Half-Life 2
29 sourced launch options for Half-Life 2 on Steam ↗.
DeveloperValve
PublisherValve
Released2004-11-16
EngineSource
-
-audiolanguageCopyAudioSteam Community Added Jul 18, 2026 Last checked Aug 12, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
-consoleCopyEnable the developer console (Source engine games)- Effect
- Makes the in-game developer console available, opened with the ~ key.
Debug-DevUniversal Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Experimental -
-dxlevelCopyRun the game in DirectX 9 or higherDisplayPCGamingWiki Added Jul 9, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
-fullscreenCopyRun in fullscreen mode (Unreal Engine and Source games)- Effect
- Overrides a saved windowed preference. -full is the same option in Source.
DisplayUniversal Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-gamepaduiCopyEnables gamepad-optimized UI (Steam Deck).Proton-DeckSafe -
-h 720CopySet the window height in pixels- Effect
- Forces the game to start at the given vertical resolution instead of the saved or auto-detected one.
- Example
-w 1920 -h 720
DisplayValve Developer Community Added Sep 13, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-highCopyRun the game at High process priority (Source engine games)- Effect
- Raises the OS scheduling priority of the game process. It does not add CPU capacity, so it helps only where something else is competing for the processor.
PerformanceUniversal Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Caution -
-languageCopySet the game's language- Effect
- Loads localisation files for the named language instead of following the Steam client language.
- Example
-language english
Valve Developer Community Added Jul 9, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Experimental -
-noborderCopyRemove the window border (Source 2007 and later)- Effect
- Requires windowed mode — pair it with -windowed or it does nothing. Gives borderless-window behaviour, so alt-tabbing avoids the two-to-three second delay exclusive fullscreen costs. Source 2007 and later only.
- Example
-windowed -noborder
DisplayValve Developer Community Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
-nojoyCopyDisable joystick support (Source engine games, except Left 4 Dead 2)- Effect
- Skips joystick initialisation, which can shorten startup. The wiki notes it does NOT apply to Left 4 Dead 2.
PerformanceSource Engine Added Jul 8, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-nosteamcontrollerCopyDisables Steam Controller support. Reduces input overhead.PerformanceSteam Community Guides Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Aug 30, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
-novidCopySkip the intro video (Source engine games)- Effect
- The startup video does not play. Saves several seconds on every launch and is the most common Source launch option.
Skip-IntroValve Developer Community Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-refreshCopySet the monitor refresh rate in Hz- Effect
- Requests the given refresh rate on the display the game opens on.
- Example
-refresh 144
DisplayValve Developer Community Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-threadsCopySet the size of the engine thread pool (Source engine games)- Effect
- Takes a thread count; the default is 3. Setting it above the number of cores available does not help.
- Example
-threads 4
PerformanceUniversal Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 15, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Caution -
-vulkanCopyUse the Vulkan renderer where the game supports it (only engines with a Vulkan backend — Source 2, id Tech 6/7, UE4)- Effect
- Forces the Vulkan rendering backend instead of DirectX or OpenGL. Only has an effect in engines with a Vulkan path; ignored elsewhere.
DisplayPCGamingWiki Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-w 1280CopySet the window width in pixels- Effect
- Forces the game to start at the given horizontal resolution instead of the saved or auto-detected one. Pass -h as well to set height explicitly; on its own, height is derived from the aspect ratio.
- Example
-w 1280 -h 1080
DisplayValve Developer Community Added Jul 9, 2026 Last checked Sep 15, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-windowedCopyRun in windowed mode (Unreal Engine and Source games)- Effect
- Unreal documents pairing it with an explicit resolution. In Source -window, -sw and -startwindowed are the same option.
- Example
-windowed -ResX=1920 -ResY=1080
DisplayEpic Games Documentation Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
+fps_maxCopyCap the frame rate (GoldSrc, Source and Source 2 games)- Effect
- Default 300 (400 in CS:GO and the TF2 branch). Match your refresh rate, or a little above it. Do NOT use 0 on GoldSrc — it uncaps Source and Source 2 but runs GoldSrc at 1 FPS. Above ~1000 (100 on GoldSrc) the engine develops timing bugs.
- Example
+fps_max 144
PerformanceSource Engine Added Jul 8, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
+mat_dxlevelCopyDisplaySafe -
+mat_hdr_enableCopyDisplaySafe -
+mat_hdr_levelCopyDisplaySteam Community Added Jul 9, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on Steam Community · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
MANGOHUD=1CopyShow the MangoHud performance overlay (Linux)- Effect
- Draws FPS, frame timing and CPU/GPU load over Vulkan and OpenGL games. MangoHud runs the game, so %command% is what it runs.
- Example
mangohud %command%
Proton-Deck -
PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 %command%CopyUse Wine's experimental Wayland driver instead of the default X11 driver, in GE-Proton and Proton-CachyOS (Valve's Proton does not include it)Proton-DeckExperimental -
PROTON_USE_WINED3D=1 %command%CopyUse wined3d (OpenGL) instead of DXVK (Linux, Proton)- Effect
- Routes d3d11, d3d10 and d3d9 through OpenGL-based wined3d rather than Vulkan-based DXVK. Usually slower; a fallback where DXVK fails.
Proton-DeckDisplayValve Proton Added Jul 9, 2026 Last checked Sep 13, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
gamemoderun %command%CopyRun the game under Feral GameMode (Linux)- Effect
- Applies temporary host optimisations (CPU governor, I/O and process priority) for the game's lifetime, then restores them on exit. GameMode runs the game, so %command% is what it runs.
Proton-DeckFeral GameMode Added Jun 29, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
mangohud %command%CopyShow the MangoHud performance overlay (Linux)- Effect
- Draws FPS, frame timing and CPU/GPU load over Vulkan and OpenGL games. MangoHud runs the game, so %command% is what it runs.
Proton-Deck -
-freqCopyForce a specific refresh rate (Source engine games)- Effect
- An alias for -refresh; the wiki lists the two as the same option. Takes a rate in Hz.
- Example
-freq 144
DisplaySafe -
-hCopySet the window height in pixels- Effect
- Forces the game to start at the given vertical resolution instead of the saved or auto-detected one.
- Example
-w 1920 -h 1080
DisplaySafe -
-wCopySet the window width in pixels- Effect
- Forces the game to start at the given horizontal resolution instead of the saved or auto-detected one. Pass -h as well to set height explicitly; on its own, height is derived from the aspect ratio.
- Example
-w 1920 -h 1080
DisplaySafe
How to apply a launch option on Steam
- Open Steam and go to your Library.
- Right-click the game and choose Properties.
- On the General tab, find the Launch Options field.
- Type or paste the option (e.g.
-windowed) into the field. To use several at once, separate them with spaces (e.g.-windowed -novid). - Close Properties. Steam saves automatically, and the option applies next time you launch the game.
To remove one, reopen the same field and delete the text. Options are game-specific; an option that helps one game may do nothing (or misbehave) in another.
Worth knowing: a launch option can break a game's rendering, reset local settings, or trip anti-cheat in multiplayer. Read the description first, add one at a time, and treat anything rated above Safe as a deliberate experiment.
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