Launch Options

Finding the Launch Options within Steam.

Launch Options are command lines that change the Dota 2 client.

Access

How to access Dota 2's Launch Options:

1. Open the Steam client
2. Navigate to Library tab
3. Right click Dota 2
4. Select Properties
5. Navigate to General tab
6. Click Set Launch Options...

Command lines

• Multiple command lines should be separated by a space.
• Console commands can also be added to the launch options in order to activate it on startup. To do so, add a plus sign (+) before the command and include the parameters(if they exist) after a whitespace.
  • Example:To set the attribute r_lod to 0, input +r_lod 0 in the launch options.

Command	Effect
+con_enable 1	Enables the console in-game.
+fps_max #	Set the maximum frame per second to the number that has been assigned.
-480	Forces the engine to start with 480p resolution.
-antiaddiction_test	Adds an uptime clock.
-autoconfig	Restores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
-console	Enables the console in-game.
-cursor_scale_percent #	Able to change cursor size. Default 100. Overrides the setting in the in-game options if used.
-deprecated_dx9	Forces running on DirectX 9. It is a temporary command-line flag to facilitate reporting problems with DirectX 11.
-dx11	Forces running on DirectX 11.
-enable_addons	Forces the engine to search for white-listed (by Valve) custom game content placed inside the game's installation directory instead of using the default game content packed inside the VPK files. Can be used in matchmaking games. Current white-list: Minimap, HUD, icons, custom cursor images, all sound directories, flash videos.
-forcedownloadbannedwords	[ Info Needed ]
-fullscreen	Set display mode to full screen mode.
-gamestateintegration	Enables Game State Integration (disabled by default).
-gl	Forces Dota to run on OpenGL. On Windows, OpenGL is no longer supported (the OpenGL DLC has been emptied).
-h <height>	Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <height> value in pixels. Ex: -h 768
-high	Gives Dota 2 priority CPU usage.
-input_button_code_is_scan_code	Forces Dota to receive keyboard input as scan codes. On Linux this might help when keyboard bindings doesn't work with non-US layout enabled.
-language <code>	Changes the language of the game strings and menu, e.g. "-language italian".
-map dota	Loads the Dota 2 map right when you launch the game. Helps load times after you find a game since you no longer have to load the map then.
-nexon	Adds the South Korean server to your search options if you have a Korean Nexon account.
-noborder	Set display mode to borderless window mode.
-nod3d9ex	Disables Windows Aero DirectX extensions; may improve performance in certain cases.
-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.
-nogammaramp	Forces Dota to use desktop color profile. This also applies to other source games (ex. F.lux will be applied in Fullscreen)
-nomicsettings	Stops Dota 2 from changing microphone output values upon launching the game. May help people with issues in third party communication software, such as Skype, in which their microphone volume would get maxed upon launching the game.
-nomousegrab	Enables alt-tab function in some Linux desktop environments (such as XFCE) where Dota 2 is running fullscreen and grabbing the mouse wouldn't allow users to alt-tab out of the game.
-noprewarm	Disables the resource pre-loading. The effects of -prewarm (see Deprecated commands) are active by default.
-nosound	Turn off in-game sound.
-novid	Automatically skips the introduction video.
-override_vpk	Forces the engine to search for custom game content placed inside the game's installation directory instead of using the default game content packed inside VPK files. Cannot be used in matchmaking games.
-perfectworld	Allows you to play on Chinese Perfect World servers.
-phased_window_create	Forces dota to open in the same window as steam. Specially useful in Linux environments with multiple monitors. Also fixes the problem when using the chat wheel would force the cursor to be stuck in one direction.
-port	[ Info Needed ]
-safe_mode	Restores rendering API used (DirectX 11, OpenGL) to default choice. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
-sdl_displayindex #	Decides the screen dota will run on in Linux. Uses a 0-based index from primary monitor.
-sdlaudio	Forces running on the SDL audio system (it is the default one).
-sdlaudiodriver <audio API>	Sets the audio API SDL Audio will use. To fix Dota playing no sound, -sdlaudiodriver directsound or -sdlaudiodriver winmm may be utilized.
-sw	Set display mode to windowed mode.
-useforcedmparms	Allows the use of -noforcemspd and -noforcemaccel.
-vulkan	Apply Vulkan support.
-vulkan_disable_steam_shader_cache	Disable steam from precaching the shaders before Dota 2 launches. Useful when game fails to launch on Linux with Vulkan.
-w <width>	Forces the engine to start with resolution set to <width> value in pixels. Ex: -w 1024
-x <position horizontal>	Place the borderless window along the horizontal axis. Useful for multiple monitor desktops. Ex: -x 1921 (With three monitors, it will place it on the middle screen.)
-xaudio	Forces running on the XAudio audio system.
-y <position vertical>	Place the borderless window along the vertical axis. Useful for multiple monitor desktops. Ex: -y 0 (Places game window at the top of the monitor, over the taskbar.)

