If you have spent any time digging through WARDOGS config files or forum threads looking for real launch flags, you already know how much garbage is floating around out there. This guide covers the launch options that actually function in the game right now — verified on build 0.1.2 (October 2026) by testing them directly rather than copying from a decade-old Source engine list. I break down each flag, what it does, and when you should or should not use it.
I put this together because after a rough patch of stutters following one of the October updates, I started experimenting with launch parameters myself and realized how much time I was wasting on flags that do absolutely nothing in this engine. The list below is everything that works, plus a few notes at the end on the ones that don’t.
How to Set Launch Options in Steam
Before any of these flags will do anything, you need to tell Steam to pass them to the game. Right-click WARDOGS in your Steam library, select Properties, and look at the Launch Options field at the bottom of the General tab. Type your flags there, separated by spaces. When I first started messing with these, I forgot the spacing and spent ten minutes wondering why nothing changed — so double-check that your string actually has a space between each flag before you launch.
Performance Flags (FPS and Stutter Fixes)
The performance flags are the reason most of you are here. These are the ones I actually use, and the ones I would recommend testing first if you are trying to squeeze out smoother frametimes in raids.
| Flag | What It Does | My Rating |
|---|---|---|
| -nogpucrashdebugging | Disables built-in GPU crash debugging so the game stops collecting dumps on driver errors. Removes micro-stutters for most players with no known downsides. | Essential |
| -precache | Warms game caches during map load. Raid loads slightly longer, but the first minutes have fewer stutters because shaders aren’t compiled on the fly. Particularly helpful right after patches. | Essential |
| -NoAnalytics | Disables background telemetry, reducing overhead and network traffic. | Optional |
| -ngxdisable | Turns off NVIDIA NGX (the DLSS plumbing). Frees VRAM. Add this only if you don’t use DLSS — AMD and Intel owners can safely use it. | Optional |
| -corelimit=N | Limits CPU cores the game uses. Example: -corelimit=8. N = your physical core count. Helps when a browser or Discord runs in the background. | Optional |
The one trap I almost fell into: adding -ngxdisable while still running DLSS. If you play with DLSS on, do not add that flag. It is strictly for people who either don’t use DLSS or run AMD/Intel hardware. And for -corelimit, use your physical core count, not logical — I tried my thread count first and it made things slightly worse, not better.
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Window and Resolution Options
These control how the game presents itself and at what resolution. A few of them are only relevant if you run windowed, but the fullscreen and resolution flags are worth knowing regardless of your setup.
- -fullscreen — runs the game in fullscreen. Set Fullscreen (not Borderless) in the in-game settings too for lower input latency and a more responsive mouse.
- -windowed — runs the game in a window.
- -Res=WxH — sets resolution. Example: -Res=1920×1080. On a weak GPU, an honest resolution drop gives you more FPS than any graphics setting.
- -ForceRes — forces the game to accept the -Res= resolution if it tries to fall back to the system default.
- -PosX=N and -PosY=N — sets window position in windowed mode. Example: -PosX=0 -PosY=0.
- -SAVEWINPOS — remembers your window position between runs.
Troubleshooting Flags
When something breaks, these are the flags that help you figure out why. I have used all three of the first two on separate occasions, and they saved me from a full reinstall more than once.
- -nosound — runs the game without audio. Diagnostic use: if stutters disappear with sound disabled, update your audio driver.
- -log — creates a startup log file. Essential when the game silently fails to launch, since the log shows where it stopped.
- -sm6 / -sm5 — shader version. The game defaults to SM6; leave it alone. -sm5 is only for old cards like the GTX 10xx series where the game is unstable.
Ready-to-Copy Launch Strings
Rather than type these out manually and risk a typo, here are the three strings I have tested and would hand to a friend. Pick the one that matches your situation.
For everyone:
-nogpucrashdebugging -precache -NoAnalytics
If you don’t use DLSS (or you’re on AMD/Intel):
-nogpucrashdebugging -precache -NoAnalytics -ngxdisable
If background apps cause stutters (replace 8 with your core count):
-nogpucrashdebugging -precache -NoAnalytics -corelimit=8
If you are the kind of player who likes to know all the working numbers before a raid, this list pairs well with a solid explosives cheat sheet — knowing what goes boom and what keeps your frametime stable are two sides of the same preparation coin.
All parameters here are verified on build 0.1.2, and anything that didn’t work got left out. Major patches may shift the list, so if you notice a flag stop behaving after an update, that’s usually why. Good luck in the raids.