Launcher Configuration

The Nitrox Launcher provides various configuration options through command-line arguments and persistent settings stored in the launcher’s configuration.

Command-Line Arguments

You can pass arguments when starting the launcher to control its behavior.

Basic Usage

Nitrox.Launcher.exe [arguments]

Available Arguments

Crash Report Mode

--crashReport

boolean

default:"false"

Opens the launcher in crash report mode, displaying the last crash log.Usage:

Nitrox.Launcher.exe --crashReport true

This is typically used automatically when the launcher detects a previous crash.

Rendering Mode (Linux/X11)

--rendering

enum

Specifies the X11 rendering mode for Linux systems.Possible Values:

Software - Software rendering (slower but more compatible)
GLX - OpenGL rendering via GLX
EGL - OpenGL rendering via EGL

Usage:

./Nitrox.Launcher --rendering Software
./Nitrox.Launcher --rendering GLX

The launcher automatically detects Wayland and uses software rendering if Xwayland is not available.

Allow Multiple Instances

--allowInstances

boolean

default:"false"

Allows multiple launcher instances to run simultaneously.Usage:

Nitrox.Launcher.exe --allowInstances true

By default, the launcher prevents multiple instances and brings the existing window to the foreground.

Instant Launch

instantlaunch

command

Instantly launches a server with specified save and players without showing the launcher UI.Usage:

Nitrox.Launcher.exe instantlaunch --save MySave --players Player1 Player2 Player3

Parameters:

--save (required) - Name of the save to load
--players (required) - One or more player names

Example:

# Launch with one player
./Nitrox.Launcher instantlaunch --save "MyWorld" --players "Steve"

# Launch with multiple players
./Nitrox.Launcher instantlaunch --save "OceanBase" --players "Alice" "Bob" "Charlie"

The save name must exist in your saves folder. At least one player name is required.

Launcher Settings

The launcher has persistent settings that can be configured through the Options menu.

Game Launch Arguments

LaunchArgs

string

default:"-vrmode none"

Arguments passed to Subnautica when launching the game.Default Value:

-vrmode none

Common Arguments:

-vrmode none - Disables VR mode
-window - Runs game in windowed mode
-screen-width 1920 - Sets window width
-screen-height 1080 - Sets window height
-popupwindow - Borderless windowed mode

Example:

-vrmode none -popupwindow -screen-width 2560 -screen-height 1440

These are Subnautica’s native launch arguments, not Nitrox-specific.

Visual Settings

Light Mode

LightModeEnabled

boolean

default:"false"

Enables light theme instead of the default dark theme.Location: Options → Appearance

The launcher defaults to dark mode. Light mode can be easier on the eyes in bright environments.

Game Instance Settings

Allow Multiple Game Instances

AllowMultipleGameInstances

boolean

default:"false"

Allows multiple instances of Subnautica to run simultaneously.Location: Options → Advanced

Important: Enabling this option will disable Steam’s in-game overlay for Subnautica (including unofficial games). Disable this option to use Steam’s overlay.

Big Picture Mode

UseBigPictureMode

boolean

default:"false"

Enables Steam Big Picture mode for game launch.Location: Options → Advanced

Cannot be enabled simultaneously with “Allow Multiple Game Instances”.

Configuration File Locations

The launcher stores its configuration in platform-specific locations:

%APPDATA%/Nitrox/launcher.cfg

Other Important Directories

Saves
Screenshots
Logs

Location: [AppData]/Nitrox/saves/Contains all server save files and their configurations.

Location: [AppData]/Nitrox/screenshots/Stores in-game screenshots taken while playing on Nitrox servers.

Location: [AppData]/Nitrox/logs/Contains launcher and server log files for troubleshooting.

Environment Variables

The launcher respects certain environment variables:

WAYLAND_DISPLAY

string

Detected automatically on Linux systems.Behavior:

If set and Xwayland is not available → Uses software rendering
If set and Xwayland is available → Uses X11 with hardware acceleration

Wayland+GPU is not supported by the Avalonia UI framework used by the launcher.

Advanced Launch Options

Custom Game Path

The launcher allows you to specify a custom Subnautica installation path:

Open Options

Click the Options/Settings button in the launcher.

Select Game Directory

Click “Set Game Path” and browse to your Subnautica installation.

Verify Installation

The launcher will verify that the directory contains a valid Subnautica installation.

The launcher automatically detects Subnautica installations from Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store.

Easter Eggs

April Fools

On April 1st, the launcher automatically switches to Comic Sans font (if installed on your system).

