CS2 Weapon Spray Patterns & Recoil Control Guide: Master Every Rifle in 2026

Mastering spray patterns remains one of the most critical mechanical skills separating average Counter-Strike 2 players from competitive-level performers. Unlike games with simple vertical recoil, CS2 features unique, weapon-specific spray patterns that require dedicated practice and muscle memory to control consistently. This guide breaks down every major rifle's spray pattern, teaches proven compensation techniques, and provides structured practice routines used by professional players worldwide.

Understanding CS2's Recoil System

Counter-Strike 2's recoil system differs fundamentally from most modern FPS titles. When you fire a weapon in CS2, the bullets do not travel where your crosshair points after the first shot. Instead, each subsequent bullet follows a predetermined pattern unique to that weapon. This pattern is consistent every time you fire, meaning it can be learned and counteracted through deliberate crosshair movement.

The key concept is spray compensation: moving your mouse in the opposite direction of the weapon's natural spray pattern to keep bullets landing on target. While the basic principle sounds straightforward, executing it under pressure during competitive matches requires extensive practice and an understanding of how the system works at a mechanical level.

CS2 introduced subtle changes to the recoil system compared to CS:GO, primarily through its sub-tick architecture. According to Valve's official CS2 page, the sub-tick system ensures that actions like shooting are processed at the precise moment they occur, rather than being tied to server tick intervals. This means spray patterns feel slightly different from CS:GO, though the fundamental patterns themselves remain largely unchanged.

First Shot Accuracy vs. Spray

Before diving into spray patterns, understand the distinction between first shot accuracy and spray control. First shot accuracy (FSA) determines how precisely your initial bullet lands when standing still. Each weapon has a different FSA value, and rifles like the AK-47 and SG 553 have noticeably different first shot accuracy ratings. Spray control only becomes relevant from the second bullet onward.

For engagements beyond medium range, tapping (single shots) or burst firing (2-3 bullets) is generally more effective than full spraying. Spray control is most critical in close-to-medium range fights where you commit to a sustained fire engagement. Understanding when to spray versus tap or burst is itself a skill that separates experienced players from beginners. The CS2 Damage Calculator can help you understand how weapon damage interacts with range and armor to inform these decisions.

AK-47 Spray Pattern: The Most Important Pattern to Learn

The AK-47 is the default Terrorist-side rifle and arguably the single most important weapon in CS2. Its spray pattern has been a defining element of Counter-Strike since the franchise's earliest days, and mastering it provides the largest immediate improvement for most players.

AK-47 Pattern Breakdown

The AK-47's 30-round spray pattern follows a distinctive shape:

• Bullets 1-10 (Initial Rise): The first ten bullets pull sharply upward in a relatively straight vertical line. This is the most important segment to learn, as most spray fights are decided within the first 10 rounds. Compensate by pulling your mouse smoothly downward.
• Bullets 11-15 (Left Sweep): After the vertical rise, the pattern shifts to the left. Transition from pulling down to pulling down-right to compensate.
• Bullets 16-20 (Right Sweep): The pattern reverses direction, sweeping to the right. Counter by moving your crosshair down-left.
• Bullets 21-25 (Left Return): Another directional change, sweeping back left with less vertical movement. Pull right to compensate.
• Bullets 26-30 (Final Right Sweep): The pattern finishes with a rightward movement. Counter by pulling left.

The critical takeaway: approximately 70% of spray fights involve only the first 10-15 bullets. Focus your initial practice on mastering the vertical pull-down before worrying about the horizontal transitions.

AK-47 Compensation Tips

Professional players approach AK-47 spray control with a simple mental model: pull down aggressively for the first 8-10 rounds, then begin a gentle right movement followed by left. Research from HLTV.org, the leading CS2 esports statistics platform, shows that the majority of professional kills with the AK-47 occur within the first 5-7 bullets of a spray, reinforcing the importance of mastering the initial vertical pull.

The amount of mouse movement required depends on your sensitivity settings. Players using lower sensitivities (common among professionals) need larger physical mouse movements. If you haven't optimized your sensitivity yet, our CS2 Sensitivity Converter can help you find settings that work across different games and scenarios.

