What Is a Spray Pattern in CS:GO?
When you shoot and bullets fly out of your weapon, they usually don't hit the same spot. Due to this feature, uncontrolled automatic firing of guns that are available to Counter-Strike fans isn't very effective. It's much better to aim at the opponent's head and fire single shots.
However, such shooting isn't always appropriate. There are times when it's very difficult to hit the target with a single bullet. For example, say you enter into combat with a cunning enemy who makes chaotic movements instead of remaining static.
If your foes are constantly moving and don't freeze in the same place where you meet them, your aiming accuracy is reduced and head kills become difficult. The way out is to shoot bursts from your gun. In this case, knowledge of spray patterns will come in handy.
A weapon's spray pattern, or spray in short, is sort of like the path that bullets take when auto-firing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. To understand what we mean, launch CS and pick up a machine gun. Go to the wall, point the crosshair at it and hold down the left mouse button.
The marks on the wall that you'll see when you’re done shooting is called a spray pattern. Depending on the weapon, bullets can fly up, down, left, and right. This is because of the recoil that every gun has. Hence, you must learn to control the spray so as not to shoot past your opponents.
The bad news is that every weapon in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has its own spray pattern. Luckily, it doesn't change while shooting. If you master spray control for the AK-47, USP-S, Desert Eagle, or other weapon, this skill will stay with you forever.
How to Learn Spray and Recoil Patterns
To learn spray, you'll have to conduct a series of experiments on a local server. To do this, you must arm yourself with some gun and shoot at the walls. This should be done from short, medium, and long distances. Regular practice will help you hone your weapon's recoil control over time. You'll also find images of different spray patterns below in this post.
Recoil vs. Inaccuracy
Many players think they're bad shooters because they can't control the spray. In fact, there is another factor, due to which each of your bullets flies in the wrong direction. This is called inaccuracy.
The inaccuracy can both increase and decrease. Much depends on what you do while shooting. For instance, you can be running or standing in place. This affects the accuracy when you shoot at your target.
Unfortunately, you cannot compensate for the inaccuracy. As for the spray control, it's quite possible. In practice, this means that you can compensate for the recoil of your weapon.
Inaccuracy | Recoil |
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CS:GO Recoil Commands
Please note that the console commands from this section will work in a match against bots or on your own server where you can enable cheats.
Command | Description |
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sv_cheats 1 | Enables cheats. |
weapon_accuracy_nospread 1 | Disables the inaccuracy of your gun. |
weapon_debug_spread_gap 1 | Activates the shot check. |
weapon_recoil_cooldown 0 | Deactivates the vertical recoil. |
weapon_recoil_decay1_exp 888888 | Sets the decay factor exponent for the recoil to 888888. |
weapon_recoil_decay2_exp 888888 | |
weapon_recoil_decay2_lin 888888 | Sets the linear term decay factor exponent for the recoil to 888888. |
weapon_recoil_scale 0 | Sets the scale for the gun recoil. The higher the value, the more difficult it is to fire the weapon. |
weapon_recoil_suppression_shots 900 | Sets the shot limit after which your gun will start firing with the standard recoil. |
How to Control Spray in CS:GO
When you're auto-firing, the path of the bullets is predetermined. Since the spray pattern doesn't change, you can use this feature for recoil compensation. How? Try the opposite direction trick!
To control the spray, just move your mouse in the opposite direction to its path. As a result, you'll compensate for the recoil. The spread of bullets will be significantly reduced.
At first, recoil patterns will give you some problems. When you learn how to control them, you'll increase your skills in using different weapons. So, practice spray control and you'll succeed.
Getting the Movement Right
You may find it unusual to move your mouse in the opposite direction to the recoil pattern. But this is the only possible way out if you want your bullets to fly right on target. Once you master the art of moving your weapon, it'll become easier for you to aim and shoot on the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive battlefields.
Perfecting Your Timing
When you use the opposite direction trick, it's very important not to overcompensate for the recoil. You have to find the right timing for every bullet that comes out of your gun barrel. We understand that it can be extremely difficult to do for beginners, but a high fire rate in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive cannot be achieved otherwise.
Best Recoil and Spray Control Training Maps
Playing with bots isn't the best way to practice spray control. Fighting with them is for players who have already mastered the basics of recoil compensation. How to do this? Train on special maps! We'll talk about the best of them below.
Recoil Master
Official Page |
Recoil Master is a great choice for learning CS:GO spray patterns. This map is perfect for players who are looking for great recoil control training. Download it now and start practicing shooting with any weapons that are available in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
Yprac Recoil Trainer
Official Page |
Yprac Recoil Trainer is one of the most popular maps for CS:GO spray control training. When you download this map, you'll not only be able to complete recoil practice, but also take part in different challenges. Numerous options allow you to customize your recoil training to your needs.
Aim Botz
Official Page |
Although Aim Botz isn't a specific map for mastering spray control, it's excellent for this purpose. You can shoot at player models here. They either stand frozen in place or move around the map. Thanks to this, you can learn the features of a particular recoil pattern in conditions that are as close as possible to combat.
Spray and Recoil Patterns for CS:GO Guns
Now it's time to find out what spray patterns look like for most guns in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. You'll find this and other useful info below.
