AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview Now Available in Counter-Strike 2

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In 2019 we introduced AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag, our in-driver technology designed to lower click-to-response latency for delivering more responsive gaming experiences for Radeon gamers. It has since become one of our most popular software features. Last year we introduced Radeon Anti-Lag+ in the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ application, an updated version of this technology that delivered even lower latency. Although many of you enjoyed the benefits of Anti-Lag+ across your favorite games, a few of you encountered issues which led us to roll back this feature so we could make some improvements to ensure a better user experience for all — and since then we know many of you have been eagerly waiting for its return.

We are happy to share with you that our upgraded latency reduction technology is back as AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag 2. (1) This updated version takes Anti-Lag to the next level and is now a game-integrated technology, rather than an in-driver solution. We’ve partnered closely with Valve to integrate Radeon Anti-Lag 2 into Counter-Strike 2, and a game update and technical preview AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition driver is available now to enable it for a more responsive esports experience and the ultimate in low-latency gaming. Read on to learn more about Radeon Anti-Lag 2 and how you can join the preview today.

Update: AMD Radeon™ Anti-Lag 2 support is now available in our regular AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 24.6.1 or newer driver.

Radeon Anti-Lag 2 vs. Anti-Lag

Radeon Anti-Lag technology controls the pace of the CPU to make sure it aligns with the GPU, reducing the amount of CPU work that gets queued up. This decreases input-to-display response times, making games more responsive. As a driver-based solution, the initial version of Radeon Anti-Lag has long been available in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition and can be enabled in any game, delivering lower latency for more responsive gameplay.

With the game-integrated Radeon Anti-Lag 2, the frame alignment is also applied in the game code itself and works in conjunction with the CPU pacing controlled by the driver to allow for better frame syncing. This leads to even lower click-to-response latency than what an in-driver only solution like Radeon Anti-Lag can deliver. Since Radeon Anti-Lag 2 is an in-game technology, it does require game developers to add it to their games, with Counter-Strike 2 being the first.

Amazing Low-Latency Gaming

We’ve already talked about how Radeon Anti-Lag 2 can deliver the ultimate in low-latency gaming in Counter-Strike 2, but let’s have a look at some actual numbers that show how much more responsive your matches will be when playing the game across a range of desktop and mobile AMD Radeon™ RX 7000 Series graphics cards, and AMD Ryzen™ 8000 G-Series Processors with Radeon graphics — compared to both Anti-Lag off and using the in-driver Radeon Anti-Lag.

Looking at the results above, the average reduction in latency across this range of Radeon graphics cards and Ryzen G-Series processors is 37% when comparing Radeon Anti-Lag 2 to no Anti-Lag (7), a significant reduction. When you compare Radeon Anti-Lag 2 to our original Anti-Lag solution, our updated in-game technology provides on average 95% MORE latency reduction (8), clearly demonstrating the benefits of our new in-game technology versus the original in-driver solution.

How to Use Radeon Anti-Lag 2 in Counter-Strike 2

Here’s how to use AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 with AMD Radeon graphics cards in Counter-Strike 2:

1. Download and install our AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition 24.6.1 or newer driver.
   
   
2. “AMD Anti-Lag 2.0” will then be ENABLED by default in the Counter-Strike 2 “ADVANCED VIDEO” settings menu (Please note: Radeon Anti-Lag 2 is not currently available when using Counter-Strike 2 in Vulkan® mode).
   
   
   
   
3. Play Counter-Strike 2 with incredibly low click-to-response latency and win more matches!
   
   
4. Report any issues using the AMD Bug Report Tool, accessed using the button in the top right of the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition application.
   
   
   
   
5. Provide your feedback about Radeon Anti-Lag 2 on our AMD Red Team Community Forums.

How to Monitor Your Latency in Counter-Strike 2

Once you have Radeon Anti-Lag 2 enabled in Counter-Strike 2, if you want to monitor the latency in the game, you can use the built-in Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Latency Monitor which will show the FPS, latency in ms, as well as latency in frames.

1. Use the Alt+Shift+L hotkey combination to enable the Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Latency Monitor. Once activated, a small white chevron will appear in the top left corner of your display indicating that it is enabled.
   
   
2. Use Alt+Shift+L again to cycle through the following Latency Monitor display options: No metrics, FPS only, FPS and latency (in ms), FPS and latency (in ms and frames), FPS and latency (in ms and frames) with a legend.
   
