Command line options

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Command line arguments are additional arguments specified before the program starts, these functionally change the behavior of the program in some way.

Some Microsoft docs refer to them as options, parameters and flags. They use command to describe exactly one command line argument without values.WT

Source Source games

These command-line parameters will work with any Source engine games (Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2, Counter-Strike: Source Counter-Strike: Source, etc.).

Syntax: hl2.exe <parameter1> <parameter2> <cvar1> <cvar2>

Usage

These options can be used with:

  • Hammer editor Run Map dialog.
  • Windows shortcuts pointing to hl2.exe directly.
  • Windows shortcuts pointing to steam.exe with the proper -applaunch <AppID> specified (see Steam section below).
  • Command-line batch script files launching these applications.
  • Linux shell scripts pointing to the application with launch options. executable -command

Examples

  • steam.exe -applaunch 280 -dev -console -sw +sv_lan 1 +map MyMap
  • hl2.exe -game cstrike -dev -console -fullscreen +sv_lan 1 +map de_dust

Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-32bit Forces the engine to start in 32-bit mode. Only useful on 64-bit Operating Systems and 64-bit version of the engine.
May not work with all games.
-adapter Sets the GL graphics adapter. Default is 0.
-all_languages Loads all language files.
-allowdebug Fakes a debugger for phonehome, and is the same as -dev, unless -nodev is specified.
-allowmultiple (in all games since Portal 2) Allows multiple Source games to run at the same time. Only works if a VPROJECT environment variable is set. Use -multirun instead for Source 2013 Source 2013.
Note.pngNote:Source games that do not support this (or -multirun) can be run at the same time as a game that does, as long as the other game that doesn't support it was started first.
Note.pngNote:In Strata Source Strata Source, both -allowmultiple and -multirun are supported, VPROJECT is not required, and using either will disable creating the Source mutex entirely, so any other game can still be started at the same time.
Confirm:Windows only?
-allowstalezip Suppresses console warnings from stale.txt existing.
-allow_third_party_software (only in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) Previously -untrusted, this launches the game in "Untrusted Mode", which allow third-party programs to injecting its code into game executable.
-audiolanguage (only in Team Fortress 2) Changes the audio (spoken) language. Due to the way it works, only -audiolanguage english works. However, it is possible to make other languages to work.
-autoconfig Restores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
-background <n> (only in Left 4 Dead 2Portal 2) Forces the main menu background ID to the integer n for the current session.
-basedir Sets the base directory for the game files. On Xbox 360 RFS, this is forced to smb://hostname/game.
-bi Defines the build identifier ID which is used in phonehome
-bugbait Used internally to tell the game it is loading a Bugbait (the name of the bug reporting system) bug report.
-bugreporterdll Name of the bug reporter DLL to use
-buildcubemaps Builds cubemaps when fully loaded into a map, then quits the game.
-ccsyntax Spew details about the localized strings we load.
-clientport Sets the client port. Default is 27002.
-collate Skips everything, just merges the reslist from temp folders to the final folder again.
-conclearlog Clears the console.log text file on start. Only works if -condebug set.
-condebug Logs all console output into the console.log text file.
-console Starts the game with the developer console enabled. Same as having con_enable enabled.
-deathsonly Supposed to only count deaths while parsing tf2 gamestats, but actually pointless because there is only code for deaths.
-debugdxsupport Writes debug DirectX information as keyvalues to the console as shader devices are loading configuration.
-defaultgamedir Fallback directory if "-game" is not set. Default is "hl2".
-demo Enters the game into demo mode. Only works for Half-Life 2 and Portal
-dev Enables developer mode. Also disables the automatic loading of menu background maps and stops the quit dialog from appearing on exit.
-disable_d3d9ex (only in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) Forcefully disables Direct3D 9Ex.
-disallowhwmorph Same as mat_disablehwmorph 1. Disables HW morphing for particular mods.
-dti Prints the datatable when being sent
-dumpvidmemstats Spews video memory statistics to vidmemstats.txt. This forces CModelLoader to quit.
-dvd Enables strict DVD mode. Allows loading files from DVD only. Xbox 360 only.
-dvddev Enables developer DVD mode. Allows loading files from a remote path as a fallback as well as the DVD. Xbox 360 only.
-dx9 (only in Half-Life 2PortalLeft 4 Dead 2Portal 2Team Fortress 2) Forces the game to never use DXVK, even in cases where it would be automatically enabled (such as when -gamepadui is passed in).
Blank image.pngTodo: What does this do on Linux, if anything? Does it revert to using ToGL or is that a separate launch option?
-dxlevel <level> (removed since Left 4 Dead) Forces the game to start using specified DirectX API (aka feature level) version. Officially supported values are: 60, 70, 80, 81, 90, 91, 95 (recommended), 98 (Xbox 360 only), and 100 (Source Filmmaker only). After starting the game with this launch parameter, the selected value will be saved for future start ups and video settings will be temporarily reset (but not saved), so it is highly recommended to remove this launch parameter after first launch with it. See mat_dxlevel.
Please note that this command does not change the Direct3D renderer version whatsoever, the games will always run on Direct3D 9 (or D3D11/D3D12 in some third-party games).
-edit According to comments, intended to replace -tools. Does nothing except disable all file logging for building reslists.
-enablefakeip (only in Team Fortress 2) Tells Steam Datagram Relay to use a "FakeIP" and an anonymous server ID when local server hosting.
-endgamevid If specified startup videos will not be skipped, and EndGameVids.txt will be used instead of StartupVids.txt. This can also be invoked by the command "startupmenu playendgamevid", which bails back to the menu and plays the end game video.
-exit Quits the game after fully loading into a map.
-fake_stale_server Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Skip check game version from Steam and goes straight to out-of-date state
-filmgrain Enables the filmgrain screen space effect. Crashes the game on Half-Life 2. In Day of Defeat: Source effect works and enabled by default
-floathdr Forces HDR to use float values.
-flushlog Causes log files to be flushed to disk once per second (rather than after every 4kbytes of log data).
-forcenovsync Forces vsync to be disabled.
-forcestartupmenu Forces the background menu map to always load, even if developer mode is active or the game is loading straight to a level.
-forcexboxreconfig Forces default config settings to be loaded on Xbox 360.
-force_device_id Forces the GPU to be recognised to be a different device depending on the vendor set. This is used for either debugging purposes or for graphical workarounds, such as avoiding an Intel crash in L4D2 when both Shaders and Memory Pool are set to high, aswell as forcing the "High" shadows setting to be shown on systems with Intel GPU.
Tip.pngTip:-force_vendor_id 0x10DE -force_device_id 0x0191 will force the game to recognizing the GPU as a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080Ti. And -force_vendor_id 0x10DE -force_device_id 0x1088 will force the game to be recognized as GeForce GTX 590, which was listed in dxsupport.cfg (in most Source games on latest versions, except Left 4 Dead 1, which only recognizes up to GTX 295 or AMD/ATI equivalent), used to load default graphical settings matching the GPU capabilities.
-force_vendor_id
-forever When you get to the end of the maplist, start over from the top
-freq <rate> Same as -refresh
-fs_log Starts creating a batch file to copy files at the specified filename. This works on the latest engine branch.
-fs_logbins Logs binaries to the batch file from -fs_log.
-fs_nopreloaddata Loads in the precompiled keyvalues data for each type. Works only with dedicated servers.
-fs_target Sets the target game directory to copy files to, used with -fs_log.
-full_memory_dumps
-fullscreen or -full Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.
-g15 Enables Logitech G15 support. G15 is only supported in SiN Episodes SiN Episodes. [confirm]
Confirm.pngConfirm: Does this also works with other Logitech G series keyboards with LCD screens, such as G19?
-game Sets game or mod directory to load the game from. Usually is set by default if not user specified. Default is "-defaultgamedir"'s setting. If -defaultgamedir is not set, "hl2" is used.
-gamepadui Half-Life 2PortalEntropy : Zero 2 Enables the alternate controller-friendly UI used on Steam Deck.
Left 4 Dead 2Portal 2 Makes various UI elements larger.
