Guide On CS:GO/CS2 Spray Patterns

To competitively play Counter-Strike is to utilize strategy, proper communication, map knowledge, information, movement, aim, and a lot more. That is what makes a player great. But, to fully utilize this skillset, you have to master your aim first, specifically, the weapon spray patterns.

However, mastering the spray patterns is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it’s probably the most difficult part about Counter-Strike. And, considering there are over 30 different guns in the game, learning all of them is practically impossible.

But, don’t let that scare you! You only need to learn the spray patterns of your 3-4 most played weapons and you’ll notice a huge difference in your individual skill level. To help you learn these sprays, here’s a guide for every CS2 spray pattern.

If you are still new to the Counter-Strike world, let’s first talk about what a spray pattern is.

Whenever you shoot a gun in CS:GO or CS2, you will notice that your bullets never go straight and that’s because the recoil of the weapon causes your aim to drift upwards (sometimes horizontally as well). So, your bullets will hit in the same pattern as the gun’s recoil.

We refer to this drifting (recoil) as a spray pattern and every gun in the game has its own unique pattern.

As a player, you will want to negate the recoil by moving the mouse in the opposite direction of the pattern. So, if you’re spraying a gun and it starts drifting upwards, you will need to drag the mouse down to ensure all of your bullets go in or near your crosshair.

And with that out of the way, let’s explain in detail the spray patterns of various weapons. First, let’s start with the popular gun choices for most players, rifles.

AK-47 Spray Pattern

The AK-47 is undoubtedly the strongest gun since the beginning of Counter-Strike. Not only is it cheaper than the CT’s equivalents, but it also does much more damage and it can kill opponents with one shot in the head even if they have a helmet. The M4 variations on the other hand can’t one-shot enemies with helmets.

But, such a strong weapon has to have a downside, right? Well, it does, and the downside is the spray pattern. It’s very aggressive so it can be hard to master. Here are a few tips to help you handle the CS2 AK spray:

• While spraying the first 10 bullets, all you need to do is drag down, and slowly drag the mouse to the right once you get to the 7th or 8th bullet.
• The difficulty of the pattern after the 10th bullet considerably increases.
• After the 10th bullet of the mag, the recoil will go to the right, so heavily drag your mouse to the left.
• After the 15th bullet, the pattern shifts quickly to the left, so you will need to rapidly move your mouse to the right.
• For the last 5 bullets of the AK mag, the recoil starts moving to the right again, so drag your mouse to the left.
• Controlling the entire 30-mag spray pattern is very difficult. It’s better to stop spraying at 10-15 bullet mark to reset the recoil and start spraying again.
• The AK-47 best works with 5-10 bullet bursts.

Now head on over to a deathmatch server or host your own empty practice server and try to implement these tips when testing out your CS2 AK spray pattern.

M4A1-S Spray Pattern

CTs have the benefit of picking from two M4 variations, but in CS2, the M4A1-S is usually the more popular option, so let’s have a look at that one first. 

• The spray pattern of the M4A1-S is similar to the AK-47, but it isn’t as aggressive.
• The recoil goes straight down for the first 5-6 bullets.
• Slowly compensate to the right with your mouse for the next 4-5 bullets.
• The next part of the recoil is a lot more difficult, so it’s better to reset here rather than continue spraying.
• The next 10 or so bullets, heavily compensate to the left with your mouse.
• The last 5 bullets, compensate to the right again.
• The M4A1-S has amazing first-shot accuracy, so consider shooting the gun in 2-3 bullet bursts in long range.

M4A4 Spray Pattern

The M4A4 is currently picked less than the M4A1-S mostly because it’s a bit more expensive and it isn’t silenced. Also, the M4A1-S has the advantage of being silenced.

• The M4A4 has a much higher fire rate, so the downward recoil is much stronger compared to the M4A1-S.
• For the first 7 bullets, the recoil is mostly straight down, but drag right for the upcoming 3-4 bullets of the mag.
• The recoil then shifts to the left for the next 11-12 bullets, so you will need to compensate with a hard left.
• For the last 10 bullets, you will need to drag to the right and downward to control the recoil.
• The M4A4 is generally better at close-quarters combat because of its higher fire rate, so use it if you are more of an aggressive player.

Galil Spray Pattern

When you’re short a couple of hundred dollars on T-side, your best alternative is the Galil. It has 34 bullets you can spray, but a very hectic recoil.

• The recoil starts pulling downward and to the left immediately after the first bullet.
• Pull down hard and slowly to the right for the first 15 bullets.
• The next 10 bullets, pull hard to the left. 
• For the next 5 bullets, you will need to pull even harder to the right and then just as hard to the left for the rest of the mag.

FAMAS Spray Pattern

The FAMAS for the CTs is what the Galil is for Ts. It’s the poor man’s buy to ensure you have enough cash for Kevlar, helmet, and equipment.

• The FAMAS has a slow fire rate, so you won’t need to drag down as much.
• The recoil starts with a big swing to the right, so immediately drag down and to the left for the first 5 bullets and then continue dragging down and right for the next 5 bullets.
• For the next 5 bullets, swing to the left with small pulls downward.
• For the final part of the mag, swing your mouse hard to the right and then a bit to the left for the last 2-3 bullets.

