ARK: Survival Evolved
25 sourced launch options for ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam ↗.
DeveloperStudio Wildcard
PublisherStudio Wildcard
Released2017-08-27
EngineUnreal Engine 4
-
-dx10CopyForce 10.0 feature setDisplaySafe -
-EpicPortalCopyExperimental -
-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 PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Caution -
-lowmemoryCopyEnables low memory mode in Unreal Engine games.PerformanceSafe -
-sm4CopyForce the SM4 (DirectX 10) feature level — removed from Unreal in 4.23 (Unreal Engine 4 before 4.23 only)- Effect
- Selected the DX10-era feature set instead of SM5, giving up tessellation, compute shaders and other DX11-level features. Epic removed SM4 in Unreal 4.23, so on any build from 4.23 onward it does nothing at all, and it never existed in Unreal Engine 3 or earlier.
DisplayEpic Games Documentation Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
-USEALLAVAILABLECORESCopyUse all available CPU cores (Unreal Engine games)- Effect
- Lifts a core-count limit the engine would otherwise apply. Epic documents it as "Use all available cores."
PerformanceEpic Games Documentation Added Jun 27, 2026 Last checked Sep 24, 2026 Also documented for this game on PCGamingWiki · checked Sep 27, 2026Safe -
DXVK_ASYNC=1 %command%CopyEnable asynchronous pipeline compilation in DXVK builds patched with dxvk-asyncProton-Deck -
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_NVAPI=1 %command%CopyEnable NVIDIA's NVAPI GPU support libraryProton-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-Deck -
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 -
PROTON_USE_WINED3D11=1 %command%CopyThe original name of PROTON_USE_WINED3D, still accepted as an alias: use OpenGL-based wined3d instead of Vulkan-based DXVKProton-DeckDisplay -
WINE_FULLSCREEN_FSR=1 %command%CopyUpscale with AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) through GE-Proton's fullscreen hack, in Vulkan games (DXVK and VKD3D-Proton included)Proton-DeckDisplay -
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 -
-dx11CopyUse the DirectX 11 renderer (Unreal Engine games)- Effect
- Selects DX11 as the RHI. Ignored by builds without a DX11 path.
DisplaySafe -
-dx12CopyUse the DirectX 12 renderer (Unreal Engine games)- Effect
- Selects DX12 as the RHI. Ignored by builds without a DX12 path.
DisplaySafe -
-fullscreenCopyRun in fullscreen mode (Unreal Engine and Source games)- Effect
- Overrides a saved windowed preference. -full is the same option in Source.
DisplaySafe -
-nomanskyCopyDisables sky effects for FPS boost in ARK: Survival Evolved.Safe -
-ResX=1920CopySet the window width in pixels (Unreal Engine games)- Effect
- Takes its value with = and no space. Epic pairs it with -ResY and -windowed.
- Example
-windowed -ResX=1920 -ResY=1080
DisplaySafe -
-ResY=1080CopySet the window height in pixels (Unreal Engine games)- Effect
- Takes its value with = and no space. Epic pairs it with -ResX and -windowed.
- Example
-windowed -ResX=1920 -ResY=1080
DisplaySafe -
-usecacheCopyPerformanceSafe -
-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
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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