Dota 2 Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Launch-options-instruct

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.
Natural Order (Astral Spirit) icon
▶️ By the forge of creation.
This section is under construction. It may still lack crucial information or contain unvalidated statements.
You can help by coordinating with the authors and offer your help.
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 [1] 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.[2]
-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. [3]
-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. 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
  • Added a command line option -gamestateintegration to enable Game State Integration (now disabled by default).
  • Added a command line option -sdlaudiodriver to manually set the audio API SDL Audio will use.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Added -port.
  • 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[4].)
  • Custom cursor images are now allowed in matchmaking (i. e. whitelisted for -enable_addons).
  • Added all sound directories to the whitelist for -enable_addons.
  • Updated -enable_addons to include sound scripts, music scripts, and Flash videos.
  • 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).

References[]

External links[]

Advertisement