Deprecated commands

These commands are deprecated. They either no longer work at all (i.e. were removed), or have no use anymore.

Command	Effect	Reason
-32bit	Forces running on the 32-bit client (the 64-bit client is default).	The game is no longer supported on 32-bit systems.
-dashboard <code>	Changes the loading screen and main menu background according to the code inserted. international_2012 - Displays The International 2012 loading screen and main menu background. international_2013 - Displays The International 2013 loading screen and main menu background. international_2014 - Displays The International 2014 loading screen only. frostivus_2013 - Displays Frostivus 2013 main menu background. newbloom_2014 - Displays New Bloom 2014 loading screen and main menu background. spirits_2013 - Displays Three Spirits main menu background.	The Reborn Dashboard does not support the old themes anymore.
-dx9	Forces running on DirectX 9.	DirectX9 has been deprecated. A temporary command-line flag -deprecated_dx9 has been added.
-prewarm	Causes the game to pre-load many resources it needs for a match of Dota upon initial launch of the game, before the dashboard appears.	It has been removed. Its effects are now active by default.
-windowed	Game runs in windowed mode.	Changeable in the game settings. (the code '-sw' still works for the same purpose)

Patch history

Patch

Description

11 Mar 2022

• Added a command line option -gamestateintegration to enable Game State Integration (now disabled by default).

23 Nov 2021

• Added a command line option -sdlaudiodriver to manually set the audio API SDL Audio will use.

15 Nov 2021

• Removed support for native XAudio support — the default audio system is now SDL (this affected -xaudio and -sdlaudio).
• Deprecated DirectX 9 support (this affected -dx9). Added a temporary command-line flag -deprecated_dx9 to facilitate reporting problems with DirectX 11.
• Removed support for OpenGL on Windows (this affected -gl).
• Removed support for Dota on 32-bit systems (this affected -32bit).

17 Aug 2020

• Removed -prewarm. Its effects are now active by default.
• Added -noprewarm, which disables the resource pre-loading upon launch, so that it happens upon connecting to matches again.

30 Jul 2020

• Added -prewarm. Causes the game to pre-load many resources it needs for a match of Dota upon initial launch of the game, before the dashboard appears.

31 Oct 2018

• Added -port.

07 Jul 2016

• U
  -dx11 has been made the default launch option for Dota 2 on 64-bit systems. (DirectX 11 default have been reverted. Therefore, you must add the -dx11 command to run with Directx 11.)

16 Feb 2015

• Custom cursor images are now allowed in matchmaking (i. e. whitelisted for -enable_addons).

12 Feb 2015

• Added all sound directories to the whitelist for -enable_addons.

04 Feb 2015

• Updated -enable_addons to include sound scripts, music scripts, and Flash videos.

02 Feb 2015

• The use of –override_vpk is no longer allowed in matchmaking games in order to prevent gaining a competitive advantage.

(Update 2)

• Added a new launch option -enable_addons that lets you override a whitelist of files that we will be populating (currently supporting Minimap, HUD related elements, Icons and VO).

External links

• Setting Game Launch Options – Steam Support
• Command Line Options – Valve Developer Community

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