When used, keyvalues in VGUI resource files tagged with $DECK will evaluate as true. This is used by default on Steam Deck Steam Deck and in Entropy : Zero 2 Entropy : Zero 2; use -nogamepadui if the original UI is desired.
This also automatically enables DXVK; use -dx9 to prevent this. Only present with updates released around 2020 to 2022 in any of those games.
-gamestatslogging Enables game stats logging.
-gamestatsloggingtofile Enables game stats logging out to a file, gamestats.log. Passing this parameter automatically forces -gamestatslogging.
-gamestatstag <tag> Tags each map reported with the specified tag.
-gl_enablesamplerobjects (Linux) Use OpenGL Sampler Objects for better texture preloading
-gl_texclientstorage (MacOS) Reduce memory usage by relying on GPU memory instead of a host copy
-heapcheck (Windows only) Check if the heap isn't damaged or empty at the initiation of the game and every frame
-heapsize <kilobytes> Specifies the heapsize (in kilobyte) the game will use.
This has been since deprecated on later version of Source 2009 Source 2009 and Source Multiplayer Source Multiplayer.
-height <height>, -h Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <height>. Ex: -h 768
-hideconsole Forces the console hidden, whatever parameters are passed. This overrides -console, -dev, and all others.
-high Sets the game's priority to High.
Icon-Bug.pngBug:In Apex Legends Apex Legends, this may cause the game into thinking that there is a Origin update available. A screenshot of this issue can be found here.
-hijack Take control of an existing instance of the game, if any, instead of complaining about already running.
-host Sets hostname. On Xbox 360, this sets the host computer name to be used for RFS. Xbox name must be <HostPC>_360.
-hushasserts Disables a number of asserts in core Source libraries, skipping some error checks and messages.
-hushsteam
-ignoredxsupportcfg Skips reading DirectX support file, dxsupport.cfg.
-insecure Disable Valve Anti Cheat (VAC).
-internalbuild Causes the bug reporter panel to be drawn as internal
-interactivecaster (only in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) Starting your client with this will switch it into camera man mode (reference tv_allow_camera_man_steamid/tv_allow_camera_man_steamid2)
-ip Does the same as the ipname Cvar
-language <language> Sets the game language to the one specified. (Examples: "english", "german").
-leakcheck Dumps statistics about memory leaks.
-limitvsconst Limits the number of vertex shaders to a maximum of 256.
-localcser Sets a custom gamestats CSER other than the Steam-provided public one (default is steambeta1:27013)
-log_opened_files Logs all opened files to opened_files.txt file. (useful for debugging which files are failing to load)
-low Sets the game's priority to Low
-lv Short for low violence. Enables German censorship like -sillygibs in Team Fortress 2 Team Fortress 2 with blood/gore disabled.
-makedevshots Used for taking screenshots, causing entities to not fade. Enables the use of the devshots_nextmap concommand
-makereslists Makes reslists. Need to run with -textmode. Passing a parameter here uses a script file to control more complex makereslists operations (multiple passes, etc.)
-mat_aaquality Set MSAA quality level, does the same as the Convar mat_aaquality
-mat_antialias Antialiasing. Can be set to 8, amount past 8 won't sharpen the edges of game world.
-mat_softwaretl Enables software vertex processing.
-mat_vsync Enables Vertical Sync
-maxdownloadfilesizemb CS:GO 5/1/2014, client launch option -maxdownloadfilesizemb N if clients needs to download even larger files from community servers.
-maxdxlevel Limits the maximum dxlevel to use. Default is 0.
-maxplayers Set the maximum players allowed to join the server. This does the same as the maxplayers convar, the maximum you can set it to is limited by the game/mod.
Note.pngNote:In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Maxplayers is deprecated, and should either be set in gamemodes_server.txt or with -maxplayers_override.
-minmemory Set startup memory to mem_min_heapsize ?*1024 * 1024?
-monitorTextureSize Set the size of the texture used to render point_cameras.
-multirun (only in Source 2013)(also in Strata Source) Allows the game to run even if another Source game is already open.
Note.pngNote:Source games that do not support this (or -allowmultiple) can be run at the same time as a game that does, as long as the other game is started first.
Note.pngNote:In Strata Source Strata Source, both -allowmultiple and -multirun are supported, and using either will disable creating the Source mutex entirely, so any other game can still be started at the same time.
Confirm:Windows only?
-navanalyze Used for developer purposes when launching a map. Immediately analyzes the navagation map of the loaded map to provide data about hiding spots and other data. Nav Mesh Commands
-navforceanalyze Used for developer purposes when launching a map. Forces an immediate navagation analyze even if the action is not necessary to perform.
-netspike Sets the trace threshold to the specified value (the limit of the number of records that will be written to netspike.txt before all records are removed).
-newdialogs Forces new Steam dialog to be used.
-no_compressed_verts Disables vertex compression for shaders.
-no_compressed_vvds Enables thin VVD data, even if the client is not an Xbox 360.
-noassert Allows attaching to a debugger instead of directly asserting.
-noasync Disables asynchronous filesystem access.
-noborder When used with the game set to windowed mode, will make the game act as if in fullscreen mode (no window border), commonly refers to Borderless Windowed mode.
This will allows you to switching between application and the game (Alt+Tabbing) without a 2-3 seconds delay. It is only supported in Source 2007 Source 2007 and above, and can be changed in menu starting with Left 4 Dead engine branch Left 4 Dead engine branch, later available in Garry's Mod Garry's Mod, some Source 2013 Source 2013 games (such as Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 with Steam Deck update) and some third-party Source games.
For games that does not support borderless windowed mode, you can use third-party software such as Borderless Gaming, or Pcgw icon.png other listed here at PCGW.
-nobots Allows Counter-Strike server hosts to force bots disabled to enforce CPU limits.
-nobreakpad Disable the Breakpad crash handler.
-noclearsave Skips clearing the save directory after restoring a save.
-noconvert (xbox360) "No conversions during retail"
-nocrashdialog Stop some windows crash message boxes from showing up.
-nodefaultmap (Linux only[confirm]) Supresses the addition of -map
-nodev Disables -dev and -allowdebug during startup so sv_cheats and developer mode dosent get set.
-nodns Disable DNS requests and resolving DNS adresses.
-nodttest Skips datatable testing.
-noff Disables force feedback for controllers.
-noforcemaccel Use the Windows mouse acceleration settings. Only works if -useforcedmparms is set.
-noforcemspd Use the Windows mouse speed settings. Only works if -useforcedmparms is set.
-nogamedll Do not load the Game DLL, this most likely will cause your game/server to crash
-nogamepadui Overrides -gamepadui, forcibly disabling its effects when they would otherwise be automatically turned on (such as on Steam Deck or in Entropy : Zero 2 Entropy : Zero 2).
-nogamestats
-nohltv Disable SourceTV
-noip Do not bind to an ip and disables all multiplayer support
-nojoy (not in Left 4 Dead 2) Disables joystick support.
-nomaster Hides server from master serverlist.
-nomessagebox Stop various windows error message boxes from showing up
-nominidumps Dont write minidumps
-nomouse Disables in-game mouse support.
-NoLoadPluginsForClient
-nop4 Forces the Engine to bypass Perforce Integration
-nopreload Forces models to not be preloaded. Takes priority over cl_forcepreload and -preload.
-nopreloadmodels Same as -nopreload
-nops2b Disables Pixel Shader 2b support.
-noqueuedload Disables queued loading of map resources.
-NoQueuedPacketThread (Linux) No queued packet thread will be created.
-norebuildaudio Opposite of and overrides -rebuildaudio for the map reslist generator.
-norfs Forces Remote Filesystem disabled. Xbox 360 only.
-noshaderapi Loads a non-existent shader API dll, shaderapiempty.dll. Effectively disables shader and texture loading completely. May be useful with -textmode to load the game quickly since a GUI is not required.
-nosound Disables sound support
-nosrgb Disables support for SRGB.
-nostartupsound Disables menu music (sound/ui/gamestartup*.mp3) to play on startup.
-nosteamcontroller Disables Steam controller (Steam Input) system
-nouserclip Uses software clipping instead of hardware user clip planes
-novid When loading a game with this parameter, the intro video will not play.
-NoVConfig Prevents the filesystsee you nexem library from running VConfig if it encounters a filesystem error where it cannot find the game content.
-olddialogs Forces old Windows dialogs instead of new Steam ones.
-override_vpk Forces actual files to override VPK.
-particles Sets the number of beam trails to allow (2048 by default, minimum is 512).
