1. Run demoui then demo_progressbar 1 in console.
2. Delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\replays\*.tmp.
3. Launch with -novid -console +demoui to force the new replay viewer.
The 2026 CS2 update added a progress bar for demo/replay downloads and switched camera controls to click-and-drag. The progress bar is rendered by the Panorama UI layer, not the game HUD. If your panorama_scale or HUD scale is non-default, the bar renders off-screen. The fix is to reset Panorama scale and clear stale replay temp files.
Exact path: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\replays\.
In console:
panorama_scale 1.0 hud_scaling 1.0 cl_hud_scale 1.0
Restart the game. The progress bar anchors to the bottom-center of the Panorama root; any scale above 1.0 pushes it below the viewport.
Close CS2. Delete all .tmp and .part files in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\replays\. Do not delete .dem files. The download progress bar reads file size from the temp file; a corrupted temp file makes the bar stuck at 0% or 100%.
Add launch options: -novid -console +demoui. In console run playdemo or demoui to open the new replay browser. The click-and-drag camera requires spec_cameraman 1; if drag does not work, run spec_freeze_time 0 and spec_show_xray 0 to unlock the camera during paused demos.
The patch notes state free and chase camera are usable during a paused demo. If they are not, run:
sv_cheats 1 demo_pause 1 spec_mode 6 spec_mode 5
Cycle spec_mode 6 (free) and 5 (chase). This forces the camera controller to reinitialize after the pause event.
Download a demo from the Watch tab. The progress bar should appear at the bottom of the replay browser. If it still does not, set cl_showfps 1 to confirm the UI layer is rendering; a black bar means Panorama failed to load — verify game files.
No launch or configuration settings are currently approved for automatic generation.
Valve's sub-tick networking and command interpolation protocols are shared across sister Source 2 titles. For cross-engine netcode diagnostics, explore verified benchmarks on our partner Deadlock Performance Database.
Select your GPU, CPU, and target display resolution to simulate end-to-end frametime variance and bottleneck diagnostics for Counter-Strike 2.
Illustrative model only, not measured benchmark data. Actual performance depends on the game, settings, drivers, and test conditions.
Calibrate your mouse DPI and in-game sensitivity for optimal crosshair control.