CS2 radio commands: the three radial menus, the console commands behind them, and what changed in October 2026
Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2026 11:30 pm
Quick summary
The active tab is controlled by cl_radial_radio_tab, which defaults to 0. The text for each entry is stored in cl_radial_radio_tab_<tab>_text_<slot>, and these are the defaults Valve ships:
Tab 0, requests and commands:
Valve's October 14, 2026 update notes list one line under MISC: "Allowed radio commands now have an explicit list." That is the change. The set of commands the menu will accept is now defined by the game rather than left open, which matters if you bind a radio command and it silently does nothing.
The same update log shows a separate radio-adjacent change on October 8, 2026: "Added a ping icon for dropped defuse kits." That one is a HUD icon for a dropped kit, not a change to the radio menu.
FAQ
Q: How do I open the radio menu?
A: Bind one of radio1, radio2 or radio3 to a key and press it. The console lists all three as "Opens a radio menu".
Q: Can I change what the menu says?
A: Yes, per entry, with cl_radial_radio_tab_<tab>_text_<slot>. The values listed above are Valve's defaults.
Q: Is radio heard by the enemy team?
A: No. The Counter-Strike Wiki states that radio is communicated to all players on your team and that players on the enemy team cannot hear it.
Q: Does a radio command show in chat?
A: For most commands and responses, the wiki says a corresponding message appears in the chat window.
Q: What is the difference between radio1, radio2 and radio3?
A: Valve documents all three as opening a radio menu and does not describe them differently. The practical difference is which tab cl_radial_radio_tab points at when the menu opens.
Q: Can I ping instead of sending a command?
A: Yes. cl_radial_radio_tap_to_ping is true by default. Tap the radio button and select nothing, and a ping is left after the delay set by cl_radial_menu_tap_duration.
Sources
Valve Developer Community: List of Counter-Strike 2 console commands and variables
Counter-Strike 2 update log, October 14, 2026
Counter-Strike Wiki: Radio Commands
- CS2 radio is a radial menu. Valve documents three console commands for it, radio1, radio2 and radio3, and each one is described as "Opens a radio menu".
- The menu shows one of three tabs, picked by cl_radial_radio_tab. Tab 0 is requests, tab 1 is reports, tab 2 is responses and social.
- Valve's October 14, 2026 update notes state "Allowed radio commands now have an explicit list", which is the first time the game spells out which commands the menu accepts.
- You can leave a ping instead of a command. cl_radial_radio_tap_to_ping is on by default, so tapping the radio button and selecting nothing leaves a ping after the delay set by cl_radial_menu_tap_duration.
- Radio is heard by your own team only, and most commands also print a line in the chat window.
The active tab is controlled by cl_radial_radio_tab, which defaults to 0. The text for each entry is stored in cl_radial_radio_tab_<tab>_text_<slot>, and these are the defaults Valve ships:
Tab 0, requests and commands:
- requestspend
- requestweapon
- bplan
- followingyou
- midplan
- followme
- aplan
- requestecoround
- enemyspotted
- needbackup
- bplan
- bombcarrierspotted
- multipleenemieshere
- sniperspotted
- aplan
- inposition
- affirmative
- negative
- compliment
- thanks
- cheer
- peptalk
- sorry
- sectorclear
- radio1, radio2, radio3: open a radio menu.
- +radialradio and -radialradio: press and release the first radio menu. radialradio2 and radialradio3 do the same for the other two.
- cl_radial_radio_tab: which tab the menu shows. Default 0.
- cl_radial_radio_tab_<n>_text_<slot>: the text shown for one entry. The lists above are the defaults.
- cl_radial_radio_tap_to_ping: leave a ping when you tap the radio button and select nothing. Default true.
- cl_radial_radio_version_reset: default 12.
- cl_radialmenu_deadzone_size: 0.4, and cl_radialmenu_deadzone_size_joystick: 0.17.
- voice_modenable: turns voice chat on or off. voice_vox is 0 by default, and a non-zero value switches voice to always on.
Valve's October 14, 2026 update notes list one line under MISC: "Allowed radio commands now have an explicit list." That is the change. The set of commands the menu will accept is now defined by the game rather than left open, which matters if you bind a radio command and it silently does nothing.
The same update log shows a separate radio-adjacent change on October 8, 2026: "Added a ping icon for dropped defuse kits." That one is a HUD icon for a dropped kit, not a change to the radio menu.
FAQ
Q: How do I open the radio menu?
A: Bind one of radio1, radio2 or radio3 to a key and press it. The console lists all three as "Opens a radio menu".
Q: Can I change what the menu says?
A: Yes, per entry, with cl_radial_radio_tab_<tab>_text_<slot>. The values listed above are Valve's defaults.
Q: Is radio heard by the enemy team?
A: No. The Counter-Strike Wiki states that radio is communicated to all players on your team and that players on the enemy team cannot hear it.
Q: Does a radio command show in chat?
A: For most commands and responses, the wiki says a corresponding message appears in the chat window.
Q: What is the difference between radio1, radio2 and radio3?
A: Valve documents all three as opening a radio menu and does not describe them differently. The practical difference is which tab cl_radial_radio_tab points at when the menu opens.
Q: Can I ping instead of sending a command?
A: Yes. cl_radial_radio_tap_to_ping is true by default. Tap the radio button and select nothing, and a ping is left after the delay set by cl_radial_menu_tap_duration.
Sources
Valve Developer Community: List of Counter-Strike 2 console commands and variables
Counter-Strike 2 update log, October 14, 2026
Counter-Strike Wiki: Radio Commands