-phonehome If debug mode is also enabled, forces the init of phonehome ?which handles some build information and sends them via netmessages to steam?
-pidfile <pidfile> Use the specified <pidfile> to store the server pid. Default is srcds.pid[confirm] (Unix/Linux only).
-pixel_offset_x Sets the pixel offset to translate on the X axis in MatSystemSurface.
-pixel_offset_y Sets the pixel offset to translate on the Y axis in MatSystemSurface.
-playtest Tells the engine to record the names of all sounds played via S_StartSound call without any of the sound flags SND_CHANGE_PITCH, SND_CHANGE_VOL, and SND_STOP.
Note.pngNote:You may dump this list of sounds using ConCommand snd_dump_filepaths.
Icon-Bug.pngBug:In Left 4 Dead 2 Left 4 Dead 2, ConCommand snd_dump_filepaths will ignore ConVar snd_store_filepaths and attempt to write to an inaccessible hard-coded path.
-pme Activate the performance monitoring events code, this again only works on Intel processors newer then PENTIUM4
-port <variable> Sets port for a listen server. Default is 27015.
-preload Does the same as the sv_forcepreload Cvar. If -nopreload or -nopreloadmodels, this behaviour is disabled
-primarysound If surround sound isn't enabled, forces the use of the primary sound buffer
-profile If using Xbox360 or enabling this, additional debugging information are logged like the map startup time and similar
-publicbuild Is this build a public one? If not, phonehome will not post information of this build to steam
-r_emulate_gl Emulates OpenGL on Windows, provides a framerate boost for most GPUs
Confirm:Doesn't seems to work at all. RTSS and other overlays applications still report it as DirectX 9.
-random_invariant Forces the game's random number generator value to be invariant.
-rebuildaudio Forces rebuild of _other_rebuild.cache (metacache) file at exit for the map reslist generator.
-recapvid RecapVids.txt will be used instead of EndGameVids.txt. This can also be invoked by the command "startupmenu playrecapvid", which bails to the mainmenu and plays the recap video.
-ref Sets MATERIAL_INIT_REFERENCE_RASTERIZER on the shader material adapter.
-reflectionTextureSize Set the size of the texture used to render the Water shader's real-time reflection and refraction.
-refresh <rate> Force a specific refresh rate. Ex: -refresh 60
-refreshrate <rate> Same as -refresh
-remote Sets the remote file path to be used with -dvddev.
-replay Increases maxplayers by 1 at startup and automatically executes replay.cfg for the server.
-requirecubemaps If a map dosen't have cubemaps, the game will promt up with "Map X does not have cubemaps!"
-resizing Allows resizing the window lower than a specific resolution.
-reslistdir Default is "reslists", use this to override. Reslist generator only.
-reuse Reuse network sockets
-rpt Same as having -condebug, -conclearlog, and -console enabled
-safe Enables video safe mode, which sets the game to windowed, the width to 640, the height to 480, refresh rate to default, and disables antialiasing.
-shader Loads a specific shader library instead of depending on hardware. Debug only.
-shaderdll Loads a different shader dll. Default is shaderapidx9.dll.
Blank image.pngTodo: Is this the same as -shader?
-shadersondemand Creates shaders on access, helps reduce D3D memory for tools, but causes I/O hitches.
-sillygibs (only in Team Fortress 2) Forces gibs to be spawned as random common objects.
-skiploadingworkshopaddons (only in Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop) Only load addons from the addons folder, not subscriptions on the Steam Workshop.
-small Allow window sizing smaller than 640x480
-sndcachedebug Prints sound cache debug messages (developer must be enabled to see)
-snoforceformat Skips sound buffer creation
-soft Enables Software hardware rendering mode.
-softparticlesdefaultoff Sets particles to be rendered without feathering (scene depth blending) by default.
-softparticlesdefaulton Opposite of -softparticlesdefaultoff.
-spewsentences Spew out vox sentence names during reslist generation
-startmap Restarts devshot generation at the specified map if resuming from a crash.
-startstage When running from script file, this starts at specified stage, and sets current work item (default is 0). Reslist generator only.
-startwindowed, -windowed, -window, -sw Forces the engine to start in Windowed mode.
-steam Enables Steam support (if the game is launched from Steam, this is enabled by default). Working directory must be Steam directory. Works only for singleplayer games.
-steamlocal Similar to -steam. Runs Steam in local filesystem mode (all content off HDD), as opposed to remote filesystem mode (requiring Steam backend).
-steamport Master server updater port. Steam authentication port is this port + 1. (default is 26900)
-strictportbind If you launch the game with this option it will quit with an error message if it can't bind to the default or specified port.
-sv_benchmark Enables benchmarking through sv_benchmark_force_start.
-swapcores Swaps threads for the particle and material systems each init
-tempcontent Searches for game content in a folder called "_tempcontent" relative to the absolute game path. This option is enabled by default for Portal 1
-testscript <filename> Loads a .vtest file.
-testshaders Loads the shader_test library. Debug only.
-testsub
-textmessagedebug Spews client text messages to console.
-textmode Runs the game without graphics
-threads Number of threads to allocate for the thread pool, default is 3
-tickrate Sets the game tick interval. Disabled in code for Team Fortress 2 Team Fortress 2 because "server ops are abusing it". Also disabled in Counter-Strike: Source Counter-Strike: Source, Day of Defeat: Source Day of Defeat: Source, Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 Left 4 Dead 2.
In older versions on some of those games, or by enabling it in the code, it can be changed.
-timedemoloop
-toconsole Starts the engine directly in the console, unless a map is specified with +map.
-tools Enables engine tools.
-trackdeletions Logs what files are marked for deletion in Reslist Generator.
-tvmasteronly Only one person allowed in HLTV.
-unrestricted_maxplayers (only in Team Fortress 2) Set the maximum players allowed to join the server. Unlike -maxplayers, this can allow for up to 100 players in a single server.
Warning.pngWarning:This feature is unsupported and not recommended, causing stability issues at maximum players.
-usedevshotsfile Get map list from specified file, default is to build for maps/*.bsp
-useforcedmparms Allows the use of -noforcemspd and -noforcemaccel.
-usegh Loads ghostinj.dll to allow support for third party dlls (gamehost)
-uselogdir Logs various data to logs/(mapname)/*
-usercon Enable RCON for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive servers
-usereslistfile Get map list from specified file, default is to build for maps/*.bsp. Reslist generator only.
-usetcp Disable TCP support
-vcrplayback Plays back a VCR recording. Nothing is simulated on the server, but all server packets are recorded. Note: VCR recording and playback only fully working on a leaked HLS build, other games and versions crash
-vcrrecord Records a client's game and allows you to play it back and reproduce it exactly. Requires -nosound See this video on how it is different.
-vguifocus Enables debug VGUI messages related to input focus.
-vguimessages Enables debug VGUI messages.
-vproject Manually sets the VProject directory to load game content for tools.
-vulkan (only in Half-Life 2PortalLeft 4 Dead 2Portal 2Team Fortress 2) Enables the use of the DXVK library to translate Direct3D graphics calls to the Vulkan API. On Windows, where Direct3D itself is supported, this is of little use and should usually not be enabled (except in Portal 2, where it can be used to work around some specific rendering bugs). On Linux, it is usually recommended for games which support it, due to providing better performance and less graphical issues compared to the OpenGL translation layer usually used on this platform.
A newer version of the respective games from 2021-2022 or later, and a graphics card that supports Vulkan (such as Nvidia GeForce 600-series/Kepler-based, AMD GCN 1.0 (or later) and Intel Skylake) are required in order to enable DXVK.
Warning.pngWarning:Enabling DXVK may crash the game if a third-party program tries to hook its overlay to the game unsuccessfully, and/or your GPU does not support Vulkan.
-vxconsole Waits for Valve Xbox console to initialise. Xbox 360 only.
-wavonly Disables DirectSound and makes the engine attempt to play all sounds in PCM format.
-x <x position> In borderless windowed mode, determines where the window should be horizontally. Ex: -x 0. Note: Setting this to 0 will make it align with the left side of your main monitor, rather than its center. Negative values also aren't accepted.
-xnet_bypass_security Disables Xbox 360 secure networking, to allow cross-platform testing.
-y <y position> In borderless windowed mode, determines where the window should be vertically. Ex: -y 0. Note: Setting this to 0 will make it align with the top side of your main monitor, rather than its center. Negative values also aren't accepted.
-width <width>, -w Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <width>. Ex: -w 1024

