5 Ways to Fix the CS2 Black Screen Error on a Windows PC

Some Counter-Strike 2 players have reported a CS2 black screen issue that occurs when they start the game. One CS2 player’s Reddit post described that issue as follows: “I have this issue when I launch CS2, it automatically starts in black screen. I can hear the lobby sounds, I can see my mouse, but it’s just black screen.” Players can’t play Counter-Strike 2 because of this widely reported black screen issue. This is how you can fix the CS2 black screen error on Windows 11/10 PCs.

Read also: 5 Ways to Fix the “Failed to Create D3D Device” Error for Counter-Strike 2 and Other Games

Run a Counter-Strike 2 Verification Scan

Start your troubleshooting for the CS2 black screen issue by running a verification scan for the game. This scan will check for game file corruption and apply the required repairs. You can run a repair scan by selecting a Verify option for Counter-Strike 2, as outlined on this Steam support webpage.

Verify integrity of game files option

Delete the 730 Folder

Counter-Strike 2 players have said they’ve fixed the CS2 black screen issue by erasing the 730 folder. So, that’s got to be worth a try. These are the steps for erasing the 730 folder.

1. Click File Explorer’s pinned taskbar shortcut.
2. Go to this folder path: Program Files\Steam\userdata\. 
3. Double-click the folder with the random number name, which will look something like 1701219964.
4. Right-click the 730 folder to select Delete.
   
   

   The 730 game folder

Set a High-Resolution Launch Option

Setting a high-resolution launch option is another fix for the CS2 black screen that’s worked for some players. Doing this will set the game to start with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. This is how you can set a high-resolution launch setting for the Counter-Strike 2 game.

1. Double-click your Steam shortcut to launch that gaming client.
2. Select Library in the Steam window.
3. Right-click Counter-Strike 2 on the left side of the Library tab to select Properties.
   
   

   The resolution launch parameter

4. Input -w 1920 -h 1080 in the Launch Options box on the General tab.

Set an Autoconfig Launch Option

Autoconfig is another launch option that can fix the CS2 black screen issue. This is a startup parameter that restores the Counter-Strike 2 settings to default. Go through steps one to three of the previous resolution to reach the Launch Options box for CS2. Then input -autoconfig inside the Launch Options box.

The -autoconfig launch parameter

Run Counter-Strike 2 in Compatibility Mode

1. Open Counter-Strike 2’s installation folder at this default directory path: Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\bin\win64.
2. Right-click the cs2.exe file and select Properties.
3. Select Compatibility in the window’s tab bar.
4. Next, click Run this program in compatibility mode to activate a platform drop-down menu.
5. Select the Windows 8 OS.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

6. Click the checkbox for Disable fullscreen optimization to enable that setting.
7. Select Apply to set all the selected compatibility options.
8. Press OK to leave the window.

So, try applying those troubleshooting methods whenever Counter-Strike 2 starts with a black screen on your PC. Those resolutions are widely confirmed ways to fix the CS2 black screen issue. You can also contact the support service for CS2 from this Steam page if further potential resolutions are required.