The Stanley Parable
12 sourced launch options for The Stanley Parable on Steam ↗.
DeveloperGalactic Cafe
PublisherGalactic Cafe
Released2013-10-17
EngineSource
-
-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 -
-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 PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
+mat_hdr_levelCopyDisplaySteam Community Added Jul 9, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
PROTON_USE_D9VK=1 %command%CopyUse DXVK for Direct3D 9 (obsolete) (Linux, Proton 4.x and earlier)- Effect
- Valve marks it obsoleted as of Proton 5.0 — DXVK became the default for d3d9, so on any current Proton this does nothing. In older versions it selected Vulkan-based DXVK over OpenGL-based wined3d.
Proton-DeckValve Proton Added Jul 8, 2026 Last checked Sep 13, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
-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 -
-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.
PerformanceCaution -
-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.
PerformanceSafe -
-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-IntroSafe -
-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
PerformanceCaution -
-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 -
+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
PerformanceSafe
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.
Related games
- Left 4 Dead 2 34 options·Source Engine
- Team Fortress 2 30 options·Source Engine
- Garry's Mod 31 options·Source Engine
- Titanfall® 2 33 options·Source Engine
- Half-Life 2 29 options·Source Engine
- Counter-Strike: Source 28 options·Source Engine
- Black Mesa 29 options·Source Engine
- Apex Legends™ 26 options·Source Engine
Browse The Stanley Parable and thousands more on Vanilla Slops →