Deprecated Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-lowmemworkshop (only in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) Allow updating very large map files on Steam Workshop. While the option still works, Valve most likely no longer allow users to upload CS:GO items to Workshop in favor of CS2.

Console Variables

  • +<console variable> <arg> - Sets the Cvar (or console variable) to the specified setting when the game launches.

Useful Console Variables

Console Variable Description
+cl_showfps <0/1/2/3> When set to 2, shows the framerate and map name.
+connect Immediately connects to a server address.
+load Console Command
+map <map-name[.bsp]> Immediately loads the map specified after the engine starts.
+map_background <map name> Forces a specified background map to be used. Useful for testing custom background maps. To avoid loading standard background maps for speed reasons, use the -dev command-line parameter.
+mat_hdr_level Sets HDR level before the background map loads. HDR Lighting Basics
+maxplayers Sets maxplayers. This will set maxplayers before the background map loads. To change when running, run <disconnect> to escape the current map, including background maps.
+physcannon_mega_enabled <0/1> Makes Gravity gun a super gravity gun.
+playdemo <demo> Immediately plays a demo file.
+port Console Command
+sv_cheats <0/1> When set to 1, starts the game with cheats enabled.
+sv_lan <0/1> When set to 1, launches the game in LAN mode. Useful to stop players from joining your game from the Internet.
+timedemo Console Command
+timedemoquit Console Command

GoldSrc GoldSrc Games

These command-line parameters will work with any GoldSource engine games (Half-Life Half-Life, Counter-Strike Counter-Strike, etc.).

Syntax: hl.exe <parameter1> <parameter2> <cvar1> <cvar2>

Usage

These options can be used with:

  • Hammer editor Run Map dialog.
  • Windows shortcuts pointing to hl.exe directly.
  • Windows shortcuts pointing to steam.exe with the proper -applaunch <AppID> specified (see Steam section below).
  • Command-line batch script files launching these applications.
  • Game launch options from Steam's Library.
  • Linux shell scripts pointing to the application with launch options. executable -command

Examples

  • steam.exe -applaunch 70 -dev -console -sw +sv_lan 1 +map MyMap
  • hl.exe -game cstrike -dev -console -fullscreen +sv_lan 1 +map de_dust

Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-32bpp Force 32-bit color mode (bit depth), enabled by default on Steam version of Half-Life and other GoldSrc games.
+<console variable> <arg> Sets the Cvar (or console variable) to the specified setting.
-game <game> Specifies which game/mod to run. Default is "valve".
-dll <name.dll> Specifies which server DLL to use. Ex: -dll dlls\zbotcz.dll.
Also works with linux, ex: -dll dlls/zbotcz.so.
-condebug Stores console output to "Half-Life\qconsole.log".
Note.pngNote:Can be toggled with condebug console command.
-dev Enables developer mode.
-glext When paired with "-dev" setting, outputs all OpenGL extensions supported by your graphics card.
Note.pngNote:Can do the same with gl_dump console command.
-gl Sets the renderer to OpenGL.
-soft Sets the renderer to Software.
-full Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.
-window or -sw or -startwindowed or -windowed Forces the engine to start in windowed mode.
-w <width> or -width <width> Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <width>. Ex: -w 1024.
Note.pngNote:Since the 25th Aniversary Update, only the following resolutions work:
4:3: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x960, 1440x1080
Widescreen (16:9/16:10): 720x480, 720x576, 1176x664, 1280x720, 1280x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1360x768, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1600x900, 1600x1024, 1680x1050, 1920x1080
-h <height> or -height <height> Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <height>. Ex: -h 768.
Note.pngNote:Since the 25th Aniversary Update, only the following resolutions work:
4:3: 640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1152x864, 1280x960, 1440x1080
Widescreen (16:9/16:10): 720x480, 720x576, 1176x664, 1280x720, 1280x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1360x768, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1600x900, 1600x1024, 1680x1050, 1920x1080
-stretchaspect The game by default adds black bars based on your game screen resolution. Use -stretchaspect on your command line if you want the old behavior back (just always fill the screen). Setting "-nofbo" also implies "-stretchaspect".
-freq <variable> Force a specific refresh rate when running in fullscreen AND your monitor supports the frequency in question.
-mousethread If set we poll the mouse position in another thread running at 100hz by default, to get better movement accuracy. Set the "m_mousethread_sleep" cvar to the number of seconds to sleep between mouse polls to change this rate.
-joy_advanced Use advanced joystick options (allows for multiple axes).
-joy_advr, -joy_advu, -joy_advv, -joy_advx, -joy_advy, -joy_advz Forces specific axis to use advanced joystick options. [confirm]
-nosound Disables sound support.
Note.pngNote:Can do the same with nosound <0 or 1> console command.
-nocdaudio Disables MP3 support, and CD Audio in previous/retail (WON) version. Also disallows cd console command to load mp3 tracks.
-wavonly Disables DirectSound and makes the engine attempt to play all sounds in PCM format.
-noip Disables network support. Not the same as Steam Offline mode.
-noipx Disables IPX support.
-nojoy Disables joystick support.
-nomouse Disables in-game mouse support.
-noforcemparms Forces the engine to use operating system mouse parameters.
-noforcemaccel Forces the engine to use operating system mouse acceleration.
-noforcemspd Forces the engine to use operating system mouse speed.
-nofbo Disables using the new method for rendering. Implies -nomsaa.
-nomsaa Disables MSAA (Anti-Aliasing).
-noborder When used with the game set to windowed mode, will make the game act as if in fullscreen mode (no window border).
Icon-Bug.pngBug:Doesn't hide window border, only control buttons.
-nodirectblit Disables direct Wikipedia icon blitting.
-nobots Disables bots.
Confirm:Does this work with DLL plug-ins (ex: metamod) that add bot support to games that lack it natively?
-novid (only in Half-Life Half-Life (post-25th anniversary update) and Cry of Fear Cry of Fear)
When loading a game with this parameter, the intro video will not play.
Note.pngNote:In Cry of Fear Cry of Fear, This must be applied through the Steam Launch Options or the 🖿CoFLaunchApp.exe executable, as applying it directly on 🖿cof.exe may crash the game.
-port <port> Specifies which port to use for client connections for a listen server. Default is 27015.
Note.pngNote:Can do the same with port console command.
-sillygibs Forces more gibs like skull and others to be spawned all time on NPC's death.
-demoedit Enables hidden Demo editor.
Note.pngNote:Use viewdemo console command to get access.
-num_edicts <variable> Sets the edict limit. Default 900, max 2048.

