A CS2 practice config is one file you write once and run with a single command. Below is a set that has been checked line by line against the game’s own command list, which matters because the block copied around most guides contains at least one command that no longer exists.
What a CS2 practice config actually does
It turns a normal local server into a training environment: no bots in the way, no round timer, no money limit, unlimited utility, and visible feedback for shots and grenades.
Without it you spend the first minute of every session typing commands, and the round ends before you finish. With it you type one word.
The config, line by line
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
sv_cheats 1 | unlocks everything else here |
bot_kick | clears the bots so you can set up your own |
mp_warmup_end | skips warmup immediately |
mp_freezetime 0 | no waiting at round start |
mp_roundtime 60 and mp_roundtime_defuse 60 | rounds long enough to practise in |
mp_maxmoney 60000, mp_startmoney 60000 | buy anything, any time |
mp_buytime 9999, mp_buy_anywhere 1 | buy menu everywhere, permanently |
sv_infinite_ammo 1 | no reloading, unlimited utility |
ammo_grenade_limit_total 5 | carry a full set of grenades |
sv_showimpacts 1, sv_showimpacts_time 10 | see exactly where shots land |
sv_grenade_trajectory_prac_pipreview 1 | grenade preview while practising lineups |
mp_respawn_on_death_ct 1, mp_respawn_on_death_t 1 | keep going after dying |
mp_limitteams 0, mp_autoteambalance 0 | stop the server rearranging teams |
mp_restartgame 1 | applies everything above |
Every one of those exists in the current game. That is not a claim you can make about the blocks circulating in most guides.
The command that no longer exists
Plenty of practice configs still include a grenade trajectory duration setting carried over from the previous game. It is not in CS2. Paste it and the console ignores that line, which is why people report that trajectories vanish too quickly and cannot work out why nothing they change helps.
What the game does have are three related settings with different names:
- a practice trail duration, accepting values from zero to eight,
- a spectator trajectory duration, also zero to eight,
- a client side trajectory simulation command.
So the behaviour people want is available, just under names that no guide seems to have updated. If your trails disappear too fast, that is the setting to change rather than the one every article lists.
Two lines worth adding that nobody lists
Beyond the standard block, two settings make a noticeable difference and rarely appear in published configs.
A longer impact display. The default duration for bullet impacts is short enough that you turn away before reading the pattern. Raising it lets you shoot a spray, then walk up to the wall and study where every round went.
A practice trail duration you set deliberately. Since the command most guides name does not exist, the trail length is whatever the game defaults to, which is usually too short for lineup work. Setting the correct one explicitly is the difference between seeing the arc and seeing a flash of it.
Neither is exotic. They are simply the two settings that decide whether the visual feedback is long enough to learn from, which is the entire reason to enable it.
How to install it
- Create a text file called
practice.cfg. - Paste the commands into it, one per line.
- Put it in the game’s config folder, alongside your other configs.
- Open a local server with any map.
- Type
exec practicein the console.
That last step is the whole payoff. One command, everything applied, and it survives updates because it lives in your own file rather than in the game’s settings.
If the console will not open in the first place, that is a separate and very common problem, covered over at the CS2 console not opening.
Why sv_cheats has to be first
Most of the useful lines here are cheat protected, which means they do nothing until cheats are enabled on that server.
Put sv_cheats 1 at the top of the file. If it sits in the middle, everything above it runs and everything below it fails silently, which produces a config that half works and is extremely annoying to debug.
The boundaries of what that setting allows, and where it will not work at all, are covered in our write up on what sv_cheats 1 does in CS2.
Adding bots properly
Clearing the bots and then placing your own is what makes this useful for aim work rather than just for grenades.
The pattern is straightforward: remove them all, add them where you want them, and stop them moving. A stationary bot in a common angle is a target you can pre aim at repeatedly, which is exactly what matchmaking never gives you.
For learning where those angles are, the skeleton display makes them obvious, and we covered it in the CS2 wallhack command for practice.
Practising with a friend
Everything above works in a private lobby as well, with one difference that catches people out: only the host can change server settings.
That means the config has to be executed by whoever opened the lobby. A second player running the same file locally changes nothing, because those commands are server side.
Once it is running, two people make several exercises far better. One plants a smoke while the other watches where it lands from the defending side. One holds an angle while the other practises the entry. Neither of those works alone.
The one thing to agree in advance is who is host, because switching means setting everything up again from scratch.
What to actually do in a session
A config is not a training plan. Three routines cover most of what a solo player needs.
Grenades. Pick two lineups per map, repeat each ten times, and only then move on. Trajectory display turns this from guessing into repetition.
Pre aim. Walk one route with bots placed at the usual angles. Aim where they are before you can see them.
Spray control. Impacts visible, one wall, one weapon, fifty bullets. The pattern becomes obvious in a way it never does in a match.
Fifteen minutes of any one of those beats an hour of wandering an empty map shooting at nothing.
Common mistakes with a CS2 practice config
- Copying a config from CS:GO. A meaningful part of it silently does nothing.
- Putting sv_cheats anywhere but the first line. Half the file fails without warning.
- Never restarting the round. Some settings only take effect on a fresh round.
- Practising with everything visible permanently. Turn the aids off periodically and test what you remember.
- Building an enormous config. Fifteen lines you understand beat two hundred you inherited.
Keeping a second config for aim only
One file for everything sounds tidy and works badly in practice.
Grenade practice wants long trails, generous round time and utility everywhere. Aim practice wants none of that: no visual clutter, bots placed and still, impacts on, everything else out of the way.
Two small files, executed by name, switch between those setups in a second. Trying to serve both from one config produces a session where half the settings are fighting what you are doing.
Name them plainly, keep each under twenty lines, and the whole thing stays maintainable when the game changes something.
Checking whether a command still exists
Since the useful skill here is verification rather than collection, the method is worth stating.
Type the command on its own in the console. If the game reports a value or a description, it exists. If the console says nothing at all, it does not, and no amount of retyping will change that.
That single test would remove most of the outdated advice circulating about this game, and it takes two seconds per command.
One habit that makes practice stick
Write down what you worked on, in one line, after each session. Two lineups on one map, or fifty bullets on one weapon.
It sounds like overhead and it solves the thing that ruins solo practice: doing something slightly different every time and therefore never repeating anything enough for it to land.
Frequently asked questions about the CS2 practice config
Where do I put practice.cfg?
In the game’s config folder, alongside your other configuration files. Then run exec practice in the console.
Why do my commands do nothing?
Usually because cheats are not enabled, or because sv_cheats 1 is not the first line of the file.
Does the config work in matchmaking?
No. Cheat protected commands are blocked outside local servers and community servers that allow them.
Why do grenade trails disappear so quickly?
Because the duration command in most guides no longer exists in CS2. The game uses differently named settings for practice and spectator trails.
How do I keep bots still?
Clear them first, place the ones you want, then stop them moving. A stationary bot is the useful kind for pre aim work.
Do I need to restart the round?
Yes, for some settings. That is what the restart line at the end of the config is for.
Will this config break after an update?
Rarely, and when it does the fix is to test each line in the console and remove whatever the game no longer recognises.
Last updated: September 2026
