How To Full Screen Steam Game

How to Full Screen Steam Game

Ever get that annoying feeling when your awesome Steam game isn’t using your whole screen? It’s like trying to watch a movie on a tiny TV – not ideal! We’ve all been there. Games look so much better and more immersive when they fill up your entire monitor. Luckily, making your Steam games go full screen is usually pretty easy. But sometimes, it can be a little tricky. That’s why we’re here to help you with different ways to get your game into full-screen mode, so you can get back to playing without any more frustrations!

The Basic Full-Screen Switch

Most of the time, getting a game into full screen is as simple as pressing a button! Games often have a default setting that lets you switch easily. Let’s see how it works:

Using the Alt + Enter Keys

This is the most common and quickest method. While you’re in your game, try pressing and holding down the “Alt” key, and then press the “Enter” key. Usually, this will toggle the game between windowed mode and full-screen mode. Try this first! It’s usually the easiest way to make your game fill the entire screen. If it doesn’t work, don’t worry, we’ve got other methods for you to try!

Finding the In-Game Settings

Many games have their own settings menus where you can change the display options. Here’s how to find it:

• Start the Game: Get your game running and ready to play.
• Find the Settings Menu: Look for a “Settings”, “Options”, or “Graphics” button. It might be in the main menu, or you might need to go into the game and press a key like “Esc” to access the menu.
• Look for “Display Mode”: Inside the settings menu, look for words like “Display Mode,” “Graphics,” “Video,” or “Screen.” There should be something that mentions full screen or windowed mode.
• Choose “Full Screen”: Click on the drop-down menu next to “Display Mode” and choose “Full Screen”. Then select apply or save.
• Check the screen: See if your game is now in full screen.

Most games will let you do it this way, but sometimes the settings can be a little different. Look closely, and you’ll usually find where to make the change.

When the Basic Methods Don’t Work

Sometimes, the simple methods might not work. This is when we have to try a little harder. Don’t worry, it’s not too complicated. There are a few more things we can try to fix this problem!

Checking Steam Game Properties

Steam has its own settings that can sometimes affect how your games display. Let’s check these:

1. Go to your Steam Library: Open the Steam app and go to your game library.
2. Find Your Game: Right-click on the name of the game that you want to go full screen.
3. Select “Properties”: A menu will pop up. Choose “Properties” from this menu.
4. Click on “General”: In the Properties window, click on the “General” tab.
5. Look for Launch Options: You’ll see a section called “Launch Options”. This is where you can tell Steam to start the game with certain settings.
6. Try a Launch Option: In the “Launch Options” box, try typing -fullscreen or -windowed. Then, close the game properties, launch your game and check if it has gone full screen.
7. Experiment with Windowed Mode then Fullscreen Again: If your game is stubborn, first use the launch option -windowed to force the game to start in a window. Then use the usual Alt+Enter or the in-game menu to switch it to full screen. Sometimes this helps it ‘remember’ the full-screen setting.

Launch Options can be very helpful when a game refuses to go into full screen using normal settings. By giving it a command, Steam tells the game exactly what to do when it starts up.

Dealing with Resolution Issues

Sometimes, the problem isn’t just about full screen, but also about resolution. If the resolution is wrong, your game might not display correctly. Here’s how to fix it:

• Check Your Monitor’s Resolution: On a Windows PC, right-click on your desktop and select “Display Settings”. Look for “Display Resolution” and make a note of the current resolution.
• Match Game Resolution: Go back into your game settings and look for the resolution settings under the graphics section. Make sure the game is using the same resolution as your monitor. If the resolutions don’t match up, this can cause problems with full screen mode.
• Experiment: If matching the monitor resolution doesn’t work, try other resolutions in the game to see if one works properly in full screen.

It is important to make sure that your game’s resolution matches up with your computer monitor’s resolution. They need to be in sync to display correctly in full screen mode.