Both clients and servers need matching values for best compatibility; as such, this should be set in liblist.gam instead.

-heapsize <kilobytes> Specifies the amount of heap(or free store - cache, an area of memory used for dynamic memory allocation) the engine will use. Minimum value is 14336(14 MB). Maximum value is 131072(128 MB). By default this is set to 40960 (40 MB) and automatically adjusted to suit your system.
Note.pngNote:Low value causes "Unable to allocate X.X MB" exit error.
-zone <bytes> Specifies the amount of Bytes of memory for use with the console system.
Note.pngNote:Low or very high value causes Z_Malloc exit error.
-exec <file> Executes specific config file immediately after the engine is loaded.
-steam Show Steam server browser button on bottom-right corner of main menu. Running without this command does not disable the ability to connect to Steam servers.
Enabled by default when launching from Steam library.


Useful Console Variables

Console Variable Description
+_setgamedir <game> Specifies which game/mod to run.
+_setrenderer <variable> Sets the rendering mode. Available parameters are opengl and software.
Note.pngNote:Parameter D3D is deprecated.
+_setvideomode Blank image.pngTodo:

+_set_vid_level <0 or 1> Toggles "Low video quality".
+_setaddons_folder <0 or 1> Toggles "Allow custom addon content".
+_sethdmodels <0 or 1> Toggles "Enable HD models if available".
+clientport <port> Specifies which port to use to communicate with a server. Default is 27005.
+gg <demoname> or +cl_gg 1 +playdemo <demoname> Runs the demo in Game Gauge mode. This is a benchmark utility that runs through a demo as fast as possible and stores the framerate in the file fps.txt in the GameMod directory.
+log on or +log off Toggles logging before the engine loads config files.

Deprecated Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-console Enabled by default in Steam versions; it can be accessible by either pressing tilde (~) in-game or it will appear automatically.
Note.pngNote:In old Half-Life builds (also known as WON/Retail version), a button to open Console is added, but the tilde (~) key will be non-functional on the main menu, only works in-game.
-toconsole Would've shown the console when the game launched.
-gldrv <driver name> Was for selecting the GL Driver to use from two choices: "Default" and "3dfxgl.dll" (for 3dfx Voodoo cards).
-d3d Removed since 2013 SteamPipe update. This will set the renderer to Direct3D 6/7.
-vid_mode <variable> / -vt <variable> Use -gl or -soft instead; would've set the rendering mode to either one of two choices: gl or software.
-16bpp Not allowed for use; would've forced 16-bit color mode (bit depth). Enabled by default in WON/Retail version of Half-Life and other GoldSrc games.
-nowinmouse Renamed to -nomouse in newer versions.
-gamegauge <demoname> Use console commands instead. Runs the demo in Game Gauge mode. This is a benchmark utility that runs through a demo as fast as possible and stores the framerate in the file fps.txt in the GameMod directory.
-numericping Enabled by default; displays ping in server browsers in milliseconds instead of dots.
-particles <variable> Would've set the number of particles for which is set aside buffer space.
-nosierra On retail editions (also known as WON version) of Half-Life, disables Sierra logo on GoldSrc games that have it. Removed when Half-Life was transferred to Steam.
-noaff Would've disabled setting of thread affinity.
-nointro Intro video support was already removed when the games were transferred to Steam. Intro video support was eventually restored in Half-Life Half-Life as part of it's 25th anniversary, but instead uses the -novid command in order to disable the intro.

Source 2 Source 2 Games

Blank image.pngTodo: Fill this out. Confirm if launch options are Dota 2, HLA, or CS2 specific, and does it works or not.

Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-addon <addon_name> Starts the game mounting <addon_name>. (only in Half-Life: AlyxCounter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-allow_third_party_software Launches the game in "Untrusted Mode", which allow third-party programs to injecting its code into game executable. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-allowmultiple Allows multiple Source 2 instances to run at the same time. Only works if a VPROJECT environment variable is set. (only in Half-Life: Alyx)[confirm]
-autoconfig This command lets you restore config file settings to deafult. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-console Starts the game with the developer console enabled.
-dev Starts the game with the DEV MENU enabled (only in Half-Life: Alyx)[confirm].
-d3d9ex Command for switching on Direct3D 9Ex technology, unloading processor at 40%, while loading video card. In full-screen mode, the game is wrapping and unwrapping much faster with the help of ALT+TAB, the boost in productivity is noticeable. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-forcenovsync Switches off Vsync technology. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-freq <refresh_rate> Customization of play frequency for CS2. The possible refresh rate values are: 60, 75, 120, 144, 165, 240, 265, 285, 360. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-full The game will start in full-screen mode. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm].
-fullscreen The game will start in full-screen mode. (only in Half-Life: AlyxCounter-Strike 2)[confirm].
-gpuraytracing ??? (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm].
-h <height> or -height <height> Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <height>. Ex: -h 1920 (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-high Sets the game's priority to High. (only in Dota 2Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-hlvr_workshop Launches the Worshop Tools. (only in Half-Life: Alyx)
-insecure Starts the server without Valve Anti-Cheat. (only in Dota 2Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-language <language> Interface language customization. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-limitvsconst Limits number of vertex shaders up to 256. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-noborder The game window won’t have edges. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm].
-nohltv Switches off all GOTV and Source TV opportunities. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-nojoy Switching off joysticks, joystick support. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-nopreload Cancels models, files and textures pre-loading. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-nostyle Disables some custom Windows UI styling. Can be used to force the tools into light mode, when Windows is set to light mode.
-novid Intro video is disabled. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-novr or -vr_enable_fake_vr_test Launches the game in flat-screen mode. (only in Half-Life: Alyx)
-nowindow Disables the spectator window. (only in Half-Life: Alyx)
-retail Makes it so you cannot see certain items in the sdk, such as /characters/ and /econ/ (only in Half-Life: AlyxCounter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-softparticledefaultoff Rendering particles settings. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-steam ??? (only in Half-Life: AlyxCounter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-tickrate <tickrate> The tick Rate setting for your client will be working for your offline servers and game with bots. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-tools Launches the Workshop Tools (only in Half-Life: AlyxCounter-Strike 2)[confirm].
-vconsole Allows for using the VConsole program that comes with certain games like Aperture Desk Job which does not provide a way of accessing the console in-game [confirm].
-vrdebug Allows the game to run without a VR headset. (only in Half-Life: Alyx)[confirm]
-vulkan Forces the engine to use the Vulkan renderer. (only in Half-Life: AlyxAperture Desk JobArtifactDota 2Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-width <width>, -w Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <width>. Ex: -w 1080 (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-window, -windowed, -startwindowed or -sw The game will start in the regular window. (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm].
-x <x position> Window position along the axis X (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]
-y <y position> Window position along the axis Y (only in Counter-Strike 2)[confirm]

Steam

Blank image.pngTodo: Add more command-line from this GitHub Gist.

These command-line parameters work when launching the Steam application.


Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-applaunch <appID> [launch parameters] Launches an Game or Application through Steam.
-cafeapplaunch Launch apps in a cyber cafe context (Forces apps to be verified / validated before launch).
-clearbeta Opts out of beta participation (in case for some reason it can't be done via settings).
-complete_install_via_http Run installation completion over HTTP by default.
-console Enables the Steam debug console tab.
-ccsyntax Spew details about the localized strings we load.
-debug_steamapi Enables logging of Steam API functions.
-dev Sets the 'developer' variable to 1. Can be used to open the VGUI editor by pressing F6 or VGUI zoo by pressing F7. Intended for skin development, also enables the debug console tab.
-fs_log Log file system accesses.
-fs_target Set target syntax.
-fs_logbins Log the binaries we load during operation.
-forceservice Run Steam Client Service even if Steam has admin rights.
-gameoverlayinject Sets the method how GameOverlay is injected.
-install <path> Install a product from a specified path (e.g. "D:" for the DVD-ROM drive if D: is one).
-installer_test Changes installing a retail game to emit all files to install_validate/ folder instead of to the steam cache.
-language <language> Sets the Steam language to the one specified. (Examples: "english", "german").
-login <[username]|anonymous> [password] Logs into Steam with the specified Username and Password combination. Note: Steam must be off for this to work.
-lognetapi Logs all P2P networking info to log/netapi_log.txt.
-log_voice Writes voice chat data to the logs/voice_log.txt file.
-noasync Don't use async file operations, run them synchronous instead.
-nocache Starts steam with no cache (Steam must be off for this to work properly).
-nofriendsui Prevents the friends list window from showing automatically upon start.
-noverifyfiles Prevents from the client from checking files integrity, especially useful when testing localization.
-no-dwrite Forces vgui to use GDI text even if DWrite support is available.
-script <file name> Runs a Steam script. All scripts must be in a subdirectory of the Steam folder called test scripts (Steam must be off for this to work).
-shutdown Shuts down (exits) Steam.
-silent Suppresses the dialog box that opens when you start steam. It is used when you have Steam set to auto-start when your computer turns on. (Steam must be off for this to work).
-single_core Force Steam to run on your primary CPU only.
-tcp Forces connection to Steam backend to be via TCP.
-voice_quality Sets audio quality, range [1,3].
-voicerelay Only allow 'relay' connections for voice (testing).
-tenfoot Start Steam in Big Picture Mode.
-gamepadui Same as -tenfoot.
Note.pngNote:Was used to start Big Picture in the Steam Deck UI, but this is now the default as of February 2023.

Deprecated Command-Line Parameters

  • -no-browser - Disables all instances of CEF. CEF stands for Chromium Embedded Framework, which Steam uses for its built-in web browser components (including the in-game overlay browser), and also for WebViews used by the new Panorama-based friends/chat UI, and Library. Using this option will —among other things— disable the new Library UI, and restore the old friends list and chat UI. However, it won't restore the old Library UI, requiring the use of Small Mode to view the list of games.
    Note.pngNote:Deprecated as of January 2023.
  • -noreactlogin - Switches to the old login UI, but disables login confirmations via the mobile app and QR code logins.
    Note.pngNote:Deprecated as of January 2023.
  • -oldbigpicture - Restores the old Big Picture Mode UI.
  • -vgui - Start Steam with the previous vgui.

HldsUpdateTool (Windows), Steam (Linux)

Syntax: hldsupdatetool -command <command> [parameters] [flags]


Commands

  • -command update - Install or update HLDS.
  • -command version - View installed versions.
  • -command list - View available games.


Parameters for the Update Command

  • -beta <betaname> - Name of the beta (optional parameter for taking part in a beta test)
  • -game <game> - The name of the game to install (see enumeration).
  • -dir <installdir> - HLDS Install directory (if dir not specified, will use value from last run of tool).

The following parameters are only needed to access limited content.

  • -username <username> - Steam account username
  • -password <password> - Steam account password


Flags for the Update Command

  • -verify_all - Verify all HLDS files are up to date.
  • -retry - Automatically retry every 30 seconds if the Steam Network is busy.
  • -remember_password - Remember password (if a username is supplied).


Optional Parameters for All Commands

  • -nobootstrapupdate - Do not check for updates to the update tool


SteamCMD

The Steam Console Client or SteamCMD is a new tool to install and update dedicated servers using a command line interface. It only works with games that have switched over to the SteamPipe content system. Eventually all Steam games will switch from HLDSUpdateTool to this.


Syntax: steamcmd.exe <parameter1> <parameter2> <cvar1> <cvar2>


To view the most up to date version of SteamCMD commands visit this GitHub repo: https://github.com/dgibbs64/SteamCMD-Commands-List


Usage

  • steamcmd.exe +COMMAND1 [ARG] +COMMAND2 [ARG]
  • steamcmd.exe +runscript SCRIPTFILE


Command-Line Parameters

Blank image.pngTodo:

Commands

Argument Parameter(s) Description
api_logging <enabled> <verbose> Enable/disable verbose API logging in SteamCMD
app_build_all_depots [-desc <text>] -depotconfigpath <folder> -contentroot <folder> -buildoutput <folder> <appid> Build all depots for one app
app_dlc_status app_status <appId> <dlcId>
app_info_print None Dumps app info for appID
app_info_print None Dumps app info for appID
app_info_request <AppID> Issue an appinfo request for the given appid. Does not wait for results from the server.
app_info_update [0|1] Trigger app info update, optionally for update all
app_license_request <AppID> Requests a free licenses for this app if not already owned.
app_run <AppID> Launches the app.
app_set_config <AppID> <key> <value> Sets a config value for given app.
app_set_update_flag <appId>
app_status <appId>
app_stop <appid> [force:0|1] Stop this running app
app_uninstall [-complete] <appId>
app_update <appid> [-validate] [-language <lang>] [-beta <betaname>] [-betapassword <pwd>] Make sure a Steam application is up-to-date
app_update_cancel <EAppUpdateError>
apps_installed Blank image.pngTodo: ||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
apps_running None Displays information about running games tracked by Steam
async_disconnect None Async disconnect
build_installer <project file> <target folder> [beta key] [beta pwd]
ceg_wrap <appid> <orig filename> <stripped filename> <strips filename> Upload executable to back end for CEG wrapping
cm_force_change None Change CM List
device_authorize_status None Prints device authorization status
download_depot <appid> <depotid> [<target manifestid>] [<delta manifestid>] [<depot flags filter>] Download a single depot
download_sources None Dumps list of download sources
drm_wrap <appid> <input filename> <output filename> <toolname> <flags> Upload executable to back end for DRM wrapping
dump_scheduled_functions None Displays internal Steam function callback timers
exit None Stops Steam client console
find None Find substrings in console commands
force_install_dir <directory> Sets the directory to install the server in
get_download_throttle Blank image.pngTodo: ||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
help None Show help information
info None Dump various Steam info
install_folder_list None List all mounted Steam volumes
licenses_for_app <appid> Shows active licenses for appid
licenses_print None Display users's Steam3 licenses
log_callbacks <first callbackID> [last callbackID]
log_ipc [verbose] <filter> Enables IPC logging. Specifying "counts" or "verbose" is optional, defaulting to counts.
login [<password>|anonymous] [<Steam guard code>] Login to Steam
logon None See "login"
logoff None Disconnect from Steam
logout None See "logoff"
manifest_dump <filename>
mem_stats None Dump memory stats
net_msgdump None Dumps list of sent net messages
net_msgspew None Spews sent net messages
p2p_info None Displays the current state of the P2P networking subsystem.
package_info_print None Dumps package info for packageID
quit None Stops & close Steam client console
render_ipc_connections Blank image.pngTodo: ||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
run_app_build [-preview] [-desc <text>] <appbuildfile> Run app depot build as specified in appbuildfile
run_app_build_http None Alias for run_app_build
runscript <script file, such as TXT> Runs a console command script
set_download_throttle <Kb/s> <bPersistent = false>
set_spew <group> <level> <logLevel> Set spew levels for the given group
set_spew_level <SpewLevel LogLevel> Sets spew and log level for all groups
set_steam_guard_code None Authorize this computer by adding the Steam Guard email code
sign_install_script <appid> <input filename> <output filename> Upload install script to back end for signing
test_dropcon None Tests dropping a connection
test_failnextconnect None Tests failing the next connection
upload_controller_config <appid> <filename> Upload controller config to cloud
user_friends None Dumps list of friends
verify_chunk_store <appid> <depotid> <datafile> Run app depot build as specified in appbuildfile
verify_vpk <datafile> Verifies content of given VPK
voice_game_usage None Displays information about the game's use of Steam voice
workshop_build_item <build config filename> Build a workshop item
workshop_create_legacy_item <appid> <workshop file> Build a legacy workshop item
workshop_download_item <appid> <PublishedFileId> Download a workshop item
workshop_status <appId>
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.


