CS2 Launch Options Checker & Builder

Paste your launch options and see which flags CS2 still reads, which are CS:GO leftovers doing nothing, and which fight each other. Take a clean string back — or build one from what you want.

FREENo account · Nothing leaves your browser

statuses from Valve’s docs, not from a test

Paste what is in your Steam box

Steam › Library › right-click Counter-Strike 2 › Properties › General › Launch Options. Copy the whole box.

What you pastedPaste your launch options above, or try the example. Nothing to check yet.

removed 0 · kept 0 · 0 conflicts to decide

Clean string · paste back into Steam

paste something above

■ works■ unconfirmed, kept■ outdated, removed■ unknown to us, kept■ duplicate, removed■ bad value, removed

Why each one

verdicts from Valve's documentation and Source 2 engine options, not from a test on our machine

Takeaway · paste a string to see

Each flag you paste gets a card here: what it does, or why CS2 ignores it.

Every flag we know, with its status

works in CS2 · 12 · unconfirmed · 4 · outdated, CS2 ignores these · 10

works in CS2+exec <value>runs a config file from the cfg folder on start — this is how an autoexec gets loaded

works in CS2-consoleopens the developer console on start

works in CS2-fullscreenstarts in exclusive fullscreen

works in CS2-windowedstarts in a window; add -noborder for borderless

works in CS2-noborderremoves the window frame — borderless windowed together with -windowed

works in CS2-w <value>window width in pixels

works in CS2-h <value>window height in pixels

works in CS2-allow_third_party_softwarelets overlays and other injected software run — CS2 blocks them by default and tells you at start

works in CS2-insecurestarts without VAC; you cannot join secure servers, including matchmaking, until you remove it

works in CS2-nojoyskips controller initialisation

works in CS2-language <value>game language, e.g. english — overrides the Steam client setting

works in CS2+fps_max <value>frame cap applied at start; the same as fps_max in a config, 0 = uncapped

unconfirmed-highasks Windows for high process priority; reports of stutter with it on CS2 are common and we have not measured either way

unconfirmed-forcenovsyncmeant to force vsync off; the video settings menu does the same and is the one we would trust

unconfirmed-nosyncanother vsync-off flag from CS:GO guides; not confirmed on CS2

unconfirmed-autoconfigresets video settings to defaults on start; useful once, harmful if left in

outdated-novidskipped the intro video in CS:GO; CS2 has no intro video and ignores the flag

outdated-tickrate <value>set the local server tick rate in CS:GO; CS2 uses sub-tick and does not read it

outdated-threads <value>CS:GO thread count hint; CS2 manages threads itself and ignores it

outdated-nod3d9exa DirectX 9 option; CS2 does not run on DirectX 9

outdated-dxlevel <value>chose a DirectX version in Source 1; CS2 does not read it

outdated+cl_forcepreload <value>the cvar was removed with Source 1, so the flag sets nothing

outdated-freq <value>refresh-rate override from Source 1; CS2 takes the refresh rate from the video settings

outdated-refresh <value>same as -freq — a Source 1 refresh-rate override CS2 does not read

outdated+mat_queue_mode <value>a Source 1 renderer cvar that no longer exists

outdated-nopreloada Source 1 loading option; nothing in CS2 reads it

How it works

Steam → right-click Counter-Strike 2 → Properties → General → Launch Options. Copy the box.
Paste it above. Each flag is named and judged: works, unconfirmed, outdated, duplicate, or unknown to us.
Copy the clean string back into the box. Outdated flags and duplicates are gone; everything else stays.

What the checker will not do

It will not remove a flag it does not recognise. An unknown flag is kept and marked unknown to us — deleting something because we have not heard of it would be guessing with your settings. It also will not promise frames: no launch option here is listed as making the game faster, because we have not measured one that does.

Where the verdicts come from

Works in CS2 is used only for options Valve has documented for CS2 or that are Source 2 engine options the game exposes — window mode, size, console, running a config. Unconfirmed is what CS:GO-era guides list and we have not seen confirmed on CS2. Outdated is a Source 1 option CS2 does not read. None of the rows has been tested on our own CS2 install yet; the statuses rest on documentation, and the page will show a date once they have been.

The one flag almost everyone should have is +exec autoexec: it runs your autoexec at start, which is where the crosshair from the crosshair generator and a practice config are meant to live.

Questions people ask

Does -novid still do anything?

No. It skipped CS:GO’s intro video. CS2 has no intro video, so the flag has nothing to skip. It does no harm either — it is just dead weight.

Why is -tickrate 128 outdated?

CS2 replaced fixed tick rates with sub-tick updates and does not read the flag. Local servers run the same way as Valve’s; there is nothing to set.

Should I use -high?

Reports go both ways and we have not measured it, which is why it is marked unconfirmed rather than recommended. If the game runs well without it, there is nothing to gain by adding it.

What does -allow_third_party_software do?

CS2 blocks injected software by default — some overlays and recording tools — and says so in a message at start. The flag lets them run. Only add it if that message names a program you actually want.

Related tools

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