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Launch Options for SCP: Secret Laboratory

This page lists various launch options you can use when starting SCP: Secret Laboratory. These options can help improve performance, troubleshoot issues, or customize how the game runs. If you're using Steam, you can add them in the “Set Launch Options” section to change how the game behaves when it starts. (Scroll to the bottom for more detailed usage and examples.)

Make sure to include the - in the launch parameter as its required for the argument to be recognised. For example, use-force-d3d11 and not force-d3d11 as the latter will not work.

SCP:SL Specificspecific Arguments

arguments
Argument Description
-steam Sets the platform to Steam.
-discord Sets the platform to Discord.
-fdiscord Forces Discord authentication.
-authdebug Creates EnableDebug.txt in %appdata%, often used for verbose auth debugging.
-allow-syncbind Security Risk: Allows the server to log pressed keys (used in some mods or debug contexts).
-dnt Enables Do Not Track (DNT) mode.
-nosrv Disables DNS SRV record resolution.
-hidetag Hides the badge/tag above your name in-game.
-neverhidelocaltag Forces the local tag to always be visible.
-hidelocaltag Hides your local tag (even if shown by default).
-nevercover

Forces badges/tags not to be covered by the environment (debug/visual override).
--dohEnables DNS over HTTPS.
--http3Forces HTTP/3 to be used.
--ipv4Forces IPv4 to be used.

Unity Engineengine Arguments

arguments

These

are the ones mostly needed for Scp:Sl, For the complete Unity list, see the official docs: https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.1/Documentation/Manual/PlayerCommandLineArguments.html

Usefulfor custompath(use
Argument Description
-batchmodeRuns the application in headless mode (no UI). Commonly used for servers.
-nographicsPrevents graphics device initialization (used with -batchmode for GPU-less servers).
-disable-gpu-skinningDisables GPU skinning at startup (can help with rendering/debugging issues).
-dontConnectAcceleratorEvent (UWP only)Disables input accelerator connection to prevent key input conflicts in UWP/XAML.
-force-clampedPrevents OpenGL from checking for additional extensions (used with -force-glcoreXY).
-force-d3d11 Forces Direct3D 11 as the rendering backend.
-force-d3d11-bitblt-modelUses DXGI BitBlt model swapchain inForce Direct3D 11.
-force-d3d11-flip-modelUses DXGI flip model swapchain in Direct3D 11.
-force-d3d11-no-singlethreadedCreates D3D11 device without the single-threaded flag.
-force-d3d11-singlethreadedCreates D3D11 device with the single-threaded flag.compatibility.
-force-d3d12 ForcesForce Direct3D 12 rendering.12.
-force-vulkan ForcesForce Vulkan as the rendering backend.
-force-metal (macOS only)Uses Metal as the graphics backend on macOS.renderer.
-force-glcore ForcesForce OpenGL core profile rendering.
-force-glcoreXYRequests specific OpenGL version (e.g., -force-glcore45).
-force-low-power-device (macOS only)Uses a low-power GPU instead of the high-performance one.
-force-device-index <index>Chooses a specific GPU (works with D3D11, D3D12, Metal, Vulkan).
-force-driver-type-warpUses WARP (software rendering) on DirectX 11.
-force-feature-level-10-0Forces DirectX 11.0 feature level 10.0.
-force-feature-level-10-1Forces DirectX 11.0 feature level 10.1.
-force-feature-level-11-0Forces DirectX 11.0 feature level 11.0.
-force-gfx-directForces single-threaded rendering.
-forceTextBoxBasedKeyboard (UWP only)Uses an alternative touchscreen keyboard implementation.
-force-wayland (Linux only)Enables experimental Wayland support.
-logfile <path>Specifies where the log file is saved. Use - to log to stdout.
-nologDisables player logging completely.
-timestampsAdds timestamps and thread IDs to every log message.
-log-memory-performance-statsAdds memory usage stats to log on exit.
-max-async-pso-job-count <int>Sets thread count for shader PSO generation (used with Vulkan/Metal/DX12).profile.
-monitor <N> Launches the gameLaunch on amonitor specificnumber monitorN (1-based index)based).
-screen-width <px> Sets theSet window width.
-screen-height <px> Sets theSet window height.
-screen-fullscreen <0/1> Enables1 (1)= orfullscreen, disables0 (0)= fullscreen mode.
-screen-quality <level>Sets quality level (e.g., Fastest, Beautiful, Ultra).windowed.
-window-mode <exclusive/borderless> OverridesChoose fullscreen modestyle style.(where supported).
-popupwindow Launches in a frameless, borderlessBorderless window (not supported on macOS)frameless).
-single-instancelogfile <path> PreventsWrite multipleplayer instanceslog fromto launchinga simultaneously.
-systemallocator Forces use of the system memory allocator (for memory debugging)stdout).
-wait-for-managed-debuggernolog PausesDisable onplayer startup until a C# debugger is attached.
-wait-for-native-debuggerPauses on startup until a native debugger is attached.
-parentHWND <HWND> (Windows only)Embeds the game window into another application's window. Advanced use only.logging.

 


How to Use Launch Options

You can enter these launch options in Steam by right-clicking the game → Properties → Launch Options.
Multiple options can be combined by separating them with spaces.

Here are a few practical examples:

Example 1: Game is crashing or showing a black screen

Try running in windowed mode and disabling fullscreen:

-screen-fullscreen 0 -popupwindow

Example 2: Steam is down or unstable launch the game using Discord

Sometimes Steam has issues or 3rd-party Steam servers go offline, making it impossible to play SCP:SL.
In such cases, you can force the game to use Discord authentication instead:

-fdiscord

Example 3: Running the game on a low-end system

Force DirectX 11 and lower graphics settings:

-force-d3d11 -screen-quality Fastest







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