ConVars

Argument Default Parameter Description
app_info_http_min 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
app_info_http_num_sockets 8
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
AsyncFileIODisableWrite 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
AsyncFileIOExpectOutstandingIO 16
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
AsyncFileIOForceGenericIO 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
AsyncFileIOMaxPending 128
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
AsyncFileIOReadHandleCache 32
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
AsyncFileIOWriteHandleCache 32
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
batterypercent 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
batterytime 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bCheckForFreeGamesOnLogin 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bCheckUGCIntegrity 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bContentManifestUseProtobufs 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bCSClientRateLimitUseDelays 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bCSForceNoCache 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bDepotBuilderReadBufferSizeKB 8192
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bDepotBuilderUnbufferedReads 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bDisableTenFootOverlay 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bEnableMovieRecording 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bEnableOfflineLogonTicket 1 If true, an offline logon ticket will be requested during logon if none is cached
@bEnableSpewThrottle 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bEnableSubscribedFileListCache 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bFinishStagedDepotVersions 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bForceStreamUnsupportedApp 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bLANPeerConnectionTimeoutSec 5
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bLogLegacyDiskDetails 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bMsgErrorDump 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@bRequireOfflineLogonTicket 0 If true, a valid offline logon ticket is required when logging in in offline or no connection mode
@bRequireSignedParentalSettings 1 If true, a valid set of signed parental settings is required when logging in in offline or no connection mode
broadcast_upload_drop_sec 6
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
broadcast_upload_update_sec 3
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bSteam3LimitedUserEnable 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bSteamLoaderEnable 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bSubscribedFilesDecompressOnClient 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bSubscribedFilesPollForUpdates 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bSubscribedFilesUseRangeRequests 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
bVerifyAllDownloads 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
cAppUpdateWorkingSetMB 128
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cbPartnerUploadChunkSize 1000000 Chunk size to use for POSTing partner uploads
@cCSClientMaxNumSocketsPerHost 8
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cDepotBuilderFileChunkingThreads 4
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
cFileValidationMaxLog 100
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
ClientStatsUploadRateSeconds 10
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cMaxContentServersToRequest 20
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cMaxInitialDownloadSources -1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cNetEncryptionHandshakeWorkMax_HighPri 8000
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cNetEncryptionHandshakeWorkMax_LowPri 2000
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cNetEncryptionHandshakeWorkMax_MedPri 4000
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
countrycode Empty
Blank image.pngTodo: Supply Information
||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
cPreallocateMinimumSizeKB 256
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@csecCSRequestProcessorTimeOut 300
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@csecFavoriteGameAccountCacheTime 86400 Control how often we refresh the account IDs in the game server favorites list
@csecIncomingDataRatePeriod 1
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
csecManifestDownloadTimeout 120
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@csecUpdateTargetNumConnectionsEpoch 10
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cSecUploadDownloadRates 300
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@CSInterfaceProxyPassword Empty
Blank image.pngTodo: Supply Information
||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@CSInterfaceProxyUsername Empty
Blank image.pngTodo: Supply Information
||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@cUDPSendRetries 8
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@CustomBinaryRequestRetryTimes 20
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderAppInfoTimeout 120
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderConfigRoot "./depotscripts"
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderContentRoot Empty
Blank image.pngTodo: Supply Information
||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderMaxParallelUploadChunks 24
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderNoReslist 0
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderNumHTTPSocketsToMDS 12
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderOutputRoot Empty
Blank image.pngTodo: Supply Information
||
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderParallelUploadChunks 6
Blank image.pngTodo: Fill description.
@DepotBuilderProgressTimeout 1000
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DepotDownloadProgressTimeout 120
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DepotReconstructionLowPrio 1
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DepotReconstructionNumIOThreads 1
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DepotUseAlternatingReadWrite 1
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developer 0
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@EnableUDPHistory 0
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@fDownloadRateImprovementToAddAnotherConnection 1.2
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findbestcellstartupdelay 600
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@fMinDataRateToAttemptTwoConnectionsMbps 0.5
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@GCNameOverride Empty
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||
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@IOCPGetCompletionBatchSize 1
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@LocalContentServer Empty
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||
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log_files_always_flush 0
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log_matchmaking_callbacks 0
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@MaxOutstandingSendThreadItem 1000
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mic_autogain 16000 Automatic gain control level for microphone input
mic_inputfile Empty
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|| Causes voice data to be read from the specified file instead of from the microphone
mic_outputfile Empty
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|| Causes microphone data to be written out to the specified file
musiclogging 0
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nBroadcastSessionHearbeatSec 120
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nBroadcastSessionMaxDropFrames 100
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nClientBackgroundAutoUpdateTimeSpreadMinutes 0
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nClientCMUDPPingTimeGoodEnoughThresholdMS 50
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nClientCMUDPPingTimeoutUseGoodEnoughMS 250
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nCloudDownloadMinIntervalSec 60
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nCloudFileCompressionMinFileSizeKB 16
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nCloudFileCompressionMinFileSizeKBSharedFile 128
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nCloudFileCompressionPercentageMin 10
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nCloudFileCompressionPercentageMinSharedFile 50
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nCloudSyncIntervalSec 30
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nCloudUploadMinIntervalSec 1800
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nContentStatsReportInterval 72 In Hours
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@nCSClientRateLimitKbps 0
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@nDownloadLANChunkCacheSizeMB 128
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@nDownloadLANPeerGroup 0
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@net_backlog_bytes_allowed 12000000
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@net_backlog_time_allowed_sec 5
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@NetConnectionBufferMsgLimit 1000 Max # of message that will be buffered into a single zipped packet
@NetConnectionBufferThreaded 1
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net_incomingcheck 1
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@net_loopback 1
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net_maxresendsperframe 32
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@nLANPeerRateLimitKbps 0
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@nNetConnectionBufferZipLevel 1
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@NoPromptForPassword 0
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@nParentalSettingsLogLevel 4 Control the amount of spew written to the parental log file
nProductInfoUpdateInterval 900
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@nSpewThrottleNagFrequencyMs 5000
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n@SpewThrottlePeriodMs 1000
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@nSpewThrottleResumeThreshold 3
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@nSpewThrottleTriggerThreshold 10
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@nSpewThrottleUnconditionalResumeMs 5000
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@nSpewThrottleUnconditionalTriggerCount 50
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nSubscribedAutoDownloadMaxSimultaneous 8
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@nTCPLargeSendBufSizeMB 16
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p2p_connecttimeout 15
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p2p_unusedtimeout 120
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rtime32EarliestSubscribedFileToDownload 1348857570[confirm]
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@sCSDSVirtualHostHeader Empty
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||
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ServerBrowserPingSurveySubmitPct 5
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@ShutdownOnFailedCommand 1 Exit steamcmd immediately upon any failed build-related command
spew_controller_loss 0
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@sSteamCmdForcePlatformBitness Empty
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|| Must be one of: <32, 64>
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@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType Empty
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|| Must be one of: <windows, macos, linux>
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@strCSNoCacheHeader no-cache
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@StreamClientArgs Empty
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||
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testappcloudpaths 0
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uForcePreloadApp 0
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UGCCDNReportPct 100
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voice_autogain 0
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voice_minabs 0.15
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voice_minavg 1.0
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voice_outputdevice 0 0=>Miles 1=>XAudio2
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voice_outputfile Empty
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|| Causes output from voice system to be written out to the specified file
voice_preprocess 1 Enables voice cleanup on incoming microphone data
voice_quality 4
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workshop_items_cache_days 14
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workshop_items_update_interval 900
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Examples

