I play with 1: I see where my teammates are, but names and weapons don't clutter the screen. Two more console-only commands help here: cl_teamid_overhead_fade_near_crosshair (0 to 1, default 0.5) fades the markers near your crosshair so they don't cover enemies, and cl_teamid_overhead_colors_show 1 draws each marker in the teammate's own color.
hud_showtargetid shows the name of the player you aim at. Many turn it off with 0 to keep the center of the screen clean.
CS2 Radar Settings and Commands
The radar is the part of the HUD worth tuning the most. Settings → Game → Radar / Tablet.
Radar Centers the Player
cl_radar_always_centered 0 moves you off center and shows more of the map in front of you. Good for entry players who care about what's ahead. 1 keeps you in the middle.
Radar Is Rotating
cl_radar_rotate 1 turns the radar with your view, 0 keeps north up. Most players keep rotation, it's more natural when you call positions.
Radar Map Zoom and Alternate Zoom
cl_radar_scale from 0.25 to 1, default 0.7. Lower shows more of the map. I use 0.5. cl_radar_scale_alternate is a second zoom level you switch to with a key: Settings → Keyboard / Mouse → UI Keys → Toggle Radar Zoom. It has no key by default.
Radar Size and Icon Size
cl_hud_radar_scale (0.8 to 1.3) is the size of the radar on screen, cl_radar_icon_scale_min (0.4 to 1.25) the minimum size of player icons. On high resolutions a slightly bigger radar and icons around 0.7 read better.
Square Radar
cl_radar_square_with_scoreboard 1 turns the radar into a full square map while you hold TAB. cl_radar_square_always 1 keeps it square all the time, good for IGLs and support players who want the whole map.
Dynamic Zoom, Background and Blur
cl_radar_scale_dynamic 1 zooms out by itself to fit everything spotted. Useful in clutches, but the changing scale confuses some players. cl_hud_radar_background_alpha sets the background opacity (default 0.627), cl_hud_radar_blur_background blurs it when it's not fully opaque, and cl_hud_radar_map_additive blends the map over the background.
All radar commands with defaults are in the table below. For callouts on every map, see CS2 maps.
CS2 Telemetry: FPS and Ping in the HUD
Telemetry replaced net_graph from CS:GO. Small indicators for FPS, ping and packet problems, so you see FPS drops and ping spikes right away. Every _show command takes 0 never, 1 only when it's bad (default), 2 always.
cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2 cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2
What each graph means and when to worry is in my CS2 telemetry guide, and scripts for switching telemetry on a key are in custom telemetry scripts.
All CS2 HUD and Radar Console Commands
Every working HUD command in one place, with values and defaults from the current build. Commands marked cheat need sv_cheats 1.
Show and Hide the HUD
| Command | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 0 | Hides the HUD except the crosshair and the kill feed. Works on every server. |
crosshair |
0 / 1 | 1 | Crosshair off and on. Together with the line above you get a clean screen. |
cl_ cheat |
0 / 1 | 1 | Hides the whole HUD, crosshair and kill feed included. |
cl_ |
-1 / 0 / 1 | 0 | 1 shows the radar even with the HUD off, -1 forces it off. |
cl_ |
-1 / 0 / 1 | 0 | 1 shows the kill feed even with the HUD off, -1 forces it off. |
cl_ |
-1 / 0 / 1 | 0 | 1 shows teammate markers even with the HUD off, -1 forces them off. |
r_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Build info in the corner. Not hidden by cl_drawhud 0. |
HUD Look and Kill Feed
| Command | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
hud_ |
0.9 - 1.1 | 1 | Size of the whole HUD. |
cl_ |
0 - 12 | 0 | Color of health, armor and ammo. List below. |
safezonex |
0 - 1 | 1 | Part of the screen width the HUD may use. Lower pulls the HUD toward the center. |
safezoney |
0.8 - 1 | 1 | The same for the height. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 0 | Numbers instead of player avatars at the top. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 0 | Weapon icons in the HUD glow with the rarity color of your skins. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | While spectating, the HUD takes the team or teammate color. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Shows your current loadout in the weapon panel. |
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 0 | Kill feed: 1 player numbers instead of names, 2 numbers next to the names. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Clan tag next to names in the kill feed. |
ui_ |
topleft / topright / bottomleft / bottomright | bottomleft | Corner for Steam pop-ups. |
ui_ / ui_ |
0 - 100 | 0 | Fine offset of those pop-ups. |
Team ID
| Command | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
cl_ |
0 - 3 | 3 | Above teammates: 0 off, 1 pips, 2 plus name, 3 plus equipment. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Markers in each teammate's own color. |
cl_ |
0 - 1 | 0.5 | How much the markers fade near your crosshair, 0 = no fading. |
hud_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Shows the name of the player you aim at. |
Radar
| Command | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | 1 keeps you in the center, 0 shows more of the map in front of you. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | 1 turns with your view, 0 keeps north up. |
cl_ |
0.25 - 1 | 0.7 | Map zoom. Lower shows more of the map. |
cl_ |
0.25 - 1 | 1 | Second zoom for the Toggle Radar Zoom key. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 0 | Zooms out by itself to fit everything spotted. |
cl_ |
0.8 - 1.3 | 1 | Radar size on screen. |
cl_ |
0.4 - 1.25 | 0.6 | Minimum size of player icons. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Square full-map radar while the scoreboard is open. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 0 | Square full-map radar all the time. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Blends the map picture over the background. |
cl_ |
0 - 1 | 0.627 | Background opacity. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Blur under the radar, visible when the background is not fully opaque. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Square radar while spectating. |
cl_ |
0 / 1 | 1 | Spectators see every player on the radar, spotted or not. |
Telemetry
| Command | Values | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 1 | FPS and frame time. |
cl_ |
1 - 100 (ms) | 100 | Frame time above this counts as poor. |
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 1 | Ping. |
cl_ |
ms | 100 | Ping above this counts as poor. |
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 1 | Lost or late packets in percent. |
cl_ |
0 - 100 (%) | 2 | Loss above this counts as poor. |
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 0 | Graph of jitter, loss and reordering. |
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 0 | Breakdown: loss, late packets, peak jitter. |
cl_ |
0 - 2 | 0 | How early or late your commands reach the server. |
More commands for practice, crosshair and FPS are in my CS2 console commands guide.