Source Code (App.axaml.cs:189)

if (DateTime.Now is { Month: 4, Day: 1 })
{
    Style? windowStyle = new(x => x.OfType<Window>())
    {
        Setters = {
            new Setter(TemplatedControl.FontFamilyProperty, 
                      FontFamily.Parse("Comic Sans MS"))
        }
    };
    Styles.Add(windowStyle);
}

Examples

Launch with Custom Rendering

Linux

# Use software rendering (more compatible)
./Nitrox.Launcher --rendering Software

# Use OpenGL via EGL
./Nitrox.Launcher --rendering EGL

Instant Launch for Testing

# Quick launch for development/testing
Nitrox.Launcher.exe instantlaunch --save "TestWorld" --players "DevPlayer1" "DevPlayer2"

Multiple Instances

# Allow multiple launcher windows
Nitrox.Launcher.exe --allowInstances true

Combined Arguments

# Multiple arguments together
./Nitrox.Launcher --rendering Software --allowInstances true

Troubleshooting

Launcher won't start on Linux

Symptoms: Black screen, crashes, or visual glitchesSolutions:

Try software rendering: --rendering Software
Check if Xwayland is installed: which Xwayland
Verify graphics drivers are up to date
Check logs in ~/.config/Nitrox/logs/

Game won't launch

Symptoms: Nothing happens when clicking PlaySolutions:

Verify Subnautica installation path in Options
Check that you have proper file permissions
Look for errors in the launcher logs
Try resetting launch arguments to default (-vrmode none)

Multiple instances not working

Symptoms: Can’t launch multiple game instancesSolutions:

Enable “Allow Multiple Game Instances” in Options
Note: This disables Steam overlay
Restart the launcher after changing this setting

Permission errors on startup

Symptoms: “Restart as admin” message appearsSolutions:

The launcher needs to set file permissions once
Run as administrator/root one time
This is only required on first setup
Future launches won’t need elevated permissions

Technical Details

Command-Line Parser

The launcher uses ConsoleAppFramework for argument parsing:

Source (App.axaml.cs:69-85)

ConsoleApp.ConsoleAppBuilder cliParser = ConsoleApp.Create();
cliParser.Add("", (bool crashReport, 
                   X11RenderingMode? rendering = null, 
                   bool allowInstances = false) =>
{
    isCrashReport = crashReport;
    preferredRenderingMode = rendering;
    App.allowInstances = allowInstances;
    // ...
});
cliParser.Add("instantlaunch", 
              ([SaveName] string save, 
               [MinLength(1)] params string[] players) =>
{
    InstantLaunch = new InstantLaunchData(save, players);
});
cliParser.Run(NitroxEnvironment.CommandLineArgs);

Configuration Persistence

Settings are stored using the IKeyValueStore interface, which persists data in a platform-appropriate location.

Changes made in the Options menu are saved immediately and persist across launcher restarts.

Server Configuration

Configure your Nitrox server settings

Getting Started

Set up Nitrox for the first time

Commands

Configuration

Command-Line Arguments

Basic Usage

Available Arguments

Crash Report Mode

Rendering Mode (Linux/X11)

Allow Multiple Instances

Instant Launch

Launcher Settings

Game Launch Arguments

Visual Settings

Light Mode

Game Instance Settings

Allow Multiple Game Instances

Big Picture Mode

Configuration File Locations

Other Important Directories

Environment Variables

WAYLAND_DISPLAY

Advanced Launch Options

Custom Game Path

Easter Eggs

April Fools

Examples

Launch with Custom Rendering

Instant Launch for Testing

Multiple Instances

Combined Arguments

Troubleshooting

Technical Details

Command-Line Parser

Configuration Persistence

See Also

Server Configuration

Getting Started

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Commands

Configuration

​Command-Line Arguments

​Basic Usage

​Available Arguments

​Crash Report Mode

​Rendering Mode (Linux/X11)

​Allow Multiple Instances

​Instant Launch

​Launcher Settings

​Game Launch Arguments

​Visual Settings

​Light Mode

​Game Instance Settings

​Allow Multiple Game Instances

​Big Picture Mode

​Configuration File Locations

​Other Important Directories

​Environment Variables

​WAYLAND_DISPLAY

​Advanced Launch Options

​Custom Game Path

​Easter Eggs

​April Fools

​Examples

​Launch with Custom Rendering

​Instant Launch for Testing

​Multiple Instances

​Combined Arguments

​Troubleshooting

​Technical Details

​Command-Line Parser

​Configuration Persistence

​See Also

Server Configuration

Getting Started

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Command-Line Arguments

Basic Usage

Available Arguments

Crash Report Mode

Rendering Mode (Linux/X11)

Allow Multiple Instances

Instant Launch

Launcher Settings

Game Launch Arguments

Visual Settings

Light Mode

Game Instance Settings

Allow Multiple Game Instances

Big Picture Mode

Configuration File Locations

Other Important Directories

Environment Variables

WAYLAND_DISPLAY

Advanced Launch Options

Custom Game Path

Easter Eggs

April Fools

Examples

Launch with Custom Rendering

Instant Launch for Testing

Multiple Instances

Combined Arguments

Troubleshooting

Technical Details

Command-Line Parser

Configuration Persistence

See Also