How To Find The Best Sensitivity In FPS Games?

Sensitivity in FPS games plays a very important role in determining the aim and precision of shooters in the game. There are many different values and meanings of sensitivity based on the nature of the game you are playing, the brand of mouse you are using, and the type of sensitivity you are referring to. So what do you mean by sensitivity in general when you talk about FPS games? 

In general, sensitivity is the distance moved by the mouse over the mousepad to travel a certain distance inside the game. With so many confusing terms in place, it may be difficult for you to find the perfect sensitivity in FPS games. So here is a small guide to help you find the best sensitivity and how you can adjust the sensitivity of your mouse to obtain a better aim in the game. 

Difference between true sensitivity and in-game sensitivity

The true sensitivity or mouse sensitivity is the characteristic of your mouse and how it is built. It is usually measured in terms of DPI or eDPI. DPI refers to dots per inch whereas eDPI refers to the effective dots per inch. On the other hand, in-game sensitivity is the feature of a game and varies from game to game. The in-game sensitivity is a fixed value but depends on the mouse sensitivity to some extent. 

Furthermore, the product of true sensitivity and in-game sensitivity gives the value of sensitivity and applies to the shooter. This means that the players feel the combined effect of true and in-game sensitivity while playing the game and adjust the sensitivity accordingly. 

Why is sensitivity important in FPS games?

Sensitivity is extremely important in FPS games for several reasons. Here are some of the key roles played by sensitivity in games. 

• It determines the speed at which the games can move your aim which is an essential element of competitive games. 
• It governs the accuracy of your aim. While high sensitivity can make the cursor move quickly across the screen and miss the target, a low sensitivity can slow down the movement of the cursor on the screen and make the target slip away from your gunpoint. 
• With a constant value of DPI, sensitivity becomes the deciding factor for translation of your movement in the game. For example, if you have a good DPI of your mouse, you may have to move your mouse across a longer distance on the mouse pad, but the accuracy of your movement is more in this case. 
• Most importantly, sensitivity in terms of centimeters/360 degrees determines the distance through which you need to move the mouse to obtain a rotational movement in the game. 

How to find the best sensitivity in FPS games?

The best sensitivity is the one that lets you make a 180 degree flick easily while allowing you to find and attack targets with similar ease. It is important to know the best sensitivity, that is, the one that works perfectly for you while playing FPS games. While finding the best sensitivity, it isn’t advisable to make major changes within a short span of time. It is because doing so can harm your muscle memory. If you wish to adjust the sensitivity to suit your requirements, make changes gradually. So, here is how you can find the best sensitivity in FPS games. 

1. Through the Perfect Sensitivity Approximation (PSA) method

In this method, the best sensitivity is determined by finding the sensitivity levels that let you complete one 360 degree rotation by moving your mouse from one end of the pad to the other. In addition to this, the perfect sensitivity approximation method involves testing the sensitivity both on the higher and lower sides of the starting sens to later find the average sensitivity that looks perfect. 

The PSA method is especially great for people who have just begun their gaming journey and have no previous information about how to find the best sensitivity. However, this method can be a bit time-taking because of the calibration phase. It is a helpful method to gain some edge on the process but it may contain some errors. It is because the working of this method is based on the standard size of the mousepad. 

2. By using pro sensitivities

Pro gamers have hundreds and thousands of hours of practice while playing games. So they definitely know about the best sensitivity. But it is not advised for you to just copy their sensitivity and apply it to your game. The mouse sensitivity that works for the pro players doesn’t need to be going to work for you as well. Therefore, you must do your research and extract an average value of eDPI which is common for all experienced players. Once you find the average value, you may start playing and see if you need to go on the upper side or lower the sensitivity to get the best experience. 

Enter an empty server, practice range, and aim, adjust the sensitivity by moving the mouse around in the server and checking if the current sensitivity is letting you track a still object while allowing you to flick and turn in the game easily. For example, if you experience easy tracking but difficult turns, you will need to increase the sensitivity. On the other hand, if you are experiencing difficult tracking, you should lower the sensitivity of your mouse. A few more attempts in experimenting with the sensitivity can easily help you find the best sensitivity in FPS games. 

3. By tweaking it to your preference

In this method of finding the best sensitivity in FPS games, the players pick a median value of eDPI or mouse sensitivity and begin playing with that. Then while playing the game, the players alter the sensitivity and adjust it to a level that works best for them. 

While finding the best sensitivity for FPS games, you don’t have to find a certain value of sensitivity and get used to playing at that level. It can be done in the other way around, which is, starting at a random eDPI and getting used to playing at that sensitivity level. 

Tips to find the best sensitivity in FPS games

Some people may not support the idea of changing the sensitivity of your mouse and finding the best level of sensitivity in FPS games because doing so can hinder the development of muscle memory. This is not the case when you occupy the top level of the game. Building muscle memory is very easy as our brain is trained to quickly adjust to the changing settings. However, finding the perfect sensitivity in FPS games is very important to achieve better precision and accuracy of aims. So, here are some tips to find the best sensitivity in FPS games. 

• There are two main variables that you must take into consideration while determining your mouse sensitivity. These are in-game sensitivity and mouse DPI. Find the right combination of these two variables by changing the mouse DPI from the mouse software window, and calculating the in-game sensitivity through any online calculator. 

• Don’t be afraid of trying out different mouse sensitivities. Do not blindly go with what other players have to say about mouse sensitivity. Sometimes, one particular value of mouse sensitivity that doesn’t work for them may work for you. 

• The mouse sensitivity that you are experiencing may vary from game to game. So, it is very important to check in-game sensitivity and refine it to find the perfect mouse sensitivity for yourself. 

• Estimate the turn circumference of your mouse in terms of centimeters/360 degrees. To do this, take a measuring ruler showing measurements in centimeters. Enter any FPS game of your choice and mark a defined spot on a wall. Make a 360-degree horizontal turn without touching the keyboard. Then use the ruler to measure the distance moved by your mouse on the mousepad while making the 360-degree turn. The distance will be your sensitivity in terms of centimeters/360 degrees. 

You can also use an online calculator as a sens converter. The purpose of these calculators is to convert the mouse sensitivity in one game to that of the other, rather than picking up the ruler and measuring the circumference. Alternatively, you can find the turn circumference by entering your mouse’s DPI and in-game sensitivity in the calculator. Some calculators can even suggest the settings to achieve that turn circumference in your game. 

There can be certain values of sensitivity that may be labeled best for FPS games. But it is mostly about the personal preferences of the shooters to decide on a particular sensitivity and refine their aim at that level. While some pro-level shooters may have the top level of accuracy and precision of targets at high sensitivity, you may not be able to achieve it being a beginner. Therefore, it is always good to gather some basic information about the eDPI and in-game sensitivity and try your own hands on the games to find the perfect sensitivity for you.