M4A4 Spray Pattern: CT-Side Precision

The M4A4 serves as the primary Counter-Terrorist rifle for players who prefer magazine capacity (25 rounds) over the M4A1-S's silencer and tighter spread. Its spray pattern is somewhat more forgiving than the AK-47's but still requires dedicated practice.

M4A4 Pattern Breakdown

The M4A4 spray pattern follows a "T" shape when viewed on a wall:

• Bullets 1-8 (Vertical Rise): A clean vertical climb, slightly less aggressive than the AK-47. Pull down smoothly.
• Bullets 9-14 (Right Sweep): The pattern transitions into a rightward horizontal movement. Counter by pulling left while continuing to pull slightly downward.
• Bullets 15-19 (Left Sweep): A reversal to the left side. Pull right to compensate.
• Bullets 20-25 (Tight Finish): The remaining bullets cluster in a tighter area with minor horizontal variation. Small adjustments suffice.

The M4A4's lower damage per bullet compared to the AK-47 means spray fights often last longer. You'll need to control more of the pattern consistently, making the horizontal phases more important in practice.

M4A1-S Spray Pattern: The Silenced Alternative

The M4A1-S trades the M4A4's larger magazine for a silencer, reduced tracers, and a significantly tighter spray pattern. Its 20-round magazine demands better trigger discipline, but the easier recoil control makes it the preferred CT rifle for many professional players.

The M4A1-S pattern is essentially a compressed version of the M4A4's. The vertical rise is less steep, and the horizontal deviations are narrower. For players newer to spray control, the M4A1-S is often recommended as a starting point because success comes more quickly, building confidence before transitioning to more difficult patterns.

Other Important Spray Patterns

SG 553 (Krieg)

The SG 553 features a distinctive diagonal spray pattern that moves up and to the right before sweeping left. Its scope provides a zoom level that changes effective spray distances. While less commonly purchased than the AK-47, understanding its pattern is valuable since it appears in force-buy rounds and specific economic situations. Our CS2 Economy Calculator helps determine when purchasing an SG 553 makes economic sense.

Galil AR and FAMAS

These budget rifles appear frequently in eco and force-buy rounds. The Galil AR's spray pattern is similar to the AK-47 but with more horizontal spread, making it harder to control at range. The FAMAS features a burst-fire mode in addition to full-auto, with its burst mode providing tighter groupings but requiring different timing. Learning these patterns ensures you remain competitive during rounds where full rifle purchases aren't possible.

SMGs: MAC-10, MP9, and UMP-45

SMGs have simpler spray patterns than rifles but are used frequently in anti-eco rounds and as run-and-gun weapons. The MAC-10 and MP9 have high fire rates with moderate spread, while the UMP-45 features a slower, more controllable pattern. SMG spray control is less about precision patterns and more about understanding the general cone of fire while moving.

Practice Methods: Building Muscle Memory

Learning spray patterns requires structured, consistent practice. The following methods are used by professional players and coaches across the competitive CS2 scene.

Wall Spray Practice

The most fundamental practice technique:

1. Load a private server or practice map
2. Stand at a fixed distance from a wall (medium range, roughly 10-15 meters)
3. Empty an entire magazine into the wall without compensating to see the raw spray pattern
4. Now practice compensating: try to keep all bullets hitting the same spot on the wall
5. Repeat 50-100 times per weapon until the compensation becomes automatic

This method builds the foundational muscle memory needed before applying spray control in live matches. Valve's Developer Community resources provide additional documentation on CS2's mechanical systems for players seeking deeper technical understanding.

Workshop Maps and Training Tools

The Steam Workshop offers dedicated spray training maps that visualize patterns and track your accuracy. Popular options include:

• Recoil Master: Displays the spray pattern as a visual guide you follow with your crosshair. Excellent for initial learning.
• Yprac Aim Arena: Combines spray practice with moving targets for more realistic training.
• Aim Botz: While primarily a flick-aim trainer, its customizable bot spawning is useful for applying spray control against stationary targets.

If you're building a complete warm-up routine that includes spray practice alongside other aim exercises, our Aim Warm-Up Routine Generator creates personalized training schedules based on your skill level and available practice time.

