Console (computer games)
A console in PC games is a simple command-line panel you can open while playing to change settings and variables. It also shows warnings, errors, and other messages from the game. The console is usually hidden and can be turned on or off; it appears over the normal game view. You open it by pressing the backtick key (`) (sometimes called ~) on QWERTY keyboards, or the ² key on AZERTY keyboards. It’s often disabled by default and must be enabled when launching the game or by editing a configuration file. A classic console is a box that slides down from the top of the screen, a style popularized by Quake (1996). There are other forms of console:
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:30 (CET).