CS:GO HUD Commands That Don't Work in CS2
Many "CS2 HUD guides" still copy commands from CS:GO. These don't exist in CS2 at all, I checked each one against the current build:
- cl_hud_playercount_pos
- Moved the player count to the top or bottom.
- cl_hud_playercount_showcount
- Numbers instead of avatars. In CS2 use
cl_teamcounter_playercount_instead_of_avatars 1. - cl_hud_bomb_under_radar
- Bomb icon under the radar.
- cl_hud_healthammo_style
- Health and ammo as bars or numbers.
- cl_hud_background_alpha
- Transparency of the HUD background.
- net_graph
- Replaced by telemetry.
If a command from a guide prints "unknown command" or simply doesn't change anything, check it with find plus part of the name in the console.
Clean Competitive HUD Config
My HUD in one file. Save it as hud.cfg in the cfg folder and run exec hud, or call it from your autoexec. Change values to your taste.
// HUD hud_scaling 0.95 cl_hud_color 0 cl_teamcounter_playercount_instead_of_avatars 1 cl_weapon_selection_rarity_color 0 r_show_build_info 0 // Team ID cl_teamid_overhead_mode 1 cl_teamid_overhead_fade_near_crosshair 0.5 hud_showtargetid 0 // Radar cl_radar_rotate 1 cl_radar_always_centered 0 cl_radar_scale 0.5 cl_radar_scale_alternate 1 cl_hud_radar_scale 1.1 cl_radar_icon_scale_min 0.7 cl_radar_square_with_scoreboard 1 cl_hud_radar_background_alpha 0.627 // Telemetry: 1 = only when something is wrong cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 1 cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 1 cl_hud_telemetry_net_misdelivery_show 1 // Clean screen on C (change the key if you need it) bind "c" "toggle cl_draw_only_deathnotices 1 0; toggle crosshair 0 1" echo hud.cfg loaded
Where the cfg folder is and the three ways to run a config (console, autoexec, launch options) are in the CS2 config guide and the config location guide. If you'd rather click than type, the CS2 Config Generator builds a config for you.
Conclusion
CS2 gives you more control over the HUD than it seems: a clean screen without cheats, a fully empty one with them, and a radar you can tune down to the icon size. The trap is old guides with CS:GO commands that don't exist anymore.
Set the HUD once, save it in a config, and spend your attention on the round instead of the interface.
CS2 Crosshair Guide
The new pixel crosshair, styles, codes and commands.
open →
CS2 Console Commands
Practice, bots, HUD, radar and FPS commands that still work.
open →
CS2 Config Files
Create, load and manage cfg files without losing them.
open →
Legal Wallhack in CS2
Debug commands that show players through walls offline.
open →
How to Bind Keys in CS2
Bind syntax, toggles and where binds are saved.
open →
CS2 FPS Guide
Real fixes for low FPS, no placebo tweaks.
open →CS2 HUD and Radar FAQ
How do I hide the HUD in CS2 without sv_cheats?
cl_draw_only_deathnotices 1 hides everything except the crosshair and the kill feed. Add crosshair 0 for a clean screen. Works on all servers.
What's the difference between cl_draw_only_deathnotices and cl_drawhud?
cl_draw_only_deathnotices 1 keeps the kill feed and crosshair and works everywhere. cl_drawhud 0 removes everything but needs sv_cheats 1, so only on your own server.
How do I change the HUD color in CS2?
cl_hud_color from 0 to 12, or Settings → Game → HUD → HUD Color. It colors health, armor and ammo.
How do I make the radar show the whole map?
Lower cl_radar_scale (for example 0.4) or use cl_radar_square_always 1. With cl_radar_square_with_scoreboard 1 you get the full map while holding TAB.
How do I make the HUD smaller?
hud_scaling 0.9 is the smallest. To pull the HUD toward the center, use safezonex and safezoney below 1.
Where are my binds saved?
In cs2_user_keys_0_slot0.vcfg in your Steam userdata folder. The game writes it itself.
Does hiding the HUD increase FPS?
Maybe a little, the UI costs some work. Don't expect a real difference, it's for clean pictures, not performance.
How do I show FPS and ping in CS2?
With telemetry: cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show 2 and cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show 2. It replaced net_graph from CS:GO.
