Skip to content
Launch deal: €25 lifetime · was €39 · ends May 31 Claim →
Favade
Menu

Guides

Getting started with Favade

Download the client, bind your license, launch CS2, open the menu with F2, and get the radar and ESP running.

Last updated: 2026-05-27

This guide covers the first run. It assumes you already have a Favade license key. If you are still deciding what the radar and ESP do, start with the feature overview.

Before you start

  • Use Windows 10 or Windows 11.
  • Keep CS2 updated before launching Favade.
  • Have your license key ready. The key is used for download access and HWID binding.
  • Use a modern browser for the radar viewer, such as Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
  • For the most reliable menu and ESP behavior, set CS2 to windowed or borderless windowed. Fullscreen is supported, but windowed modes are the first thing to try if the menu or ESP does not show.

For platform questions, read anti-cheat, FACEIT, and platform support before first use. Favade targets normal CS2 environments such as Valve matchmaking and Premier; FACEIT with FACEIT Anti-Cheat enabled is unsupported.

1. Download the current build

Go to the download page, enter your license key, and fetch the latest build for your channel. If the file is delivered in an archive, extract it before running the executable.

If Windows shows a SmartScreen or security prompt, verify that you downloaded the file through the Favade portal. If the file was quarantined, open a Discord ticket before repeatedly downloading or renaming it.

2. Start Favade and bind the license

Run the client and enter your license key when prompted. On first run, the license binds to your hardware. That HWID binding is normal. If you change PCs later, use the Discord ticket flow described in how HWID licensing works.

3. Launch CS2

Start Counter-Strike 2 and enter a match, practice server, or demo where player state exists. If you are checking the overlay for the first time, use a simple local test before queueing.

Keep CS2 in windowed or borderless windowed mode for setup. You can use fullscreen too, but if input focus, the menu, or ESP visibility behaves oddly, switch back to a windowed mode first.

4. Open the menu with F2

Press F2 while CS2 is focused to open or close the Favade menu. Use the menu to enable the surfaces you want for the session:

  • ESP elements such as boxes, skeletons, health, names, weapon, distance, and bomb carrier.
  • The radar publisher for the browser radar.
  • Stream-share when you want someone else to watch the radar without using your license.

If F2 does nothing, check that CS2 has focus, then try windowed or borderless windowed mode. The full menu/display-mode guide is here: menu, ESP, and CS2 display mode.

5. Open the radar viewer

The browser radar is a separate surface. Open the radar viewer on your second monitor, phone, tablet, or another browser. It subscribes to the state published by the Windows client and renders the top-down map, player positions, utility, bomb state, and latency.

If you want another person to watch without a license, use the stream-share flow. The concept is explained in stream-share viewer, explained.

When something fails

If the program does not launch, no window appears, the menu does not open, or the radar does not connect, go through troubleshooting Favade before opening a ticket.

Support ticket checklist

If you still need help, open Discord and include the details support can actually use:

  • Windows version and GPU model.
  • Whether CS2 is fullscreen, windowed, or borderless windowed.
  • What happens when you press F2.
  • Any visible error text or screenshot.
  • Your license key last four characters only. Do not paste the full key in a public channel.

Support is handled through Discord tickets.