GuidesOct 27, 20265 min readCS2Sell

CS2 launch options: how to set them and which still work in 2026

CS2 launch options explained: how to set them in Steam, the ones Valve documents for Counter-Strike 2, and why most old CSGO launch options are best left out.

CS2 launch options are short flags you add in Steam to change how Counter-Strike 2 starts, before any of its own settings load. Most lists online were copied from CS:GO, and many of their entries have never been documented for CS2. This guide sticks to what Valve's release notes, Steam Support and the game's own files confirm as of October 2026.

How to set launch options in Steam

Steam Support gives the steps:

Open your Steam Library.
Right-click Counter-Strike 2 and select Properties.
On the General tab, find the Launch Options field.
Type your options, with a space between each one.
Close the window and start the game.

To undo them, clear the field. Steam Support describes launch options as a way to "supersede internal settings of the game" and "an effective means to recover from incompatible video settings", which is still their most useful job.

Console commands can go in the same field with a plus sign in front, such as +fps_max 400. Steam warns that "some cannot be used in this fashion", so a command that does nothing at launch may still work when typed into the console.

CS2 launch options Valve documents

These are the options with real backing for CS2, from Valve's notes and support pages, the text the game itself shows, or PCGamingWiki:

Option	What it does	Documented by
`-allow_third_party_software`	Lets software that is normally blocked interact with the game	Steam Support's CS2 Trusted Mode FAQ
`-insecure`	Skips the check of game file signatures	The game's own warning text
`-console`	Enables the developer console	The game's settings tooltip
`-vulkan`	Switches the renderer from Direct3D 11 to Vulkan	PCGamingWiki
`-joy`	Turns joystick input back on	Valve's notes, May 29, 2024
`-perfectworld` / `-worldwide`	Starts the China version or the worldwide one	Valve's notes, September 29, 2023

Third-party software. Trusted Mode is on by default and blocks outside files from interacting with CS2. Valve added -allow_third_party_software to CS:GO on July 23, 2020, when it deprecated its earlier Trusted Mode switches, and still names it for CS2 as the option for software "that is normally blocked". Valve says you won't be banned for using it, but "your Trust Factor may be negatively affected" over time; our Trust Factor guide covers what that means. Starting incompatible software after launching in Trusted Mode can disconnect you from a match, and Valve says the cooldown that follows can't be removed.

Insecure mode. -insecure turns off the signature check. The game's own message spells out the cost: you "cannot play Classic Competitive mode, because you are not allowed to join VAC secure servers".

Console. The tooltip on the in-game console setting says launch options "like -dev or -console that enable the console" override it, so the menu toggle won't switch the console off while one of them is set.

Vulkan. PCGamingWiki lists Direct3D 11 as CS2's renderer on Windows and documents -vulkan in the launch options as the way to switch. Test both on your own PC before you keep it.

Joystick and China. CS2 has ignored joystick input by default since May 29, 2024; Valve's notes call it "not an officially supported feature" and give -joy to restore it. Players in China who have accepted the Steam China Subscriber Agreement get a prompt at launch to pick Perfect World or worldwide mode, which -perfectworld or -worldwide skips and -promptperfectworld forces to appear. Our article on Counter-Strike in China explains the background.

The R8 Revolver | Reboot and two launch-themed stickers, Countdown and Big Red Rocket

Console commands at launch

The most common one is the frame-rate cap. fps_max is the game's frame-rate limiter, where 0 means no limit; PCGamingWiki gives 400 FPS as the default in matches. Since June 25, 2024 the Video settings have had "Maximum FPS In Game" and "Maximum FPS In Menus" sliders in the Frame Pacing section, which set fps_max and fps_max_ui and are saved between sessions. Since August 14, 2025 fps_max can no longer be changed while you're connected to a server, so set it in the menu or before you join.

For anything longer than one or two commands, a config file is tidier than a crowded launch field. +exec followed by a file name runs a config at start. Our console commands guide explains how to enable the console and set up an autoexec.

CSGO launch options that don't carry over

On October 2, 2024 Valve "removed support for command line options that were intended for development purposes only". Steam's own list of common options isn't a CS2 guide either: it covers GoldSrc and Source games, while CS2 runs on Source 2. That list includes -fullscreen, -windowed or -sw, -w and -h for the resolution and -autoconfig to reset video settings. Treat those as worth trying if a display setting locks you out, not as guaranteed in CS2.

These CS:GO staples still circulate in guides:

Option	What the evidence shows for CS2
`-novid`	Skipped the Valve intro in Source games. CS2 has its own intro, which Enter, Space or Escape skips
`-tickrate 128`	Not documented for CS2, which is built on sub-tick
`-nojoy`	Redundant: joystick input has been off by default since May 2024
`-d3d9ex`, `-nod3d9ex`	Named for Direct3D 9; CS2 runs on Direct3D 11 or Vulkan
`-untrusted`	CS:GO's first Trusted Mode opt-out, deprecated on July 23, 2020
`-high`, `-threads`	Not documented by Valve for CS2
`-refresh`	Forced a refresh rate in Source games; not documented for CS2

For the tick-rate debate itself, see our sub-tick article. Guides that test -high, -threads or -novid in CS2 reach different conclusions, so if you keep one, compare your frame rate with and without it.

Valve's notes also give a reference line for starting a community dedicated server, outside the Steam client: cs2 -dedicated +map de_dust2.