How To Get Stretched Resolution In CS

If you have spent hundreds up to thousands of hours in Counter-Strike, you must have heard of the term “stretched resolution” being thrown around here and there. This term refers to changing your video settings, more specifically your display settings. The two display settings in question are the aspect ratio and resolution. 

By default, players are set to a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is referred to as the “Widescreen” resolution. However, most players prefer changing their aspect ratio to 4:3, which allows them to play at a lower resolution and stretch their screens.

Playing on a 4:3 aspect ratio means you are playing at a lower resolution, which implies that there are less pixels on your screen. These missing pixels are what allows players to stretch their screens, since the empty spaces have made it possible. 

As we have discussed earlier, playing on a stretched resolution means that you are playing with fewer pixels on your screen, meaning you will see less of your screen. Will this turn out to be an advantage, or disadvantage? Here are the pros and cons of playing on a stretched resolution. 

Benefits of Stretched Resolution

There is one massive benefit players can get from playing on a stretched resolution, which is also abused by professional players. When you play on a stretched resolution, there are pixels missing from the screen, so the game stretches everything sideways to fill the gap.

By stretching the screen, player models are also being expanded, meaning bodies appear wider. When enemy player models are wider, it becomes much easier to shoot them, especially with headshots or AWP shots since the hitboxes become larger.

This sounds like a broken, game-breaking advantage, but it is completely legal. It is nothing new, as professional players have been using it for decades already. This is the main reason why over 75% of professional players play on a stretched resolution. 

The second benefit also comes from the fact that there are less pixels being displayed. Since there is less stuff on your screen, Counter-Strike becomes less heavier to run, which is extremely beneficial for players with low-end computer setups. 

After switching to a stretched resolution, players can expect an FPS boost of anywhere from 15 to 35%, which solves a lot of issues for players with weak computer setups. 

Drawbacks of Stretched Resolution

However, there are always disadvantages if something has advantages. There are two main drawbacks for playing on a stretched resolution. 

Since you have less pixels displayed on your screen, the game will take out the left and right areas of your game. Simply put, players on 16:9 can see more of the game than 4:3 players can.

This is why you might have seen professional players look completely blind when they miss an opponent on their right or left, and simply walk past them like nothing happened. This is called a “4:3 moment,” as the professional player in question does not see the player when it is clearly visible for spectators who are watching the broadcast in a normal resolution. 

The second drawback is that the game looks less visually appealing when playing on a stretched resolution. There are less pixels on the screen, meaning there is less detail, and having your screen stretch out will make your game look terrible aesthetically.

Still, players play Counter-Strike to hit headshots and become the best, not do dilly-dally and enjoy the graphics. Most players prefer sacrificing visuals for gameplay, which is why they play on a stretched resolution. 

To play on a stretched resolution, you must go through two steps:

1. Changing your aspect ratio and resolution in the game.
2. Changing your computer display settings to allow for stretched mode. 

Let’s go over a step-by-step guide for each of these procedures.

#1 Changing Aspect Ratio And Resolution

First and foremost, we must use CS:GO’s in-game settings menu to change our display settings, namely the aspect ratio and resolution. 

Here is how you can do that:

1. Launch Counter-Strike and then go to your Settings tab by clicking on the gear icon. 
2. Once you are in your Settings page, go to the “Video” section.
3. First, change your Aspect Ratio to “Normal 4:3”.
4. Next, change your Resolution. If you’re unsure of which one to use, select “1280×960” for now. You can always change it later. 
5. Also, make sure your “Display Mode” is set to “Fullscreen”.
6. Finally, save your changes by clicking the “Apply Changes” button. 

If your screen doesn’t appear stretched immediately, this is completely normal. You will probably see that your screen will display black bars, which is not exactly what we are looking for. 

Some professional players prefer playing on black bars, but you’ve probably clicked this article to play on a stretched scaling mode, so let’s make it right on the next step. 

It is also good to know that the black bars display the missing area of your screen when playing on a 4:3 aspect ratio. This is the area that will be used to stretch your screen. 

#2 Changing Computer Display Settings

If you see black bars on your screen, you must go through this second procedure to fix it and get your display mode to stretched. We have provided solutions for players who are using NVIDIA or AMD. Follow the steps accordingly depending on your graphics card provider. 