SG 553/Krieg

The SG 553/Krieg isn’t very popular as a choice, but it has pretty good first-shot accuracy when scoped in, so it can be a good choice if you’re peeking mid.

• The spray pattern is similar when scoped vs unscoped. But the scoped recoil is considerably easier.
• While spraying the SG (scoped), pull diagonally to the left (250-degree angle) for the first ten bullets.
• For the next ten bullets, you will need to pull to the left and a bit upwards.
• The next 5-6 bullets, pull only right and for the last 3-4 bullets, pull straight down and then right again.
• When you are not scoped in, follow these same steps, but pull down harder because the gun drifts upwards a lot more.

AUG

The AUG is the Krieg for CTs and its spray pattern is surprisingly easier compared to other rifles.

• When scoped, the first 10 bullets, the recoil will mostly drift upwards, so pull down and then a bit to the right for the last 2-3 bullets.
• From there, you will want to drag down-left and then straight left for the following 10 bullets.
• For the final 10 bullets, the AUG pulls to the left, so do a hard pull to the right and a bit to the left for the last 2 bullets.
• The unscoped spray pattern is considerably harder because you will need to drag in every direction much harder.

SMGs are a solid option when running low on cash on either side. Fast fire rate, increased movement speed, and easy recoil. As a plus, they reward you with a lot of cash for kills.

So, let’s have a look at how you can utilize these weapons to your advantage.

MP9

The MP9 is the staple money maker for Counter-Terrorists and you will be using this often as the CT economy rarely allows for full-buy/rifle rounds.

• The MP9 has a very fast fire rate and a $600 kill award, it’s accurate enough and allows you to move fast while remaining accurate.
• Prioritize moving rather than standing still and controlling the spray pattern.
• To control the recoil, drag down for the first 10 bullets then drag straight to the right for the next 5.
• For the rest of the mags, drag left and down (diagonally)

Mac-10

The Mac-10 is the MP9 equivalent (almost) and it’s even cheaper.

• The Mac-10 has a large damage drop-off from range, so keep moving and try to find close-range fights.
• The first half of the Mac-10’s mag is basically down and slightly to the right (diagonal line)
• The next 10 bullets, pull your mouse hard to the left and for the final 5 bullets, drag a bit to the right.

MP7

The MP7 is a CT SMG that’s better for long-range battles. However, in its current state, this SMG is rarely used.

• For the first 12-13 bullets, pull downward and to the left, and then pull straight to the right for the next 5 bullets or so.
• Then, the next 2-3 bullets will kick it straight up, so pull it down and then straight to the left for the rest of the magazine.

UMP-45

Another not-so-popular option is the UMP-45, but controllable recoil. 

• The whole spray pattern is one downward line with deviations to the left and right.
• For the first 10 bullets, drag mostly down and slightly to the left, then for the rest of the mag to the same to the opposite side (down and right).

P90

Usually seen as a meme weapon because of its very high fire rate and high bullet count with The P90.

• Controlling the recoil for this weapon is a challenge because it spews bullets very quickly.
• Instead of trying to learn the recoil, consider dragging down for the first 20 bullets then swipe (5-6 times) horizontally left and right for the rest of the magazine.

PP-Bizon

Another weapon with a very high bullet count and it’s generally avoided because of its low armor penetration and huge damage drop off from range while using the PP-Bizon SMG.

• Very hectic spray pattern.
• Pull down and to the right for the first 20 rounds then swipe left and right with high hopes that you will hit your target.

Generally, shotguns have a pretty slow fire rate and their recoil is mostly drifting upwards, so controlling the spray is pretty easy as all you need to do is aim and drag down.

There’s no need to go into specifics for every single shotgun.

You can’t spray pistols (except the CZ), so the recoil pattern is pretty easy to predict. Try shooting at walls and following the bullet holes to negate the spray pattern.

Considering the very slow fire rate of the AWP, it practically doesn’t have any recoil, so you can fire as fast as you can and the bullet will always hit the center of your crosshair/scope. Just make sure you’re static and you will hit your shots.

The Negev is a “meme” weapon, but it can land some surprising shots.

• The entire spray pattern of the Negev is on the Y-axis (vertical). There is no horizontal deviation whatsoever.
• To spray the Negev, hold down the left mouse button, and drag it down.
• Once you spend about 70-80 bullets, the recoil will stabilize to one spot and then slightly drift up and down, so try to replicate this with your mouse to keep the bullets in that one spot.

Probably one of the most useless weapons in Counter-Strike history as this is the most expensive weapon in the game and the recoil is extremely complicated while using the M249.

• You should probably never buy this weapon.
• The fire rate on this weapon is incre

Now that you have gone through this whole guide, you should have a general idea of what CS2 spray patterns look like. But, to truly master the CS2 AK spray or any other weapon, you will still need to invest hours and hours of practice.

Just fire up any map with bots and train with a weapon until the recoil control becomes part of your muscle memory.

You can also find community-made recoil training maps to further hone your recoil-controlling skills.