Every gamer has experienced the feeling of missing a headshot by a few pixels. Aiming in first-person shooter games is loosely tied to muscle memory, although it is also affected by crosshair settings and game features.
But there must be some foolproof strategies to improve your aim in shooting games, suggestions that will allow you to go straight for the enemy’s head and stay on top of the scoreboard after victory.
Here are some practical methods to help you improve your aim in first-person shooters like Valorant and CS:GO.
1. Understand Your Weaknesses First
Most gamers often spend countless hours practicing their aim without even analyzing what’s causing their aim to be inconsistent. Is it your slow reflexes? Perhaps you have trouble tracking the enemies’ movement? There are several other reasons for poor aim in games, and knowing what’s wrong with yours is the first step to improvement.
Instead of finding excuses for missed shots, you should start thinking about why you couldn’t hit the enemy. Some FPS games like CS:GO have a death camera that shows a replay of the duel, which is extremely helpful for anyone planning to improve their aim.
Once you know where you’re lacking, you can practice shooting in aim-training apps like Aim Lab for a few minutes each day. But remember that playing the game with real people is much better than spending hours practicing with bots in a training app.
2. Tweak Your Mouse Sensitivity
If you always find yourself moving your mouse too much or too less while aiming, you need to fiddle around with your in-game sensitivity. Professional gamers try different sensitivities before finalizing what works best for them and that’s what you should do too if you want to get better at FPS games.
Having a higher sensitivity will allow you to make quick turns in the game environment while lower sensitivity would increase precision when you’re locking in on a target.
You should try to find the sweet spot in the middle where the sensitivity is high enough so you don’t have to drag your mouse endlessly to shoot an enemy behind you and low enough to aim at the head (or the body) accurately.
You can also play around with your mouse DPI and disable mouse acceleration in the operating system settings for better control.
3. Fix Your Crosshair Positioning In-Game
One of the most common issues with players with a bad aim is improper crosshair positioning. Aiming at the ground is the best way to lose in an FPS game.
As a serious gamer, your crosshair should be at the enemies’ head level at all times. This would significantly reduce the distance between your crosshair and the target and will help you take better shots.
Also, when you’re waiting for an enemy to appear from the side of an obstacle (wall, for example), you shouldn’t keep the aim extremely close to the surface, as your reflex might not be quick enough to fire as soon as the enemy appears. The enemy will already have moved forward and away from your crosshair by the time you process the situation and shoot.
What you can do to prevent this is to place your crosshair a few pixels away from the wall. This ensures that when the enemy appears, you get enough time to react with the enemy still within the range of your crosshair, making it easier for you to fire both timely and precisely.
4. Customize Your Crosshair Size
The first thing to do before you start playing an FPS game is to tweak your crosshair. A smaller crosshair allows you to aim more accurately as you know exactly where the bullet will hit the target. Some gamers prefer a small square as their crosshair, while others find that their accuracy improves with a dot crosshair.
A lot of this comes down to personal preference too. You might feel that a larger crosshair is better for spraying while a smaller one ensures perfect headshots. Depending on your playing style, you can choose between a large and small crosshair.
5. Learn Tapping to Control Recoil (Also Learn Recoil Patterns)
The recoil and gun mechanics in shooting games make the game feel more realistic. But this random movement of the crosshair can make it difficult for you to aim, just like in real life.
The most efficient method of recoil control is tapping, which means that you tap-fire by clicking the mouse frequently instead of holding the button down, which is also known as spraying. Tapping gives you enough time to reposition or “control” the recoil so the crosshair doesn’t shift away from the target.
Read Also: What Games Improve Communication Skills?
In PC games like CS:GO, each weapon has a different recoil pattern, which is a fixed route the crosshair follows when you spray. If you can’t do without spraying, consider learning these recoil patterns. You can then drag your mouse in a pattern opposite to the recoil pattern to control the weapon recoil and maximize accuracy while spraying.
6. Avoid Sprinting While Shooting
Similar to recoil, the bullet spread mechanism gets activated when you shoot while sprinting. This affects your aim as many bullets fail to hit the target because of the spread.
Fixing this is easy. Don’t sprint at all times while playing FPS games. Move slowly and quietly while checking corners for enemies. The difference between the bullet spread while sprinting vs. crouching is substantial.
You might have heard that crouching makes your aim more accurate. This is because less player movement results in less bullet spread.
7. Improve Your Game Sense
Most FPS game maps have certain locations in the game where you can camp, or get a better shot at enemies. Learning where these spots are and regularly checking corners is a good way to get some kills. You can even pre-fire corners if you’re sure that an enemy is camping there.