AK-47
AK-47 spray pattern | Up and to the left => Right => Left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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M4A4
M4A4 spray pattern | Up and slightly to the left and right => Up and to the left => Right => Left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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M4A1-S
M4A1-S spray | Up and slightly to the right => Up and to the left => Right and down a bit |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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GALIL AR
GALIL AR spray pattern | Up and to the left => Right => Left => Right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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SG 553
SG 553 spray | Up and to the right => Down and to the right => Left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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G3SG1
G3SG1 spray pattern | Up with slight deflections down, left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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FAMAS
FAMAS spray | Up and slightly to the right => Up and to the left => Up and to the right => A little up and to the left => Down a bit |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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AUG
AUG spray pattern | Up and to the left => Right => Left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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SCAR-20
SCAR-20 spray pattern | Up with slight deflections down, left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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MAC-10
MAC-10 spray pattern | Up and to the left => Right and down a bit => Left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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MP7
MP7 spray pattern | Up and to the right => Left => Slightly up and to the right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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UMP-45
UMP-45 spray pattern | Up and to the right => Up and to the left => Left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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PP-BIZON
PP-BIZON spray | Up and to the right => Up and to the left => Left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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P90
P90 spray pattern | Up and to the right => Up and to the left => Right and left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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M249
M249 spray pattern | Up and to the right => Up and to the left => Up => Left, right, and sometimes sharply down |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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NEGEV
NEGEV spray | Up with deflections to the left and right => Chaotic movements up, down, left, and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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P2000
P2000 spray pattern | Straight up |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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GLOCK-18
GLOCK-18 spray | Straight up => Slightly to the left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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USP-S
USP-S spray pattern | Straight up |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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P250
P250 spray | Straight up with slight deflections to the left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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DESERT EAGLE
DESERT EAGLE spray pattern | Different directions without clearly defined patterns |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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DUAL BERETTAS
DUAL BERETTAS spray | Straight up with slight deflections to the left and right => Up and down |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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TEC-9
TEC-9 spray pattern | Up and to the left => Up and to the right => Up, down, left, and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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CZ75-AUTO
CZ75-AUTO spray | Center => Chaotic flight in different directions |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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FIVE-SEVEN
FIVE-SEVEN spray pattern | Straight up |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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MP9
MP9 spray | Up and to the left => Down a bit => Right => Left |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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SSG 08
SSG 08 spray pattern | A single-shot weapon |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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AWP
AWP spray | A single-shot weapon |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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XM1014
XM1014 spray pattern | Up with slight deflections to the left and right |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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MAG-7
he MAG-7 spray | Center with minimal deflections |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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NOVA
NOVA spray pattern | Center with minimal deflections |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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SAWED-OFF
SAWED-OFF spray | Center with minimal deflections |
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Recoil compensation tips |
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How to Find the Recoil Pattern of a Gun
We talked about one of the methods earlier. Just walk up to a wall and shoot the entire magazine of your current weapon at it. This is a simple way to find spray patterns for all the guns. The disadvantage of this method is that you have to spend quite a lot of time on your in-game research.
The second way is simpler and more efficient. Add this page to your Favorites and come back here when you need to recall specific patterns. We've collected them for all the popular weapons that you can use in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The weapon sections on this page contain animated images of various spray patterns. To quickly find them, press CTRL + F and enter the name of the gun in the search field. Then, you can learn the spray of the first ten bullets. This is exactly what pro players advise to do for most guns.
Tips and Tricks to Master the Spray Pattern of a Gun
In this section, we've collected tips and tricks that will help you master CS:GO spray control faster. Follow our advice, improve your gaming experience, and get the most out of the game. Good luck on the battlefield!
Practice Every Day
Regular practice will develop your muscle memory. During your first training sessions, recoil control will seem very difficult. You may even start to think that CS weapons are completely uncontrollable. Bullets will fly anywhere but the target.
However, if you persist and practice every day, your skills will gradually improve. After a while, you'll instinctively start moving your mouse in the right directions. Muscle memory is a great thing when you develop it from day to day.
Start Small
Don't try to learn how to properly shoot all the weapons available in the game. This is impossible. It’s better to start with your favorite gun or the AK-47. Why this particular rifle?
The fact is that pro players advise the AK-47 when they're asked which weapon to start learning how to control recoil with. We think their opinion is worth listening to. Pros rarely give bad advice.
Trace Out Compensation Patterns
For example, you can do this on our website. When you need to trace out some compensation pattern, you can quickly find it on this page. You can even practice if you want.
Let's say you need to learn how to shoot the AK-47. Skip to its description. Then try repeating the movements with your mouse, which you can see under Recoil Compensation on the image.
Don't Give Up
Why do pro players have such incredible skills? Because they never gave up and stubbornly went on to achieve their gaming goals. We encourage you to follow their example.
Don't give up until you can control the recoil of at least one weapon. Once you do this, further training will be much easier. If pros could do it, you can too!
Conclusion
Our post is over. We hope it was useful for you. Now put what you’ve learned into practice. It may be difficult for you at first, but we believe that you'll achieve excellent results sooner or later.
Your gaming achievements are the best gratitude for our work. We'll be super stoked if our post helps you improve your skills and reach new CS:GO heights. We wish you a good game!
FAQ
Does CS:GO have spray patterns?
Yes. Most of them are quite confusing. It'll take you some time to deal with the spray control of a particular gun and learn how to properly move your weapon to compensate for the recoil.
Are CS:GO spray patterns realistic?
No. Although you may think that in-game weapons shoot very realistically, they only mimic real guns. Complete imitation is extremely difficult to achieve with the current level of technology.
Does CS:GO have set spray patterns?
Yes. CS:GO weapons have identical sprays that don't change. If you master them and learn how to compensate for recoil, your shooting efficiency will greatly improve.
What is the recoil compensation in CS:GO?
These are various methods to improve shooting accuracy. In particular, you can compensate for it by moving the mouse in a specific way or firing bursts with a certain amount of ammo.
Are CSGO spray patterns random?
To date, no one knows for sure. Although the sprays are identical, some players argue that they aren't exactly the same. Minor deflections are always possible.
Does CSGO have random spray patterns?
Only the developers of Counter-Strike can answer this question for sure. Players can speculate about different game mechanics, but their opinion isn't always correct.