How To Play Stretched Res CS:GO NVIDIA

First, we will show you how to change your scaling mode if you are on an NVIDIA graphics card. 

Here are the steps:

1. Open your NVIDIA Control Panel. This application should automatically be installed on your computer.
2. In the NVIDIA Control Panel, look for your “Display” settings, which should display a lot of options under it. 
3. Here, look for “Adjust Desktop Size And Position”.
4. Select the correct monitor you are using to play CS:GO. 
5. Finally, look for the “Scaling” option and click “Full-Screen”.

After saving your changes, you might see your screen spaz out for a bit, which implies that the changes have been applied. You can try launching Counter-Strike again to see if the black bars are gone, and that your scaling mode has been set to stretched. 

How To Play CS:GO Stretched Windows 10+ AMD

Next, follow these steps if you are using an AMD graphics card. The procedure is a little bit longer than NVIDIA.

Follow the steps below:

1. Open your AMD Radeon Software. This application should automatically be installed on your computer.
2. Go to your settings page by clicking on the gear icon at the top-right corner. 
3. Next, go to the “Display” section. 
4. Click on “Custom Resolutions” and then accept the agreements displayed on your screen.
5. Now, fill the custom resolution text box with your desired resolution.
6. Once you are done, go back to the “Display” section and then enable the “GPU Scaling” option.
7. Set your scaling mode to “Full Panel”.
8. Next, exit the AMD Radeon Software and open your Windows Display Settings, which can be found on your WIndows Settings.
9. Under “Scale & Layout”, change your “Display Resolution” to the same resolution you have set at your AMD settings. 

If you have managed to hang on and follow all the steps correctly, you should be able to launch Counter-Strike again and be greeted with a stretched resolution. Keep in mind that your resolution must be consistent with your in-game settings, AMD settings, and Windows settings. 

If you are unsure of which resolution to use, you can refer to the next section of the article to decide.

All stretched resolutions are played on the 4:3 aspect ratio, so that is constant. However, there are multiple resolutions you can select from under the 4:3 aspect ratio category. 

Though there are a handful to choose from, three resolution values stand over the rest. These resolutions are:

• 1280×960
• 1024×768
• 1152×864

Let’s discuss each of these values to help you decide which is the best one for you. 

1280×960

Out of all stretched resolutions possible, 1280×960 is by far the most popular choice, proven by the number of professional players who use it. 

The 1280×960 resolution is used  by the following professional players:

• ZywOo
• s1mple
• device
• m0NESY

The primary reason why this resolution is so popular is because it is the choice that displays the most pixels. As we have discussed earlier, players should expect to lose out on screen display since there are less pixels. So, using the 1280×960 resolution allows you to see the most out of your screen while playing on a 4:3 aspect ratio. 

However, since more pixels are being displayed, it doesn’t give much of a performance boost, which is something to keep in mind for players with low-end computers. 

Professional players are hooked up with the best gaming gear possible, and the only reason they use 4:3 is to reap the benefits of player models being wider. Since performance is not an issue, most of them use the 1280×960 resolution. 

1024×768

The next resolution we’ll feature is 1024×768. 

The 1024×768 resolution is used by the following professional players:

• sh1ro
• XANTARES
• kennyS
• jks

The 1024×768 is the lowest possible resolution under the 4:3 aspect ratio department, which means it displays the least amount of pixels. This resolution is an attractive choice if you are playing on a very low-end computer as it gives the highest performance increase among all resolutions. 

However, we will remind you that your game will look absolutely awful visually. Not only are you playing on a stretched scaling mode, but you are also playing with minimal pixels. Still, you don’t have much of a choice if you are facing performance issues, and this can be a direct fix to FPS problems. 

1152×864

The final resolution we’ll go over is the 1152×864 resolution.

The 1152×864 resolution is used by the following professional players:

• NiKo
• kyxsan
• HEN1
• hallzerk

The 1152×864 resolution is essentially the middle-ground between the two resolutions we featured above. It provides a nice balance of a performance boost, and also leaves some room for visibility with increased pixels. 

However, most players prefer to go all-in on performance or visibility, which can be done by choosing between the 1280×960 resolution or 1024×768 resolution. This is why 1152×864 is the least popular stretched resolution in the game. Still, it is a great choice if you are on a mid-ranged computer setup.