Counter-Strike: Source
28 sourced launch options for Counter-Strike: Source on Steam ↗.
DeveloperValve
PublisherValve
Released2004-11-01
EngineSource
-
-autoconfigCopyRestores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removedSafe -
-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 -
-dxlevelCopyForces the game to launch in a specific DirectX version, where xx is: 80 (DirectX 8 (buggy, use 81 instead for high performance)), 81 (DirectX 8.1), 90 (DX9 with Shader Model 2) and 95 (DX9 with Shader Model 3))DisplaySafe -
-gl_enablesamplerobjectsCopyDisplaySafe -
-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
DisplayUniversal Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-heightCopySet the window height in pixels (game-specific spelling)- Effect
- Forces the given vertical resolution. This is a per-game convention rather than an engine standard — Source uses -h, Unity uses -screen-height.
- Example
-height 1080
DisplaySafe -
-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 PCGamingWiki · 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 ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
-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 -
-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
DisplayUniversal Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-widthCopyForces the engine to start with resolution set to #DisplaySafe -
-windowCopyRun the game in a window instead of fullscreen- Effect
- Starts windowed rather than exclusive fullscreen. -window, -windowed and -sw are synonyms in Source.
DisplayValve Developer Community Added Jun 29, 2026 Last checked Sep 27, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · 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 -
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_HIDE_NVIDIA_GPU=1 %command%CopyForce Nvidia GPUs to always be reported as AMD GPUsProton-DeckSafe -
PROTON_NO_D3D10=1 %command%CopyDisable d3d10.dll and dxgi.dll, for d3d10 games which can fall back to and run better with d3d9Proton-DeckDisplay -
PROTON_NO_ESYNC=1 %command%CopyDisable eventfd-based synchronisation (Linux, Proton)- Effect
- Turns off in-process esync primitives. Worth trying for games that hang or crash under Proton.
Proton-DeckValve Proton Added Jul 8, 2026 Last checked Sep 13, 2026 Also documented for this game on ProtonDB · checked Nov 9, 2026Safe -
PROTON_NO_FSYNC=1 %command%CopyDo not use futex-based in-process synchronization primitivesProton-Deck -
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 -
-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 -
-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 -
+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.
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