Custom Models

CS2 Custom Models: Install Folder, Players, Arms and Weapons

Where do I put the model files?

Install the model package inside CS2's game\csgo folder. For the usual Windows Steam location, the full folder is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\csgo\

If your Steam library is on another drive, use that library's steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\game\csgo\ folder instead. CS2 still uses the Counter-Strike Global Offensive installation folder name.

Examples of final locations, depending on how the author packaged the model:

Counter-Strike Global Offensive\
└─ game\
   └─ csgo\
      ├─ agents\models\author\character\character.vmdl_c
      ├─ characters\models\author\character\character.vmdl_c
      ├─ models\author\character\character.vmdl_c
      ├─ weapons\author\ak47\weapon.vmdl_c
      ├─ models\weapons\author\weapon.vmdl_c
      ├─ phase2\weapons\author\weapon.vmdl_c
      └─ materials\author\... 

These are examples, not folders to rename your package into. Use the author's actual filenames and directories. Compiled files contain references to those paths.

Install the complete package

1. Close CS2. Extract the downloaded package so you can see its files and folders.
2. Find the package's content folders. If the archive includes a game\csgo wrapper, open it and copy the folders inside it.
3. Copy those folders into your installed game\csgo folder. Merge matching folders and include all supplied dependencies. The result should be game\csgo\models\..., for example; an extra archive-name folder or a second csgo folder breaks resource paths.
4. Start CS2 and load Scooby. See How to Load Scooby in CS2 if you need the loading steps.
5. Open Custom models in the sidebar, choose Players, Self or Weapon, and press Refresh list.

Use a CS2-compatible compiled Source 2 package with .vmdl_c model files. Source files such as .vmdl need to be compiled by the model author. Renaming a file's extension does not compile or convert it.

Keeping a ZIP in Downloads or a model in Scooby's package library alone does not install its game resources. The complete package must exist at its expected paths below game\csgo.

Refresh the list, preview, then apply

1. Choose the target you want to change and use Search models... to find its package.
2. Select a model in the list on the left. Scooby checks its dependencies in the background and shows its 3D preview on the right when it is ready.
3. Press Apply model to assign the selection. Browsing a model by itself does not apply it.

Refresh list rescans the active category. The top Refresh button refreshes all model categories. Wait for background work to finish after adding or replacing files. Refresh discovers installed files; it does not download missing dependencies.

Default model previews the currently loaded model when your player is available. In the menu, the player preview can use your equipped agent. To remove an assignment, select Default model and press Apply model.

Players: global, CT/T and individual agents

The Players tab controls other players. Use the Team and Agent dropdowns to choose the scope before applying a model:

• Global: a fallback for CT and T players.
• CT → All CT agents or T → All T agents: a fallback for that team.
• CT or T → a named agent: a separate replacement for that original agent model.

The order is individual agent → team → global → original model. A more specific assignment takes priority. For example, set a global model, choose a different CT model, then give one CT agent its own replacement. Your own character is configured under Self.

Applying Default to an individual agent removes that assignment, so its team or global fallback may still appear. To return everyone to their original models, clear the remaining team/global assignments too, or use Reset All.

Self: your body, arms and hands

Open Self and select Player body to change your own character. The body selection uses matching first-person arms and hands when the model includes an authored first-person mesh.

Choose First-person arms to apply a separate arms model. That explicit selection takes priority over the body model's arms. Applying Default in the arms list clears the explicit choice and lets the body supply its matching arms when available.

A body-only package cannot create matching hands automatically. If the body changes but the hands stay ordinary, check that the package includes first-person geometry or install the author's matching arms package.

Weapon: matching world and first-person models

Open Weapon, select a package made for the weapon you want to replace, and press Apply model. The replacement applies when you hold the matching weapon. An AK-47 package, for example, belongs to the AK-47.

Keep the package's world and first-person resources together in their original locations. The First-person weapon option controls whether the replacement is also used for the weapon in your hands. An unrecognized weapon target or incomplete package can block Apply.

Turn models off or clear assignments

• Custom models toggle: switch custom replacements off while keeping your selections.
• Default model → Apply model: clear the selected target's assignment. Players can fall back to a team/global choice; arms can follow the Self body.
• Reset All: clear custom-model assignments and turn the feature off. Installed package files remain on disk.

Troubleshooting

The model is missing from the list

Check the exact game\csgo folder and the package's original directory structure, then press Refresh list. Make sure the archive is extracted and contains compiled .vmdl_c files. Choose the correct tab: arms and weapons have their own lists. Player discovery filters unrelated map props. If the library reports a scan limit, reduce the installed collection while testing.

Package needs attention / Apply is unavailable

Wait if the preview says Checking package.... Otherwise click the package-details message below the preview to see which dependency is missing. Install the complete compatible bundle, restart CS2 and refresh the list. Old packages may reference animation graphs removed by a game update and need a new build from their author.

The preview is empty or the wrong model appears

Check the selected scope and the Assigned label. A preview selection becomes an assignment only after Apply. Default arms and weapon previews need a loaded local player and the corresponding model. A package with missing geometry, materials or animations needs corrected assets.

Hands, death poses or animations look wrong

Clear any separate arms override, check the package's first-person support, and compare with Default. If one custom package alone produces a broken death pose or animation, it may have incompatible skeleton, animation or physics data. Use a compatible version of that package and include its name and resource path when reporting the problem.

Frame rate drops with a model

Test one replacement at a time, then compare with Default in the same scene. Large textures, detailed meshes and bundled effects can add rendering cost. Close the preview when finished and refresh after file changes. Background scanning reduces menu stalls, but it does not make every custom asset inexpensive to render.

Models stopped applying after a CS2 update

Check Features Not Working After an Update and use a Scooby build that matches the current game. For package-specific help, share the affected tab, package name, resource path and the exact Package details message with the Scooby community.