Specific Game Troubleshooting

Some games, particularly older ones, can be more difficult than others. They might have their own quirks and specific solutions. Let’s check out some common scenarios:

Older Games and Compatibility

Older games were sometimes built for older computers and old screen resolutions. Because of this, they might have issues going into full screen mode on newer systems. Here’s how to deal with those:

• Try Compatibility Mode: Right-click on the game’s shortcut or executable (.exe) file, choose “Properties”, click on the “Compatibility” tab. Try checking the “Run this program in compatibility mode” box and selecting an older version of Windows.
• Run as Adminstrator: In the Compatibility Tab, also check the box, “Run this program as an administrator”.
• Look for Fan-Made Patches: For some older games, fans have created patches or fixes to make them work better on newer computers. Look around the game’s community forums to see if anyone has made something to help.

Old games sometimes need special help to work well with newer computers and monitors. Compatibility modes and fan-made patches can be quite helpful.

Games with Configuration Files

Some games store their settings in a file. You can edit the settings in this file with a text editor like Notepad. Be careful! Editing these files incorrectly can cause problems, so make a backup before you change anything.

• Find the Configuration File: The configuration file is sometimes located in the game’s install folder or in your user documents folder. The file usually ends in .ini or .cfg. You can often find out exactly which file and where it is by searching on a game-specific forum.
• Open the File: Open the file with Notepad or any other text editor.
• Look for Resolution and Full Screen Settings: Search through the file for lines of text that have to do with screen resolution or windowed/full-screen mode.
• Change the Settings: Change the settings to your computer’s resolution and to “full screen”. Usually, setting for fullscreen mode might be written as a “1” for enabled, and “0” for disabled.
• Save the File: Save the changes you made.
• Try the Game: Launch the game and see if the full-screen mode works.

Editing a game’s configuration file directly can be a bit advanced but can be very useful when other methods don’t work.

Games that do not support fullscreen

Sometimes, unfortunately, some games are just not designed to play in true full-screen mode. Instead, they only support borderless windowed mode, which can look like full screen but acts differently under the hood. There is not much that can be done in those cases, other than trying some of the previously mentioned steps.

Using Third-Party Software

If all the above steps do not fix your issue, you can try using third-party software to help enforce full-screen mode. Be careful when installing any third-party software. Do your research to ensure that it is trustworthy and from a reputable source. Here are some examples of tools that might help:

Borderless Gaming

Borderless Gaming is a software program that can force a windowed game into borderless full-screen mode, which can often look and feel like true full screen. This program can be very useful with games that have problems with their settings.

Specialized Graphics Software

Some graphics card companies like Nvidia and AMD offer their own software that lets you manage game settings. These can sometimes help games enter fullscreen when other methods don’t. If you have a graphics card, check to see if it comes with this type of software. You can use them to configure various aspects of your games such as resolution, refresh rate, and sometimes full-screen settings.

Game Booster Programs

There are many game booster programs that can help optimize the way games run on your computer. Some of these programs have a function to enforce full-screen mode or set display options. While these are not solely for full-screen issues, they can still assist in this process. Just make sure you research any program before installing to ensure that it’s safe to use.

When Nothing Seems to Work

Sometimes, even after trying all of these methods, you might still have issues with the screen not working properly. This is when you might need to consider some other factors:

Check for Game Updates

Make sure your game is up-to-date. Sometimes, developers fix common issues with new updates. Updates can sometimes have important fixes, that can help your game run smoothly.

Check Computer Drivers

Make sure your computer’s graphics card drivers are also up-to-date. Old or outdated graphics drivers can cause display issues. You can usually get the latest driver from the graphics card’s manufacturer’s website. If the drivers are too old, they might cause problems with the full-screen settings.

Check System Settings

Sometimes problems can occur if your system settings are wrong, such as your display scaling or multiple monitor settings. You can check your Windows display settings to make sure your settings are optimal. Right click on your desktop screen and click on “Display Settings”. Look for scaling settings. Try switching between them to see if the setting changes affect your game.

Seek Support

If none of the above steps worked, then consider reaching out to the game’s support or user community forums for further help. A lot of other gamers might have experienced the same issue, and have already found a solution to the problem. Look at online forums or the game support page.

Getting your Steam games to fill the entire screen can sometimes take a bit of work. However, by going through the different methods we’ve covered, you’ll usually be able to fix the problem and play your games in the best possible way.