CSGO takes a long time to start in Windows 11

In this guide, we’re to talk about what you can do if CSGO takes a long time to start in Windows 11. Without any second thought, Counter-Strike Global Offensive aka CSGO is the best multiplayer first shooter game. And even after almost a decade since its release, its popularity hasn’t seen any downfall. However, in the latest Windows OS, i.e. Windows 11, many users are complaining about the long startup time of CSGO. So, if CSGO is taking a long time to start on your system as well, continue with this troubleshooting guide to fix the problem.

CSGO takes a long time to start in Windows 11

Here’s a list of effective workaround you can try in case CSGO takes a long time to start in Windows 11/10 PC.

Download the Latest Windows Update
Clean Boot the System
Run CSGO With Administrative Privileges
Play CSGO in Game Mode
Change the Power Plan
Download the Latest Graphics Driver
Clear the CSGO Cache Data
Reinstall CSGO

So, let’s check out all these solutions in detail.

1] Download the Latest Windows Update

An outdated Windows OS is the very first reason why Counter-Strike is taking forever to load on your system. Every Windows update comes with a lot of improvements. Thus, download the latest Windows OS updates to fix the mentioned issue.

Press the Windows + I shortcut key to open the Settings menu.
Tap on the Windows Update option present at the left panel of the screen.
Click on the Check for updates option.

Now, Windows will check for any available updates. If found, click on the download option to begin the downloading process. Once you have downloaded the update, restart the system and launch CSGO. Check if the problem is fixed or not.

2] Clean Boot the System

You can clean boot your system to fix the problem you are facing in CSGO. Clean boot troubleshooting is designed to fix a performance-related problem. To perform clean boot troubleshooting, follow the below steps.

Open the Run dialogue box by pressing the Windows + R shortcut key.
In the search bar, type msconfig and press enter. It will open the System Configuration window.
Tap on the Services tab option.
Checkmark Hide all Microsoft services options.
Tap on the Disable all option.
Now, click on the Startup tab. Click on Open Task Manager.
Now, right-click on each task, and choose the Disable option.

That’s it. Open CSGO and check if the problem is fixed or not. Here you need to manually identify the offending or problematic process.

3] Run CSGO With Administrative Privileges

If you haven’t provided administrative privileges to CSGO, then also it can take a long time to open on your system. So, here are the steps you need to follow to grant administrative privileges to CSGO.

Right-click on the CSGO icon, and choose the Properties option.
Click on the Compatibility tab.
Checkmark the Run this program as an administrator option.
Click on Apply > OK.

Now, launch CSGO, and check if you are still facing the issue.

4] Play CSGO in Game Mode

Windows 11 comes with a dedicated game mode feature. This feature automatically disables all the unnecessary background running applications in order to enhance the gaming performance. So, if CSGO is taking a long time to open on your system, you must try to play it in Game Mode to fix the problem. Here are the steps you need to follow.

Open the Windows Settings.
Tap on the Gaming option present at the left panel of the screen.
Tap on the Game Mode option and enable the toggle in the following window.

Now, open CSGO and check if the problem is fixed or not.

5] Change the Power Plan

You can change the power settings of your system to fix the boot issue on CSGO. Windows 11 comes with different power modes, and each mode is suitable for different tasks. For playing CSGO, it is recommended to keep the system on high-performance or Ultimate Power Plan. However, if the system is set on the Balanced mode, it’s no surprise the game is taking forever to launch. Thus, set the power mode to high performance to fix the problem. To do so, follow the below steps.

Open the Windows + I shortcut key to open the Settings menu.
Now, navigate to System and then Power & Battery.
Click on the dropdown icon present next to Power mode.
Choose the Best performance option.

Now, relaunch the game and check if the issue is resolved or not.

6] Download the Latest Graphics Driver

Another reason why CSGO is taking a long time to start in Windows 11 can be an outdated graphics driver. If you haven’t updated the installed graphics driver for a long time, you will face issues not only in CSGO but in almost all graphic-centric applications. Thus, update the graphics driver to fix the problem. You can go with any of the below methods to download the latest graphics driver update.

Update to the latest graphics driver version using the Windows Optional update feature.
Visit the graphics driver manufacturer’s website to download the latest update.
You can even update the graphics driver via the Device Manager.

Once you have updated the graphics driver to the latest version, launch the game and check if the problem is fixed.

7] Clear the CSGO Cache Data

Like any other application, CSGO also stores cache data to offer faster boot time. However, a large amount of cache data can affect the boot speed of applications including CSGO. So, clear the CSGO cache to fix the problem. Here are the steps you need to follow.

Press the Windows + E shortcut key to open the File Explorer.
Now, navigate to the place where you have installed the game.
Open the Cache folder and select all the files inside it.
Click on the Delete button to clear the cache data.

Now restart the system and open the game. Check if the problem is fixed or not.

8] Reinstall CSGO

If you are still facing the problem, even after going through all the above workarounds, the last thing you can try is to reinstall the name. There can be a temporary bug that is affecting the booting time of CSGO. And, the best way to get rid of it is to re-install the game.

Why does Windows 11 take so long to boot?

Windows 11 doesn’t take a long time to boot. However, if you have a low-end device, different startup apps and programs will consume the hard drive, CPU, GPU, and RAM of the system. And all these will automatically slow down the Windows 11 boot time.

Is Windows 11 good for gaming?

Windows 11 is good for gaming, however, folks say that it doesn’t match with that of Windows 10. Windows 10 is one of the best Windows OS to run high-end graphics games. Plus, there are a lot of complaints about FPS drop in different games on Windows 11. Thankfully, the FPS drop can be fixed just with some simple workarounds.