How to find your ideal sensitivity

There is no magic number that makes you aim like a pro, but there is a clear way to find the sensitivity that fits your setup, your game and your body. This guide explains eDPI and cm/360, gives you realistic ranges, and walks you through a step by step method to dial it in without going crazy.

Two numbers that actually describe your sensitivity

The sensitivity slider in your game means almost nothing on its own. A "1.2" in one game and a "1.2" in another can feel completely different, and even in the same game, 1.2 at 400 DPI is not the same as 1.2 at 1600 DPI. To compare setups, you need numbers that combine your mouse and your game settings.

eDPI: quick, but only inside one game

eDPI (effective DPI) is simply your mouse DPI multiplied by your in-game sensitivity:

eDPI = DPI x in-game sens

So 400 DPI with a sens of 2 gives an eDPI of 800, exactly like 800 DPI with a sens of 1. In practice both feel the same in game.

The catch: eDPI is only comparable within the same game. Each engine converts mouse movement into rotation with its own multiplier (called the yaw), so an eDPI of 280 in Valorant has nothing to do with an eDPI of 280 in CS2. You can check yours quickly with the eDPI calculator.

cm/360: the universal measure

cm/360 is the distance, in centimeters, you need to move your mouse to make your character do one full 360° turn. It is a physical distance on your desk, so it does not care which game you are in. That makes it the best number to talk about sensitivity across games.

The formula is:

cm/360 = 2.54 x 360 / (yaw x sens x DPI)

2.54 converts inches to centimeters (DPI means dots per inch), 360 is the number of degrees in a full turn, and the yaw is the game's degrees per mouse count at sens 1. CS2 uses a yaw of 0.022 and Valorant uses 0.07.

A higher cm/360 means a lower sensitivity: you need more arm movement to turn around.

Worked examples

For CS2: 0.022 x 1.2 x 400 = 10.56, and 914.4 / 10.56 = 86.6 cm. For Valorant: 0.07 x 0.35 x 800 = 19.6, and 914.4 / 19.6 = 46.7 cm. Notice how the Valorant player has a lower eDPI but a faster sensitivity: the eDPI numbers are not comparable across the two games, but the cm/360 numbers are.

Rough sensitivity ranges

These are not rules, just a way to place yourself:

• Low sens: more than 45 cm/360. You aim mostly with your arm, very stable for precise shots, but turning around takes a big sweep.
• Medium sens: 25 to 45 cm/360. A balance between stability and speed, and a good starting zone for most people.
• High sens: under 25 cm/360. Fast turns with little movement, mostly wrist aiming, but tiny errors get amplified.

The type of game matters. Tactical shooters like CS2 and Valorant are usually played at lower sensitivities: fights are about pre-aiming angles and landing one precise shot on the head, and time to kill is short. Faster games with more tracking and vertical movement, like Apex Legends, Overwatch 2 or Fortnite, usually push players toward medium or higher sensitivities, because targets move a lot and you often need to turn quickly.

What DPI should you use?

On any modern gaming mouse, 400, 800 and 1600 DPI are all perfectly fine. What matters for your aim is the final result, your eDPI inside a game or your cm/360 across games, not the DPI number on its own.

A few practical points:

• Higher DPI with lower in-game sens gives finer steps of rotation, which can feel slightly smoother, especially at low sens.
• Pick one DPI, stick with it, and tune everything else with the in-game sensitivity. Changing DPI and sens at the same time is how people get lost.

A practical method to dial in your sens

1. Pick a starting point. If you already have a sens you like in another game, convert it with the sensitivity converter so you keep the same cm/360. If you start from scratch, aim for the middle of the range for your game type, for example around 40 to 50 cm/360 for a tactical shooter, or 25 to 35 cm/360 for a fast tracking game.
2. Test it for several sessions. Play deathmatch or an aim trainer with the same settings for at least three or four sessions. Your first impression is mostly habit talking, not quality.
3. Watch your misses. If you often overshoot targets or your crosshair shakes on small adjustments, your sens is probably too high. If you undershoot flicks, run out of mousepad or struggle to follow strafing targets, it is probably too low.
4. Adjust in small steps. Change the sens by about 5 to 10% at a time, not 50%. For example, from 1.2 to 1.1 or 1.3 in CS2.
5. Give each change time. Keep the new value for several days before judging. Do not touch it every day.
6. Stop when it is "good enough". When you are neither overshooting nor undershooting in a consistent way, lock it. From there, consistency beats tweaking.

The best sensitivity is the one you keep long enough to build muscle memory. A decent sens used for months beats a "perfect" sens you change every week.

Mousepad size and sensitivity

Your mousepad has to be big enough for your cm/360. At 86 cm/360, a 180° turn already needs about 43 cm of movement, which is impossible on a small pad. As a rough idea:

• Low sens (over 45 cm/360): you want a large or extended pad, 45 cm wide or more.
• Medium sens: a standard large pad (around 40 to 45 cm wide) is usually enough.

If you keep lifting and repositioning your mouse in the middle of fights, either your pad is too small for your sens, or your sens is too low for the space you have.

Arm aiming vs wrist aiming

Most players combine both, but the balance depends on sens. At low sens, big movements come from the arm (elbow and shoulder) and the wrist or fingers handle micro-adjustments. At high sens, nearly everything comes from the wrist. Neither is "correct". Choose a sens that lets you aim comfortably with your posture and desk, and make sure your arm can actually move freely (no desk edge cutting into your forearm).

Common mistakes

• Copying a pro blindly. Pro settings fit their desk, their mouse, their grip and their years of practice. Use them as a reference point, not as an answer.
• Changing sens too often. Every change resets part of your muscle memory. If you change it after every bad game, you never improve.
• Comparing eDPI between games. Use cm/360 for that, always.
• Ignoring your setup. A low sens on a tiny mousepad, or a high sens with a heavy mouse and a tense grip, will feel bad no matter the number.
• Blaming the sens for everything. Crosshair placement, movement and game sense matter far more than a 0.05 difference in sensitivity.

Quick summary

• eDPI = DPI x sens, useful only inside one game.
• cm/360 is the universal measure: cm/360 = 2.54 x 360 / (yaw x sens x DPI).
• Low sens: over 45 cm/360, medium: 25 to 45, high: under 25. Tactical shooters usually sit lower than fast tracking games.
• 400, 800 or 1600 DPI are all fine. Pick one and keep it.
• Start from a sensible value, test over several sessions, adjust by 5 to 10% at a time.
• Make sure your mousepad is big enough for your cm/360.
• Consistency matters more than finding the perfect number.