In a competitive game like CSGO, FOV (Field of view) is crucial since it dictates how much you can see during a match. However, while most games have a field-of-view slider in the options menu, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive takes a little more work for players to fiddle with its FOV. If you are confused about the hectic process, here is a complete guide that teaches you how to change FOV in CSGO.
What is FOV & Benefits of Changing FOV in CSGO
Field of view is crucial in video games, particularly multiplayer games, and even more so in first-person shooters like CSGO. You need every advantage you can get in games like these, especially if it comes for free. FOV expands your view, increasing the distance between your player model and the screen. Simply put, the greater the FOV, the greater the amount of information you receive by looking at your screen.
Many games allow you to have a wider field of view, and they have in-game settings that allow you to tweak this critical setting. Unfortunately, CSGO does not provide such a luxury. In this game, you must jump through hoops to change this critical setting and many other crucial features. Many players, including professional gamers, have different FOV settings in games like CSGO that they prefer. You can try copying some of them to get the most out of this feature.
How to change Your FOV in CSGO
Changing the FOV in CSGO is a piece of cake. It was simply overlooked because the default value for FOV (60) appears adequate. If you’re a casual player, you’re unlikely to look for this option.
The difference in the instructions we’re about to provide isn’t huge, but it can often mean the difference between life and death, especially in such an intense FPS game. To change your CSGO FOV, follow these steps:
- Open Steam and launch CS:GO.
- Open the settings by clicking the gear icon on the left side of the screen.
- Once in the setting window, click on the game settings (game tab), click on the dropdown menu next to enable developer console, and select yes.
- The developer console is enabled through the (` or ~) key under the esc key on the keyboard by default. Players can change the key that opens the console through the in-game settings menu under the “UI Keys” section under “Keyboard / Mouse,” or through the console itself by typing in “bind ‘desired key’ toggle console.”
- There’s only one thing left to do if you already have the console enabled in-game. In the console, enter the following:
viewmodel_fov #
The ‘#’ represents how high or low your field of view will be. You are free to enter any number between 54 and 67. The lower the number of your FOV, the closer your character’s view model will be to your screen.
Players may notice that this command does not expand Counter-field Strikes of view. This is because this command modifies the FOV of CSGO’s view model. In other words, the command alters how much of the player’s character’s arms and gun are visible to them.
If you’ve ever been frustrated because the enemy saw you before you saw them, you now know that it could have been because they had a broader or better field of view than you.
Related Article: How Old is CSGO Now?
Changing Actual Field of View with Debug FOV commands
The actual FOV in CSGO is set to 90, and there is no way to change it without enabling cheats on the server. Here’s how to do it for fun. Users can enter the following two commands to enable cheats in CSGO and then alter their actual FOV:
sv_cheats 1
fov_cs_debug #
Users can enter numbers less than 90 to effectively zoom in on their crosshair, or numbers greater than 90 to “zoom out.” This can produce some strange results, especially when the value is greater than 150. Again, these commands will not function in a real match.
However, the legal “viewmodel_fov” command will function in actual matches. Players can move and shift their weapon across the screen and gain a legal advantage over the game’s default settings when combined with all of the commands used to customize CSGO’s viewmodel. Players will not find the viewmodel commands in the CSGO settings menu, unlike the setting to enable the console.
Even though CSGO’s FOV options won’t change the game’s field of view, players might be surprised by how much clutter they can hide with viewmodel_fov. Fov_cs_debug has its uses when taking screenshots, especially if players combine them with the standard viewmodel_fov commands.
Is Changing Field of View Bannable in CS: GO?
Fortunately, changing the field of view in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is not bannable. As previously stated, even the best players change their viewmodel FOV from time to time to gain the most advantage. You do not need to be concerned about VAC bans because no one has been banned for using these commands.
Final Thoughts
Adjusting your field of view in Counter-Strike: GO can help you overcome issues with dizziness or poor visibility. It can really help make the game feel more immersive by dialing in what best suits your needs. We hope this guide on how to change FOV in CSGO has helped improve your gameplay!
For more How To guides, you may want to check out our guide on how to show FPS in CSGO or our overview of how to make use of all of the callouts on Dust 2 map in CSGO.
