To open the console in Counter-Strike 2, switch it on first: click the gear icon on the main menu to open Settings, go to the Game tab, and set Enable Developer Console to Yes. Then press the key directly below Esc and to the left of the 1 key (the ~ key on a US keyboard) to open it, and press it again to close it.
That is all it takes on a US layout. On other keyboard layouts that key has a different symbol printed on it, and on a few layouts it fights with your typing, so below we cover what to press on each layout, how to move the console to a key you prefer, and what to do when nothing happens.
How to Enable the Developer Console in CS2
The console is switched off on a fresh install. You only have to turn it on once, and the setting is saved with the rest of your settings.
- Launch Counter-Strike 2 from Steam.
- On the main menu, click the gear icon to open Settings.
- Open the Game tab. The first section in it is also called Game.
- Find Enable Developer Console and set it to Yes.
- Close Settings and press the console key described in the next section.
These are the same steps Valve gives for Counter-Strike 2 in its Steam Support article on the developer console in Valve games. The console works in the main menu as well as in a match, so you do not need to load a map first.
If that row reads Launched With Developer Console instead and you cannot change it, you started the game with a launch option that forces the console on. The game’s own tooltip for the setting says launch options like -dev or -console override it, so you can skip straight to pressing the key.
Which Key Opens the Console on Your Keyboard
The game’s default key configuration binds the console to the grave accent key, the one that also carries the tilde (~) on US keyboards. CS2 binds keys by their physical position rather than by the character printed on them: the option behind this is described in the game as binding keys “based on keyboard position instead of key name,” and Valve’s February 2024 update notes say key bindings became independent of your input language.
In practice that means the console key is always the one in the top-left corner of the main keyboard block, under Esc and left of 1, whatever is printed on it:
| Keyboard layout | What is printed on the console key |
|---|---|
| US English | ` and ~ |
| UK English | ` and ¬ |
| German and Austrian (QWERTZ) | ^ and ° |
| French (AZERTY) | ² |
| Spanish (Spain) | º and ª |
| Italian | \ and | |
| Swedish and Finnish | § and ½ |
| Brazilian Portuguese (ABNT2) | ‘ and “ |
| Japanese | The Hankaku/Zenkaku key |
Valve’s own support article only names the ~ key “for English/US keyboard configurations,” which is why players on other layouts often go looking for a key that does not exist.
Why the Console Closes as Soon as You Type
On some layouts the console key is also a “dead key”: a key that waits for the next letter so it can put an accent on it. The German ^ is the classic example. The console opens, but your first keystroke gets swallowed or the console seems to vanish.
Valve’s Steam Support article on the developer console disappearing blames this on the operating system’s language setting and lists three fixes:
- Switch Windows to an English keyboard layout while you play.
- Press A, E, I, O or U, then Backspace each time you open the console. That uses up the waiting accent, and you can type normally after it.
- Move the console to another key, ideally a function key, as described next.
How to Change the Console Key
There are two ways to do it, and both are saved.
From the Settings menu: open Settings, go to Keyboard / Mouse, scroll to the UI Keys section, click the box next to Toggle Console and press the key you want. There is a shortcut, too: the Go To Console Key Binding button next to Enable Developer Console in the Game tab jumps straight to it.
From the console itself: type the bind command and press Enter. For example:
bind "F9" "toggleconsole"
Valve’s support article recommends function keys for this and warns against normal typing characters or numbers, since a console that opens every time you type that letter in chat is no fun. Its own example uses F12, but F12 is Steam’s default screenshot key, so we suggest a free key instead. The game’s default bindings already use F3, F4, F5, F6, F7 and F10, which leaves F8 and F9 as clean choices. Valve also blocked binding the console to the left mouse button back in 2023, because it broke menu clicks.
Console Not Opening: What to Check
Work down this list; nearly every “console not opening” report comes from one of these:
- The setting is still No. Go back to Settings, then Game, and check Enable Developer Console.
- You are pressing the wrong key. Use the key under Esc, not a key with a ~ printed elsewhere on a non-US keyboard.
- The key was rebound. Check Toggle Console under UI Keys in Keyboard / Mouse, or bind it again with the command above.
- A dead key is eating your input. Use the vowel and Backspace trick or move the console to a function key.
- It stopped working mid-session. Restart the game. Valve has fixed console-key bugs before (one in May 2024 stopped the key working after a Premier map pick), so a restart is a sensible first step.
- Force it at launch. Add -console to the game’s launch options in Steam (right-click Counter-Strike 2 in your Library, then Properties, then Launch Options). The game’s tooltip confirms this overrides the menu setting.
What You Can Do Once It Is Open
Type a command, press Enter, and it runs. Commands that change your own settings, such as sensitivity or radar zoom, work anywhere. Commands that would give you an advantage are cheat-protected: they only work on a server you host yourself, such as a Practice match, after you enter sv_cheats 1. For an on-screen frame rate counter, Valve now points players to the Telemetry options under Settings, then Game, rather than a console command; the same telemetry display appears in Valve’s other Source 2 game, which we cover in our Deadlock settings guide.
If you play other PC games with consoles, they work very differently: Skyrim’s console, for example, targets objects you click on, as our Skyrim console guide explains.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I open the console in CS2? Turn on Enable Developer Console under Settings, then Game, and press the key under Esc (the ~ key on US keyboards). Press the same key again to close it.
Is the console enabled by default in CS2? No. It is off on a fresh install, so you have to switch it on once in the Game tab of Settings.
What is the console key on a German keyboard? The ^ key in the top-left corner, left of 1. Because ^ is a dead key, press a vowel and then Backspace after opening the console, or bind the console to a function key.
Can I open the CS2 console from the main menu? Yes. Once it is enabled, the console opens in the main menu as well as in matches.
Does the -console launch option still work in CS2? Yes. The game’s own tooltip for the Enable Developer Console setting says launch options like -dev or -console override it.
Is it safe to use the console? The console is a standard part of Valve’s games, and Valve documents how to enable it on its own support site. Commands that would give an advantage are cheat-protected and only work on servers you host with sv_cheats turned on.