   
   
3. You can also compare the latency between Anti-Lag off and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 by holding down the right CTRL key to see the latency with it off.

Radeon Product Compatibility

Although Radeon Anti-Lag 2 is integrated into games, it still needs to work in conjunction with our AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition graphics driver and only supports AMD Radeon™ graphics cards. It is compatible with the following AMD RDNA™ architecture and above discrete and integrated graphics:

• AMD Radeon™ RX 5000 series desktop and mobile graphics, and higher.
• AMD Ryzen™ 6000 Series Processors with Radeon™ graphics, and higher. (Excluding select AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors with AMD GCN architecture-based graphics).
  
  

What’s Next for Radeon Anti-Lag 2?

Now that AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 is available in Counter-Strike 2, our next step will be releasing the Radeon Anti-Lag 2 SDK for game developers on GPUOpen, and you can then expect to see it become available in more games. Stay tuned to our AMD Community channels and AMD social media accounts (X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) for the latest news about all our amazing AMD technologies including Radeon Anti-Lag 2.

DOWNLOAD COUNTER-STRIKE 2

DOWNLOAD AMD SOFTWARE: ADRENALIN EDITION 24.6.1

Alexander Blake-Davies is a Senior Software Product Marketing Specialist for AMD Radeon™ Software for Developers.

DISCLAIMERS AND FOOTNOTES

Links to third-party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites, and no endorsement is implied. GD-98

1. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 is available in select games which require game developer integration and is supported on select AMD RDNA™ architecture and above discrete and integrated graphics cards. See https://www.amd.com/en/products/software/adrenalin/radeon-software-anti-lag.html for additional information. GD-242.
   
   
2. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 GRE graphics card using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology OFF vs. ON, on a test system configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU, 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM, MSI MEG x670E ACE motherboard, and Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 3840 x 2160, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-647
   
   
3. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Radeon™ RX 7800 XT graphics card using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology OFF vs. ON, on a test system configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU, 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM, MSI MEG x670E ACE motherboard, and Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 3840 x 2160, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-648
   
   
4. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Radeon™ RX 7600 XT graphics card using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology OFF vs. ON, on a test system configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU, 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM, MSI MEG x670E ACE motherboard, and Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 2560 x 1440, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-649
   
   
5. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Radeon™ RX 7700S graphics card using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology OFF vs. ON, on an ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) laptop test system configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HS CPU, 16GB DDR5-4800 RAM, and Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 2560 x 1600, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-650
   
   
6. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Ryzen™ 7 8700G processor with AMD Radeon™ 780M graphics using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology OFF vs. ON, on a test system configured with 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM, an ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F motherboard, and Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 1920 x 1080, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-651
   
   
7. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 GRE. RX 7800 XT, RX 7600 XT, RX 7700S graphics cards and AMD Ryzen™ 7 8700G processor with AMD Radeon™ 780M graphics using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology OFF vs. ON, on test systems configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU, 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM and an MSI MEG x670E ACE motherboard, an ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) laptop with an AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HS CPU and 16GB DDR5-4800 RAM, and a system with 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM and an ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F motherboard, all with the Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 3840 x 2160, 2560 x 1440, 2560 x 1600, and 1920 x 1080, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-652
   
   
8. Testing by AMD as of April 19, 2024, on the AMD Radeon™ RX 7900 GRE. RX 7800 XT, RX 7600 XT, RX 7700S graphics cards and AMD Ryzen™ 7 8700G processor with AMD Radeon™ 780M graphics using the AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition™ 24.5.1 for Radeon Anti-Lag 2 Technical Preview driver, AMD Smart Access Memory technology, and Radeon Anti-Lag vs. Radeon Anti-Lag 2 technology ON, on test systems configured with an AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU, 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM and an MSI MEG x670E ACE motherboard, an ASUS TUF Gaming A16 Advantage Edition (2023) laptop with an AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HS CPU and 16GB DDR5-4800 RAM, and a system with 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM and an ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-F motherboard, all with the Windows® 11 Pro 2022 Update, using the Counter-Strike 2 “Ancient” benchmark at 3840 x 2160, 2560 x 1440, 2560 x 1600, and 1920 x 1080, “Very High” graphics preset, and DirectX 11. AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 requires developer integration and is available in select games. System manufacturers may vary configurations, yielding different results. RS-653
   
   

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