Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of the sweethearts in the gaming world for hardcore gamers. Several gamers have reported that they have been experiencing random lag spikes in CS: GO. The issue doesn’t seem to be resolved on high-end gaming PCs as well. The problem with lag spikes CS: GO is that dedicated gamers find it very frustrating when the entire gaming landscape seems to be frozen.
If you have been experiencing the same issue on CS: GO, then the prime reason can be the poor internet connection. And, we are quite aware that network connectivity issues might require more than one solution.
Let’s check out how you can address the lag spikes CS: GO or high ping problems.
Does your PC Qualify for CS: GO?
Before you dive into the solutions for lag spikes CS: GO, you should be aware of whether your computer is compatible with the game. Otherwise, the solutions will be of no use if your PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements of CS: GO.
Here are the system requirements for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
- Operating System: Windows 7 with 64-bit architecture or above
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
- Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 460 or above
- Memory: 4 GB of RAM
- Hard Disk: 8 GB minimum
- Resolution: 1024 x 768
- Internet Connectivity: Stable
Once you’re confirmed that your computer is compatible with the minimum system requirements, you can proceed to the solutions to fix lag spikes CS: GO.
How to Solve Lag Spikes in CS: GO?
Now, you are ready to address the high ping in the CS: GO game. If you have checked the high ping in CS: GO, then you have to apply the following techniques to eradicate the lag spikes CS: GO circumstances.
Switch to Wired Connection
A majority of gamers have reported that they were able to overcome the lag spikes CS: GO by simply switching to the wired connection. If you have connected your computer to the router through wireless means, then you can try opting for a wired connection.
Just plug in an ethernet cable to the router and the PC, and check if the high ping persists. If you’re not moving your PC a lot, then a wired connection will do the job.
Deactivate the Security Software
Your PC should have a decent security system to prevent any kind of malware attack. However, the presence of firewalls and other security software can hurt the game and its performance. When the security software is running in the background it can consume bandwidth. As a consequence, the game might suffer due to the impact on bandwidth.
Additionally, it can disturb the downloading speed of the CS: GO game. Not to mention, you might experience frozen screens, lag spikes, or high ping due to that. So, it’s recommended to disable the security software. But, do this only if it doesn’t bother your security preferences. Otherwise, turn off these security software and you can feel the difference immediately.
Check the Integrity of Game Cache Files
If you have been playing Steam games for years, then you might be aware of this trick. You can verify the game cache files’ integrity to fix the problem. Here are the steps you need to follow:
- Log into your Steam account. Go to the Library and right-click on the game, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Now, choose Properties.
- Choose the LOCAL FILES tab. Afterward, click on ‘VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES…’.
- Then, wait until the process completes.
Now, check if the lag spikes CS: GO issue is still there after this fix.
Disable System Updates
Keeping the updates enabled is a big thumbs-up for the system’s security purposes. However, it can be a major downside while playing Steam games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. For example, you might have kept Windows updates automatic for installation. But, it can annoy the flow of your gaming. The updates going in the background can bring negative impacts to the performance of the game. So, what you can do is to schedule the Windows update at a convenient time. After all, these Windows updates can wait till you are done.
Another thing related to lag spikes CS: GO is the Steam update. Steam is designed to have updates once in a while. Make sure that you schedule that Steam update too so that you can peacefully play the game without any lag spikes. Otherwise, you can’t cancel them when they have started once. In addition to this, make sure that you let Steam update. Without the latest updates, you might be compromising on features and security.
Modify Game Settings
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive comes with in-built game settings to address lag spikes CS: GO issues. Go through the game settings to discover how you can toggle the configuration to minimise lags in CS: GO.
Quit Background Applications
Is your PC currently having too many applications running in the background? If yes, then it can lead to lag spikes CS: GO issues. You can close all those bandwidth-hogging and resource-consuming applications in the following manner:
- Explore a Run prompt by pressing the Windows and R keys at the same time. Type ‘resmon’ in the Open box and hit the Enter button.
- It will take you to the Resource Monitor. Go to the tab called Network. Have a close look at the column named Total (B/sec). It will show you a detailed list of processes that have been consuming most of the network resources.
- Once you have found the most disturbing one and it’s not gaming-related, right-click on that process. Choose the End Process option from the context menu.
- You might experience a prompt. Confirm the prompt and you’re good to go.
You need to repeat the steps for other processes, if they are hogging network resources. Now, retry launching CS: GO again and check if there are still high pings.
Furthermore, Change the DNS Server
If none of the solutions seems to be working for fixing lag spikes CS: GO, then you have to make modifications to the DNS server. Go to Network settings under Device Manager. Head towards Change Adapter Settings. Select Properties and change the Internet Protocol Version 4 properties. Change the DNS server addresses to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for Preferred and Alternate DNS Server respectively. This will surely fix the lag spikes CS: GO issues.