CS2 players will “win more games” with this free download, says AMD

AMD just released Anti-Lag 2, a gaming-integrated technology designed to help align CPU and GPU speeds for faster in-game response times. The original AMD Anti Lag The system was activated via the GPU driver rather than directly in games and caused chaos when it led to mass bans for players who used it in competitive shooters.

This time, however, AMD has taken a step back with Anti-Lag 2 and has only introduced it in one game so far, Counter-Strike 2. The maker of some of the best gaming CPUs also makes a bold claim: they can “win more games “ when Anti-Lag 2 is activated.

This claim is a far cry from the outrage that Anti-Lag initially sparked when it was introduced last year. As a driver-based system, Anti-Lag didn't require developer input, but anti-cheat detection services like VAC flagged the use of Anti-Lag as cheating because it matches the speed of your CPU to that of the GPU, effectively giving you a hardware advantage over other players.

Anti-lag hasn't been active long enough to determine whether this benefit was significant enough to outweigh that of general abilities. However, with this new in-game version of Anti-Lag 2.0, more precise testing can be carried out to assess its impact on gameplay.

AMD is rolling out Anti-Lag 2 on all RDNA-based graphics cards, from the Radeon RX 5000 series desktop and laptop GPUs to the latest RDNA 3 cards. It also runs on Ryzen 6000 series (or newer) processors with integrated GPUs, like the new Ryzen 5 8600G. The only exceptions are the few select Ryzen 7000 series processors, whose GPUs are based on AMD's old Graphics Core Next architecture and not RDNA.

Anti-Lag 2 is available as part of AMD Adrenalin software version 24.5.1 including a technical driver that can only be downloaded from the AMD website. The feature is enabled by default in CS2's advanced video settings. You can use ALT + Shift + L to start monitoring your in-game frame rate and latency and view the results.

AMD and CS2 are also included in this incredible Asiimov gaming PC, which houses a Threadripper chip beneath its vibrant color scheme.