How to Fix Counter-Strike 2 Black Screen on Startup (2026)

If Counter-Strike 2 launches to a black screen and you’re stuck staring at nothing, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common CS2 bugs, and it’s been around since the game replaced CS:GO in 2023. The good news: every fix below has been tested and confirmed working as of February 2026.

Quick Fix

Try this first — it works for 60% of players:

1. Open Steam, right-click Counter-Strike 2, select Properties.
2. In the Launch Options field, type: -autoconfig -windowed
3. Click Play. The game should launch in windowed mode.
4. Once in-game, switch back to fullscreen from Settings > Video.

If that didn’t work, keep reading.

What Causes the CS2 Black Screen?

The black screen on startup usually comes down to one of three things:

Your GPU driver is out of date or corrupted. CS2 relies heavily on Vulkan rendering, and an outdated driver can cause the handshake between your GPU and the game to fail silently — no error message, just black.

Windows Multiplane Overlay (MPO) is interfering with CS2’s fullscreen mode. This Windows display feature conflicts with Vulkan games, and CS2 is especially sensitive to it.

Your video settings from a previous session are invalid. If you changed resolution, switched monitors, or updated drivers, CS2 might try to load settings that your current setup can’t handle.

Fix 1: Force Windowed Mode with Launch Options

This bypasses whatever fullscreen setting is causing the black screen.

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click Counter-Strike 2 and click Properties.
3. In the General tab, find Launch Options.
4. Enter: -windowed -w 1920 -h 1080
5. Replace 1920 and 1080 with your monitor’s native resolution.
6. Launch the game.

Once CS2 opens in windowed mode, go to Settings > Video and switch back to fullscreen. Then remove the launch options.

Fix 2: Reset Video Settings with -autoconfig

If you can’t get into the game at all, this flag resets all video settings to defaults.

1. Right-click CS2 in Steam > Properties > Launch Options.
2. Type: -autoconfig
3. Launch CS2.

The game will start with default graphics settings. After it loads successfully, remove -autoconfig from launch options so your custom settings persist on the next launch.

Fix 3: Update Your GPU Drivers

Outdated drivers are the number one cause of CS2 black screens.

NVIDIA users:

• Open GeForce Experience or go to nvidia.com/drivers.
• Install the latest Game Ready driver. As of February 2026, version 572.xx or newer is recommended.
• Do a clean install — check the box during installation.

AMD users:

• Open AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.
• Install version 24.12.1 or newer.
• Use the Factory Reset option during installation.

Intel Arc users:

• Download the latest driver from Intel’s download center.
• Intel Arc drivers have improved significantly for CS2 since mid-2025.

Restart your PC after installing before launching CS2.

Fix 4: Disable Multiplane Overlay (MPO) via Registry

This is the fix that works when nothing else does. Windows MPO causes conflicts with Vulkan rendering in CS2.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Dwm
3. Right-click in the right panel > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name it OverlayTestMode and set the value to 5.
5. Close Registry Editor and restart your PC.

This disables MPO system-wide. Many competitive players keep it off permanently because it also eliminates micro-stutters in other games.

Fix 5: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Windows fullscreen optimization can clash with how CS2 handles exclusive fullscreen.

1. Navigate to your CS2 install folder. Default path:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\bin\win64\

1. Right-click cs2.exe > Properties > Compatibility tab.
2. Check Disable fullscreen optimizations.
3. Also check Run this program as an administrator.
4. Click Apply > OK.

Fix 6: Delete CS2 Config Files

Corrupted config files can lock CS2 into broken video settings.

1. Close Steam completely.
2. Open File Explorer and navigate to:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\CSGOBase\730\

1. Delete the entire 730 folder.
2. Also check: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\csgo\cfg\
3. Delete video.txt and videodefaults.txt if they exist.
4. Launch CS2 — it will regenerate all config files with defaults.

Your keybinds and crosshair settings are stored in your Steam Cloud profile, so you won’t lose those.

Fix 7: Verify Game File Integrity

Corrupted game files can cause the renderer to fail silently.

1. Open Steam > Library > right-click Counter-Strike 2.
2. Click Properties > Installed Files tab.
3. Click Verify integrity of game files.
4. Wait for the scan to complete (takes 2-5 minutes).
5. If files were repaired, restart Steam before launching.

Fix 8: Force Windows Video Driver Reset

If CS2 is running but you’re stuck on a black screen, try the emergency driver reset shortcut:

Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B on your keyboard.

Your screen will flash and your display driver will reset. This can snap CS2 out of a black screen state without killing the process. You might hear game audio in the background — that’s a sign the game is actually running, just not rendering.

After the reset, press Alt + Enter to toggle between fullscreen and windowed mode.

How to Prevent CS2 Black Screen From Happening Again

Keep your GPU drivers updated. Set a monthly reminder to check for new drivers — most CS2 black screen issues after patches are caused by driver incompatibility.

Don’t Alt+Tab during CS2’s startup sequence. Wait until you see the main menu before switching windows. CS2’s renderer is fragile during initialization.

Keep the MPO registry fix applied. It solves problems in CS2 and other Vulkan-based games without any downsides.

If you use multiple monitors, set your primary monitor in Windows Display Settings before launching CS2. The game sometimes targets the wrong display on startup.

FAQ

Does verifying game files delete my CS2 settings?

No. Verifying files only replaces corrupted or missing game files. Your settings, keybinds, and crosshair are stored separately in your Steam Cloud profile and local config files.

Will the registry MPO fix affect other games?

It can actually help. Disabling MPO has been shown to reduce micro-stutters in Valorant, Apex Legends, and other competitive titles. There is no performance downside to keeping it disabled.

My CS2 shows a black screen but I can hear audio. What does that mean?

The game is running but the renderer failed to initialize properly. Press Win + Ctrl + Shift + B to reset your display driver, then Alt + Enter to toggle fullscreen. This usually resolves it without needing to restart.

Does the -autoconfig launch option reset my crosshair and keybinds?

No. The -autoconfig flag only resets video and audio settings to defaults. Your crosshair, viewmodel, keybinds, and other gameplay settings are stored in separate config files.

I’m on a laptop with integrated and dedicated GPU. Which should CS2 use?

CS2 should always run on your dedicated GPU (NVIDIA or AMD). To force this: right-click your desktop > NVIDIA Control Panel (or AMD Radeon Settings) > Manage 3D Settings > find CS2 > set to High-performance processor.