  • steamcmd(dot)exe +login <username> <password> +force_install_dir <path> +app_update <appid> -validate


Source Dedicated Server

Command-line arguments for the Source Dedicated Server executable (srcds.exe, srcds_run)


Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-allowdebug (Same as -debug ?)
-autoupdate Autoupdate the game. Requires -steam_dir and -steamcmd_script to be set (Linux/Unix only).
-binary <binary> Use the specified binary (no auto detection) (Linux/Unix only).
-console SrcDS will run in console mode (Windows only).
-debug Run debugging on failed servers if possible. Requires -gdb to be set [confirm]
-debuglog <logname> Log debug output to this file (Linux/Unix only).
-dev Show developer messages.
-game <game or path> Specifies which game/mod to run. Accepts either a path to a gameinfo.txt, or one of these pre-set values.
-gdb <gdb> Use <dbg> as the debugger of failed servers (Linux/Unix only).
-help ? (Linux/Unix only).
-insecure Starts the server without Valve Anti-Cheat.
-ignoresigint (Linux/Unix only) Ignore signal INT (prevents CTRL+C quitting).
-ip Specifies the address to use for the bind(2) syscall, which controls on which IP addresses the program is reachable on. It must either be a local address (an addresses of the host it runs on) or 0.0.0.0 (the wildcard). This has nothing to do with externally-visible addresses in NAT setups.
-maxplayers <number> Specifies how many player slots the server can contain.
-nobots Disable bots.
-nohltv Disables SourceTV and closes its port (usually 27020).
-norestart Won't attempt to restart failed servers.
-notrap (Linux/Unix only) Don't use trap. This prevents automatic removal of old lock files.
-port The port the server advertises to clients.
-steam Use this (along with -console) when you are running the version of SRCDS downloaded through Steam[confirm]. Original Description "Quit on steam update failure"
-steamcmd_script <path> Path to the steam script to execute. Example: ~/Steam/hl2_ds.txt (Linux/Unix only[confirm])
-steamerr Quit on steam update failure (Linux/Unix only).
-steamuser Steam user ID? (Linux/Unix only).
-steampass Steam Login Password? (Linux/Unix only).
-steam_dir <path> Dir that steam.sh resides in. Example: ~/Steam (Linux/Unix only)
-tickrate <number> Specifies Server-Tickrate (for more info see Source Multiplayer Networking). This cannot be altered on TF2 (except older versions), CSS (except older versions), L4D, and L4D2.
-timeout <number> Sleep for <number> seconds before restarting a failed server.
-dumplongticks Generate minidumps when there are long server frame

Console Variables

  • +<console variable> <arg> - Sets the Cvar (or console variable) to the specified setting.


Some Useful Console Variables

Argument Description
+hostname "Hostname" Specifies the name of the server (Spaces between words won't work here!).
+ip Specifies the IP when multiple network cards are installed (Old, but still works).
+map <map> Specifies which map to start.
+maxplayers <number> Specifies how many player slots the server can contain (Old, but still works).
+hostport <port> Specifies the host port (Port specification before -port was added, but can still be used).
+clientport <port> Specifies the client port (The port the server advertises to clients, the same as -port and clientport in console)
+sv_lan <0/1> If set to 1, server is only available in Local Area Network (LAN).


Linux Command Options in Left 4 Dead series Left 4 Dead series

The Linux version of Left 4 Dead Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 Left 4 Dead 2 dedicated server added extra server commands.


As part of the forking functionality mentioned below, the server parameters support substitution. For instance, if you specify +exec autoexec##.cfg, then the first server will execute autoexec01.cfg, the second autoexec02.cfg, and so on.


  • -netconport <number> - Creates a remotely accessible server console on the specified port. This can be connected to with telnet or similar applications, and allows controlling of the server as if the commands were being typed in at the console
  • -netconpassword "password" - It set, users must type PASS "password" to use the remote console described above
  • -fork <number> - Starts up the specified number of instances as subprocesses at once. They will each use the first available port number at 27015 or above.


GoldSrc / Half-Life Dedicated Server

These command-line parameters are used with hlds.exe for Goldsource (Half-Life) games.

Syntax: hlds.exe <parameter1> <parameter2> <cvar1> <cvar2>

Examples

  • hlds.exe -console -game cstrike +sv_lan 0 +maxplayers 22 +map de_dust2
  • ./hlds_run -game cstrike -autoupdate -pingboost 2 -port 27016 +maxplayers 20 +map de_dust2


Command-Line Parameters

Argument Description
-condebug Stores console output to "Half-Life\qconsole.log".
Note.pngNote:Can be toggled with condebug console command.
-dev Enables developer mode.
-autoupdate Autoupdate the game. Requires -steam_dir and -steamcmd_script to be set (Linux/Unix only)
-console HLDS will run in console mode (Windows only).
-game <game> Specifies which game/mod to run. Default is "valve".
-dll <name.dll> Specifies which DLL to use. Ex: -dll addons\metamod\dlls\metamod.dll.
-nomaster Disable communication with Master server. Use this parameter if you do not want your server to be listed in Server Browser.
Note.pngNote:Also disables server queries.
-insecure Starts the server without Valve Anti-Cheat.
-port <port> Specifies which port to use for client connections. Default is 27015.
Note.pngNote:Can do the same with port console variable.
-sport <port> Specifies the VAC port the server should use. Default is 26900.
Note.pngNote:You only need to change -sport if VAC connections fail through the primary port.
-noip Disables network support. Not the same as Steam offline mode.
-noipx Disables IPX support.
-tos Enables the LOWDELAY TOS header in the udp/ip packets the server generates. (Linux only)
-nobreakpad Let plugin authors still get old style minidumps if they need it (win32 only)
-num_edicts <variable> Sets the entity limit for map/game entities (not temporary entities, which is still locked to 500). 900 is default. 4096 is a good limit, beyond that seems to cause hunk_alloc errors[confirm]. Both clients and servers need matching values for best compatibility[confirm].
-heapsize <kilobytes> Specifies the amount of heap(or free store--cache, an area of memory used for dynamic memory allocation) the engine will use. Minimum value is 14336 (14 MB). Maximum value is 131072 (128 MB). By default this is set to 40960 (40 MB) and automatically adjusted to suit your system.
Note.pngNote:Low value causes "Unable to allocate X.X MB" exit error.
-zone <bytes> Specifies the amount of Bytes of memory for use with the console system.
Note.pngNote:Low value causes Z_Malloc exit error.
-maxplayers <number> Sets the maximum number of players that will be able to join your server.
Note.pngNote:Can do the same with maxplayers console variable.
-sys_ticrate Overrides sys_ticrate cvar.
-exec <file> Execute specific config file immediately after the engine is loaded.
+<console variable> <arg> Sets the Cvar (or console variable) to the specified setting.

Useful Console Variables

  • +hostname "Server Name" - Specifies the name of the server.
  • +ip <address> - Specifies the IP when multiple network cards are installed. Required for VAC2 operation.
    Note.pngNote:Usually you do not need to specify this.
  • +map <map> - Specifies which map to start with.
  • +sv_lan <0/1> - If set to 1, server is only available in Local Area Network (LAN).
  • +mapchangecfgfile <file> - Like Server.cfg, ran after every round change, before Plugins are started.
  • -pingboost <1/2/3> - Selects between optimized HLDS network code stack. Set this on 2 usually reduces latency toward 1ms without loss of activity input packets.

Troubleshooting the Server Console

Specifying a map is necessary, otherwise the server is not ready to accept connections from players to your server. You may wish to specify the "ip" and "port" parameters if you are experiencing problems.

Note.pngNote:This only applies to dedicated servers.

See Also