What are the launch options
Launch options are parameters that you set for steam games in order to change languages, run your autoexec, etc… Back in the day, these used to have significant impact on your game, but these days that’s no longer the case apart from perhaps -novid which basically just turns off the intro of the game.
We need to be careful when copying launch parameters from the internet because old launch parameter which seemed to do magic to your fps back in the day either have no impact or its use has been discouraged by Valve developers.
How to set up launch options
- Open the Steam client and proceed to the Library section.
- Click the right mouse button on CS:GO and select properties.
- Open the General tab and click the Set Launch Options button.
- Enter launch options and click OK.
Each launch option should start with - or + sign, commands should be spaced, and it is also forbidden to use brackets - otherwise commands won’t be working.
Recommended launch options
These are the launch options that we recommend.
-tickrate 128 -novid -refresh 144-tickrate 128 any server you create in-game will be running in 128 ticks.
-novid skips the video played when you open CSGO.
-refresh <144/60> set it to 144 or 60 depending on your screens refresh rate.
-language english change english for any other language or custom language if you want to run CSGO in a different language than that of Steam.
exec myCustomCfg.cfg if we have an autoexec file we want it to run when we open CSGO
Other launch options
-console enables the console and makes it visible when you open the game. Some people like to have it to make sure their autoexec has loaded.
-high will launch the game in high-priority mode. This could work for low-end computers. Try it out and if you see no gain, remove it.
-threads <number of cores/threads> sets the number of threads of your CPU the game should use. I have not gained FPS with this option but again, feel free to try it out.
-full / -fullscreen makes the game run in full screen mode. You should set this from the game menu.
-windowed / -window / -sw / -startwindowed makes the game run in window mode. You should set this from the game menu.
-noborder removes the Windows border if running on window mode.
-nod3d9ex used to make alt-tabbing faster. Its enabled by default.
-autoconfig resets the custom settings from the game.
CS:GO launch options can’t make you a good player, but they can help to remove small obstacles on your way to gaming success and high CS:GO ranks.
144hz Launch Options
If you’ve got a 144hz monitor and want to make sure you’re actually getting 144 refreshes a second, you should be using the following launch option:
-refresh 144
It’s debated whether or not this command is needed, because CS:GO should set your refresh rate to 144 hertz by default, but it can’t hurt to have it in your launch options just to be safe!
If you’re not getting a refresh rate of 144hz after setting this launch option, make sure that you have changed your Windows graphics settings to 144hz. We’ve provided steps to do this on Windows below.