Three jobs a good crosshair does
- Visible on any background. Bright walls, dark corners, sky or grass, you can find the centre at a glance.
- Does not hide targets. A distant target may be only a few pixels wide on screen. The crosshair must not cover it.
- A clear centre. You need to know exactly which point your shot goes to, not a vague area.
Every setting below is a trade-off between those three jobs.
Colour: contrast with the scene
Colour has one job: contrast with the game's picture. Most shooter scenes are dominated by browns, greys, greens and blues, so many players pick colours that rarely occur in nature.
| Colour | Strength | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Bright cyan / teal | Stands out in most scenes | Can weaken against blue sky or water |
| Bright yellow | Strong contrast, very clear in the dark | Blends into sand and yellow walls |
| Bright green | Eyes are sensitive to green; a common default | Weaker in grassy, leafy scenes |
| Magenta / pink | Almost never appears in natural scenes | Some find it harsh |
| White | Clean | Nearly invisible on bright backgrounds without an outline |
| Red | Intuitive | Easily confused with blood, hit effects or red team markers |
Length, thickness and gap
The usual cross crosshair is four short lines with a space in the middle. Three values decide how it looks:
- Length: how long each line is. Too short is hard to find; too long blocks your view around the target. Most players use short to medium.
- Thickness: how thick each line is. 1 to 2 pixels is most common. Too thick hides small distant targets.
- Centre gap: the space between the lines. Too big and the centre becomes vague, so you are not sure where the shot lands; zero and the lines join up and can cover a distant head.
A practical test: put the crosshair on a very small distant target and see whether it covers the target completely. If it does, make it thinner or open the gap a little. If you are never quite sure where the centre is, close the gap or add a centre dot.
Centre dot and T-style
A centre dot adds a small dot in the middle of the cross. It makes the point of aim very clear, which suits tapping and long range. The downside is that the dot covers a few pixels and can hide a distant head. Keep it small, usually 1 to 2 pixels.
A T-style crosshair removes the top line. Nothing blocks the area above the target's head, so the view is cleaner. Some players like it because the top line no longer distracts them when aiming at heads.
Some players use a dot alone with no lines. It is the cleanest option but can be harder to find in fast, chaotic scenes. Try it once you are comfortable.
Dynamic crosshairs that open when you fire
In many games the crosshair opens while you move or fire to show that spread has grown. A dynamic crosshair reminds you clearly that you are inaccurate right now, which helps when learning to counter-strafe. The downside is a crosshair that keeps changing while you fire, which some players find distracting.
Most experienced players use a static crosshair and remember the effect of movement and sustained fire themselves. If you are still learning to stop before firing, a dynamic crosshair is a useful hint; switch to static once it is second nature. See Counter-strafing.
A starting point for each use
| Use | Suggested start |
|---|---|
| First setup, no idea what to choose | Bright cyan, short to medium length, thickness 1–2, small gap, black outline |
| Lots of long-range tapping | Thin lines, small gap, 1-pixel centre dot |
| Close range, very fast pace | Slightly longer and thicker, quick to find |
| Crosshair keeps covering heads | Try T-style, or thinner lines and a wider gap |
Questions
Should I copy a top player's crosshair?
It is a fine starting point, but not required. Their crosshair suits their monitor, resolution and habits; your screen and eyes may suit something else.
Does resolution affect crosshair size?
Yes. The same thickness in pixels looks bolder at a lower resolution. After changing resolution or monitor, check again whether your crosshair covers targets.
Should my trainer crosshair match my game?
Ideally close, so the sense of where the centre is carries straight back into your game. The crosshair editor on this site's Settings page covers colour, length, thickness, gap, opacity, outline, centre dot and T-style.
Set your crosshair on the Settings page, then play a round of Micro-adjust to check that small targets stay visible.
Open Settings