There is no simple answer on how to improve your aim in FPS games, such as Apex Legends, Valorant, Rainbow Six, etc. If you are just getting into PC gaming then you will want to learn and practice so you do not develop bad habits. If you have been playing for a while, then you may need to start from scratch and scrap the bad habits you have possibly developed. The best thing you can do is take all of the tips you have gathered from this post, YouTube videos, and/or other tips from other sources and then practice, practice, practice. At the end of it all, you will have to make sure to take every tip you have gathered and tailor it to your preference. In this post, we will be discussing slow is smooth, smooth is fast, a modern FPS training game, staying calm, concentration, sensitivity, and health.

The number one rule is to make sure that YOU are comfortable with all of your settings. Do not worry about having the same settings as your favorite streamer/gamer just because they are great. Those settings work for them, so you should do the same for you. For example, you wouldn’t do the same exercises as your favorite bodybuilder because certain exercises you just don’t get much out of or you just don’t feel. Instead, you take what you have learned and supplement an exercise for one that works for you but will get you to the same result you want to get to.

Also, in order to improve you should record your gameplay and rewatch it and take notes. You should also be taking notes during gameplay. A key factor to a great aim is concentration, which I will get into later. There is another factor that comes into play, which is hand-eye coordination. Let’s get into the tips.

Slow is Smooth, Smooth is Fast

I was a United States infantry Marine and we were taught that slow is smooth, smooth is fast. What does this mean exactly? Whatever it is you are doing, if you are too fast you become sloppy, make mistakes, and become reckless, which will cost you. However, if you are slow you are deliberate and steady, then you are moving the fastest you can without compromising your skillset. This brings a lot more confidence to the table. Now, do not take the word “slow” literally. I am not telling you to move like a tortoise. Think of it this way, if you rush you end up missing things, lose control, and make mistakes. If you take it slowly you will be the fastest you can be. You will also be able to be more observant and aware of your surroundings as well as aware of each movement you make as well as the enemy player/team. You become more deliberate in movement in-game.

This can be relayed to both mouse movements and in-game decisions, which I will go over. Let’s say you are playing Apex Legends and you come across an enemy. You want to take it slowly when you decide to push or stay back until you find the right opportunity to push. Be aware of the target and what lies behind it. You need to know where each opposing player is. You also want to know where your teammate(s) is and work together.

When it comes to aiming you will want to make sure you are not tense and you take things slow, which means to stay calm, cool, and collected. Prediction of the enemy’s movement plays a huge role in tracking an enemy. That can either come naturally or you will have to work on it. Let’s say an enemy is in the distance and there is some cover near them. You can then predict that person is going to move behind cover. Make sure you are aware of the surroundings of not only yourself but the enemy as well.

Trying to be a hard target to hit by moving fast side to side and sliding around is great but only if you can actually hit your target. Be conscious of your hand movement, the recoil of the weapon you are using, and the distance in which your weapon and your target are. For example, if there is a faraway target and you have a gun or a rifle with a large amount of recoil, you do not want to empty an entire mag and only cause 10 damage. Instead, you will want to commit to short round bursts because you will have a lot more control. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast relates to practice. I highly recommend using my recommended aim improving game below to practice so that you can create muscle memory. While practicing you will want to start very slowly. Move your mouse to each target slowly. Do this over and over again. You will get bored and think you can go faster but patience is key to success. If you truly want to improve you will slowly move your mouse to each target. You should gradually increase your speed over time. Let’s say you practice for an hour every day. You will want to increase your speed in 2-3 days. Then again in 2-3 more days and so on. When you are doing a new mode, you will want to do the same thing. You will be shocked to see how much you improve your aim in just one month. If you find that you are struggling then simply slow down until you get more comfortable.

Also, if you have ever played football then you will know that moving from freshman level to JV the speed increases. It increases even more in varsity. The point is that playing against a harder opponent will only improve your gameplay. This will take time, so be patient and persistent.

A Modern FPS Training Game

An aim training game I highly recommend is called Aim Lab, which is available on Steam. It is completely free as of now and it is in beta, but I have found it to be extremely helpful. You can choose your weapon, customize your crosshair, choose your map, and much more! The greatest thing about Aim Lab is the fact that they give you an insight into what your weaknesses and strengths are, and show you graphs that help you understand where you can improve. One game mode I found extremely helpful was strictly for tracking. Once you hover over the target as it moves around you 360 degrees, it will turn blue and then red if you are not on target. There is also a game mode where you move around on a map and fight the CPU-generated bots who roam around. This can help you work on movement while firing. I have played several other aim training games and nothing can compare. I cannot wait to see Aim Lab fully developed. I am sure it will be one of the go-to’s for everyone.

Concentration and Staying Calm

The calmest gamer wins. Concentration is something we are not taught unless you’re a monk or you meditate. To truly concentrate means you are giving something or someone your full undivided attention. This will come in handy when you are aiming.

The slightest tension will disrupt your ability to eliminate your opponent unless your opponent is worse than you (we can only hope). In a battle, the natural thing that happens is an increase of adrenaline, which can cause you to tense up. This tension will restrict your movement to the point where it will most likely end badly…for you.

How do you combat this spike in adrenaline? You may have guessed it, concentration. When in a firefight, try to concentrate on staying calm. Be aware of your feelings and resort back to I am okay. This is just a game. I am calm. Make sure you make this a habit and it will eventually come naturally. This helps me out tremendously.

A great example for staying calm is a streamer named aceu. I don’t know aceu nor are we affiliated with him, but he is a great example nonetheless. aceu is a very talented gamer who stays completely calm in the midst of a battle. He has a system down that separates him from his opponent(s).

Sensitivity

One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking they need to use a higher sensitivity or work their way up to a higher sensitivity. That is the wrong approach. Instead, start at a sensitivity that feels right to you. On average, people play with 800 DPI to 1250 DPI with an in-game sensitivity set to around .8-3. There are a lot of professional players out there who set their DPI to as low as 400 DPI with around 2 of in-game sensitivity.

However, you do not want to set your sensitivity so low that you have to put a lot of effort just to move your crosshairs. And if you have too high of sensitivity you will be very inaccurate. In other words, you will be the number one rated detective in the aspect of a chalk outline. It’s not a crime scene until you can make it one.

There are mice out there that can go up to 12,000 DPI, which is completely ridiculous in my opinion. DPI stands for Dots Per Linear Inch. If you set your DPI to 1,000 then each movement of the mouse will essentially move 1,000 pixels per inch.

My mouse settings are set to 1250 DPI with an in-game sensitivity to 0.9. This feels great to me. I do not have to move the mouse too far but it is slow enough that I can track a target easily. My settings may not work out for you, and that is okay.

Health

Your health is of utmost importance to a healthy life. In order to improve in any aspect of your life your health must come first. This does not only include eating a healthy diet, but it also includes a good circadian rhythm and doing some sort of healthy exercise.

Eating healthy, sleeping right, and exercise will help you improve in the most efficient way. Your reaction speed will be quicker and you will be in peak cognitive shape.

I hope this has helped you in your goal to get better in your FPS game. If it has or you have something you would like to share with everyone then please comment below!