You can even do without a perfect aim if you know where enemies are more likely to hide. This intuition is also known as “game sense.”
You can improve your game sense in FPS games by:
- Playing the game more often
- Watching professional gamers’ live streams
- Watching tutorials on the internet
8. Get Better Hardware
Hardware is as important as the game itself. Having a lightweight gaming mouse will assist you in aiming, as you’ll have to make less effort to drag or reposition your aim. A proper desk, chair, and mouse pad will also prove to be effective in improving your gaming skills.
Since the mouse is the most prominent piece of hardware you use when aiming, you should look out for gaming-specific features while buying one. For instance, a mouse with a built-in DPI button will help you change your mouse DPI while in-game. Using the mouse software, you can set custom DPI values and switch between them by pressing the configured button.
9. Warm Up Before You Join Matches
Stop jumping straight into ranked matches! Or even unranked, if you care too much about your match history. Having a 10 to 15 minutes long warm-up session can help you get in the zone and prepare you mentally for the virtual fight.
It’s also important to warm up your hand muscles before joining an online match. It’s similar to how you perform a pre-workout stretch when at the gym.
Most FPS games have a Training mode where you can practice your aim with bots, or even play short matches to warm up. If your game doesn’t have one or you want some extra features to improve your aim, try an aim-training app like the Flowstate Aim Trainer for Apex Legends.
How to Make Your Aim Better in FPS Games?
Mastering your aiming skills in first-person shooter (FPS) games requires a combination of strategy, technical proficiency, and constant practice. Whether you’re a seasoned player looking to improve your accuracy or a newbie looking to elevate your game, becoming a sharpshooter requires a series of careful measures.
From identifying your shortcomings to tweaking your mouse settings, this book looks into five useful ways for improving your aiming skill in FPS games. By following these strategies and continually refining your strategy, you’ll be better prepared to face opponents with confidence and precision, ensuring that each shot leaves a mark on the virtual battlefield.
1. Identify the Problem and Practice
This may seem like an easy answer, but it is often missed. Before you can explore numerous techniques to enhance your aim, you must first identify your weaknesses. Is it tracking moving targets, response time, or precision shots?
Once you’ve found the issue, isolate it and practice frequently. For example, if you struggle with tracking, look for in-game scenarios or employ aim trainers to enhance this skill. Consistency in your training is also important. Aim training should not be a one-time experience. Incorporate it into your daily or weekly routine for continued progress.
2. Adjust Your Polling Rate and Activate Motion Sync
Polling rate refers to how frequently your mouse communicates its position to your computer. For example, a mouse with a 1K polling rate capability can transmit its position 1,000 times per second. A greater polling rate can result in more responsive cursor movements and faster response times when pointing and shooting. The only downside is that a greater polling rate can deplete battery life more quickly on wireless mouse.
If your mouse has this capability, activating Motion Sync will completely synchronize pointer and mouse movements, giving players 1:1 tracking accuracy. This results in even smoother and more accurate cursor motions, increasing the precision of your aim.
Gaming mice like the Model I 2 Wireless features both a 1K polling rate and Motion Sync technology to help you achieve better aim.
3. Adjust Your DPI Settings
DPI (Dots Per Inch) determines how sensitive your mouse is to movement. A higher DPI indicates that the cursor will go further on the screen with a smaller physical movement of the mouse. This enables for either fine control or quick movement, depending on the user’s preferences.
There is no one-size-fits-all DPI. For example, the optimal DPI for Counter-Strike may be 400-800, but for Overwatch it could be slightly higher, approximately 800-1200. The reason for this is that Counterstrike focuses on corner holding and slower gameplay, whereas Overwatch is a faster-paced game with more vertical maps.
Moreover, the Model I 2 Wireless features an Action Button that is set to DPI Lock by default. By holding it down, it reduces mouse sensitivity for precise aiming, and when released, it returns to normal DPI.
4. Remap Your Buttons
Setting up your buttons with certain keybinds can also help you improve your aim. For example, you can remap one of your side buttons to crouch and/or aim down (if your character has the ability), allowing you to home in on an adversary more quickly.
On that topic, the Model I 2 Wireless has 9 customizable buttons, allowing you to design the actions that are most useful for your playstyle and maximize your performance.
5. Ensure Your Mouse is Lightweight and Comfortable
An ergonomic mouse can make a huge difference in your ability to aim. By guaranteeing an appropriate and comfortable grip, you may concentrate on your motions and muscle memory while aiming and firing without fear of hand fatigue. Finally, using a lightweight mouse can boost your capacity to make quick motions, which is usually beneficial in fast-paced games.
Remember, while these suggestions can help you improve your aiming abilities, the most important component is constant practice and a desire to develop.
