CS2 field of view and scoped sensitivity: viewmodel_fov, fov_cs_debug, and zoom_sensitivity_ratio explained

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Quick summary

• CS2 keeps two field-of-view settings apart. viewmodel_fov moves your weapon model on screen. It does not widen what you can see.
• fov_cs_debug is the command that changes the view field of view, and it only runs when sv_cheats is enabled.
• zoom_sensitivity_ratio is the setting that changes how your mouse feels while scoped. Its default is 1, which means no change.
• Valve's command list does not define its own flag column, so the flags below are quoted as they appear and not explained.
• That Valve page is a snapshot from October 2 2023, so a command may have been hidden or removed since.

viewmodel_fov and the offsets

viewmodel_fov sets the field of view of the view model, which is the weapon model you see on screen. Valve lists its default as 60 and its description as "Viewmodel FOV". Changing it moves the gun closer or further away and changes how large it appears. It does not touch the camera that renders the world.

The three offsets place the model. Valve lists viewmodel_offset_x at 1, viewmodel_offset_y at 1 and viewmodel_offset_z at -1. The presetpos command picks a named layout instead, and Valve lists its default as 1 with the description "1:'Desktop', 2:'Couch', 3:'Classic'".

fov_cs_debug and fov_desired

Two other commands touch the actual view.

• fov_desired carries a default of 75 and the description "Sets the base field-of-view."
• fov_cs_debug carries a default of 0 and the description "Sets the view fov if cheats are on."

The cheat flag is the important part. A third-party command reference for fov_cs_debug states that sv_cheats must be set to 1 for it to work, that unlike viewmodel_fov it has no limits, and gives 70, 120, 150 and 50 as example values. In normal matchmaking sv_cheats is locked, so fov_cs_debug is a private-server and offline tool rather than something you can set in a ranked game.

Valve's page also notes that Counter-Strike 2 does not print the actual cvar list with Cvarlist when using the -Condebug launch option, unlike earlier games.

zoom_sensitivity_ratio

Valve lists zoom_sensitivity_ratio with a default of 1 and the description "Additional mouse sensitivity scale factor applied when FOV is zoomed in." The third-party reference for the same command confirms the default of 1 means no change, that sv_cheats is not required, and that 0.5 halves the zoomed sensitivity while 1.5 increases it by 50 percent.

Set it in your autoexec so it survives a restart, and leave the world FOV alone unless you are on a server where cheats are allowed. For anything current, Valve's own update notes are the page to check after a patch.

Sources
Valve Developer Community: List of Counter-Strike 2 console commands and variables
Total CS: zoom_sensitivity_ratio command reference
Total CS: fov_cs_debug command reference
Counter-Strike 2 update notes (Valve, official)