Spray Transfer Practice

Spray transfer is an advanced technique where you redirect your spray from one target to another without resetting. This is arguably the highest-skill-ceiling spray technique in CS2 and separates elite aimers from good ones.

To practice spray transfers:

1. Set up two targets at roughly the same distance but different horizontal positions
2. Begin spraying at the first target
3. Mid-spray (around bullets 5-8), flick to the second target while maintaining your spray compensation
4. Continue the spray pattern on the new target

This requires you to simultaneously track where you are in the spray pattern while making a horizontal adjustment. Professional players like ZywOo, NiKo, and s1mple are renowned for their spray transfer ability. You can compare their sensitivity settings and equipment choices using our Pro Player Settings Comparison Tool.

Spray Control at Different Ranges

One often-overlooked aspect of spray control is how distance affects your approach. The same spray pattern appears larger on screen at close range and smaller at long range, but the actual bullet spread relative to your target changes dramatically.

Close Range (Under 5 Meters)

At point-blank distances, spray patterns are less critical because the bullet spread is small relative to the target's body. Focus on centering your crosshair on the enemy's torso and pulling down. Even imperfect spray compensation will land enough hits to secure kills at this range.

Medium Range (5-15 Meters)

This is the sweet spot for full spray control. The pattern is large enough to miss if uncompensated but small enough that learned compensation is highly effective. Most competitive engagements occur at this distance, making it the priority training range.

Long Range (15+ Meters)

At long distances, even perfect spray compensation results in wider bullet groupings due to inherent weapon inaccuracy. Beyond approximately 20 meters, switching to burst fire (3-5 bullets) or tap shooting is more effective than full spraying. The CS2 Competitive Map Pool Guide covers sightlines and engagement distances on each Active Duty map, helping you anticipate when spray control is appropriate.

Movement and Spray: Counter-Strafing

In CS2, moving while shooting dramatically reduces accuracy. Spray patterns only apply when standing still (or counter-strafed to a stop). Counter-strafing — tapping the opposite movement key to instantly stop your character — is essential for effective spray control.

The technique works as follows: if you're moving right (holding D), tap A to instantly stop, then begin your spray. CS2's sub-tick system makes this more responsive than CS:GO, as the server registers your stop and subsequent shots at the precise moment they occur. According to PC Gamer's CS2 coverage, this improved responsiveness was one of the most praised changes in the transition from CS:GO to CS2.

Practice counter-strafing combined with spray control: move left-right between spray attempts, counter-strafe to a stop, and immediately begin your spray pattern. This simulates realistic competitive scenarios where you're rarely standing perfectly still before an engagement begins.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Over-Compensating the Vertical Pull

Many players pull down too aggressively, causing bullets to land below the target after the first few rounds. The fix: practice at a wall and observe where your bullets land. If they're consistently low, reduce your pull-down speed. The compensation should be gradual and smooth, not a sudden jerk.

Ignoring Horizontal Compensation

Players often master the vertical pull-down but neglect the horizontal phases of spray patterns. This causes the 10th-20th bullets to miss despite good initial accuracy. Dedicate specific practice sessions to the mid-spray horizontal transitions.

Spraying at Inappropriate Ranges

Committing to a full spray at 25+ meters is almost always wrong, regardless of spray control skill. The weapon's inherent inaccuracy makes long-range spraying ineffective. Train yourself to tap or burst at distance and reserve spraying for appropriate engagements.

Inconsistent Practice

Spray control degrades without regular practice. Even 10-15 minutes of dedicated spray practice before playing competitive matches maintains and reinforces muscle memory. Many professional players report that spray practice is a non-negotiable part of their daily warm-up routine, as documented in coaching resources from organizations covered in our Taiwan Esports Organizations guide.

Hardware Considerations for Spray Control

Your mouse, mousepad, and settings significantly impact spray control consistency. A gaming mouse with a reliable, high-quality sensor ensures your physical movements translate accurately to in-game crosshair movement. Sensor inconsistencies (acceleration, jitter, or prediction) make learned spray patterns unreliable.

Most professional CS2 players use large mousepads (400mm+ wide) to accommodate the sweeping arm movements required for spray compensation at low sensitivities. Our Gaming Keyboard & Mechanical Switch Guide and the broader hardware coverage on the site can help you build an optimal competitive setup.

The ProSettings database tracks the exact hardware and sensitivity configurations of hundreds of professional CS2 players. Analyzing these settings reveals that the vast majority of professionals use sensitivities between 700-1000 eDPI (effective DPI = mouse DPI multiplied by in-game sensitivity), which provides the fine-motor control necessary for precise spray compensation.

Advanced Techniques: Crouch Spraying and Jiggle Peeking

Crouch Spraying

Crouching while spraying provides two benefits: it reduces your spray spread slightly, and it changes your head position, potentially causing enemy shots aimed at standing head height to miss. However, crouching also makes you a slower target and commits you to the fight. Use crouch spraying when you've committed to a medium-range spray duel and want maximum accuracy.

A common technique is the "crouch spray transfer": begin spraying while standing, crouch after 3-4 bullets to tighten the pattern, then potentially uncrouch mid-spray to reset your position. This requires practice but can be devastatingly effective.

Jiggle Peek into Spray

Jiggle peeking involves making small, rapid peek movements around a corner to gather information. When combined with spray control, the technique becomes: jiggle peek to spot an enemy, wide-peek with a counter-strafe, and commit to a spray. The initial movement baits the enemy's first shot while your committed peek catches them during their recovery time.

Structured Practice Plan

For players serious about improving their spray control, here is a structured weekly practice plan:

Day	Focus	Duration	Exercise
Monday	AK-47 Full Spray	15 min	Wall spray at medium range, 100 full magazines
Tuesday	M4A4/M4A1-S Full Spray	15 min	Wall spray, alternating between M4A4 and M4A1-S
Wednesday	Spray Transfers	20 min	Two-target transfer practice with AK-47 and M4
Thursday	Moving Targets	15 min	Yprac or Aim Botz with moving bots, full spray
Friday	Counter-Strafe Sprays	15 min	Movement + spray combo at varying distances
Weekend	Budget Weapons	10 min	Galil, FAMAS, and SMG spray practice

Consistency matters more than volume. Ten minutes of focused, daily spray practice produces better results than sporadic hour-long sessions. Track your progress by periodically recording your spray patterns on walls and comparing them over time.

How Professional Players Approach Spray Control

Analyzing professional CS2 matches through platforms like HLTV reveals that elite players rarely empty full magazines in competitive play. Most professional kills occur within the first 5-10 bullets of a spray, reinforcing the importance of mastering the initial vertical compensation above all else.

Notable observations from the professional scene:

• Spray discipline: Professionals frequently stop spraying and reposition rather than committing to a full magazine dump. Knowing when to stop spraying is as important as spray control itself.
• Crosshair placement: Professional-level crosshair placement means sprays start closer to the target, requiring less compensation. Our CS2 Crosshair Generator helps optimize your crosshair for clear target acquisition.
• Adaptive spray: Elite players adjust their spray commitment based on distance, number of enemies, and tactical situation. They don't have a single "spray mode" — they fluidly transition between taps, bursts, and sprays.
• Practice volume: According to coaching staff at organizations tracked by Esports Earnings, professional players typically spend 30-60 minutes daily on raw aim and spray practice outside of team scrimmages.

CS2-Specific Changes from CS:GO

While CS2 preserved the core spray patterns from CS:GO, several system-level changes affect how spray control feels and performs:

• Sub-Tick System: Shots register at the exact moment they're fired, eliminating the tick-dependent registration of CS:GO. This makes spray control feel more responsive and consistent.
• Updated Smoke Interactions: Spraying through smokes behaves differently in CS2, as volumetric smokes create inconsistent visual obscuration. Adjust your spray commitment when firing through smoke.
• Movement Accuracy Changes: CS2 has seen multiple updates to movement accuracy values since launch. These changes affect how quickly accuracy recovers after counter-strafing, directly impacting spray timing.
• Visual Feedback: CS2's updated graphics engine provides clearer bullet impact feedback, making it easier to see where your spray is landing and adjust in real-time.

Staying current with CS2 patch changes that affect weapon mechanics is essential. Our Counter-Strike Hub covers all major updates, including weapon balance changes that can alter spray patterns or accuracy values.