> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.smatvirtual.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Disabling the Game Lobby

> How to bypass the game selection screen and launch directly into a title.

By default, our launch URLs may load a game lobby that allows players to browse our portfolio. If you have built your own custom lobby on your website, you likely want to bypass ours and send the player directly into a specific game.

## The Modern Approach

You no longer need to append complex `options` strings to the final URL. Instead, you simply tell our API your preference when requesting the launch link.

### How to use the `disableGameLobby` Parameter

When calling the `/generate-launch-url` endpoint, include `disableGameLobby` as a query parameter.

| Parameter          | Type    | Required | Description                                           |
| :----------------- | :------ | :------- | :---------------------------------------------------- |
| `disableGameLobby` | Boolean | No       | Set to `true` to skip the lobby. Defaults to `false`. |

***

## Example Request

Include the flag in your server-side API call:

<CodeGroup>
  ```Bash cURL theme={null}
  curl --request GET \
   --url 'https://api.smatvirtual.com/api/v1.1/operator-api/games/generate-launch-url?gameId=odd-even&playerId=user123&sessionId=sess999&disableGameLobby=true' \
   --header 'sv-api-key: SV.pk_live_12345.smatvirtual-us'
  ```

  ```Javascript index.js theme={null}
  const axios = require('axios');

  const params = {
    gameId: 'odd-even',
    playerId: 'user123',
    sessionId: 'sess999',
    disableGameLobby: true // skips the lobby automatically
  };

  const response = await axios.get('https://api.smatvirtual.com/api/v1.1/operator-api/games/generate-launch-url', {
    params,
    headers: { 'sv-api-key': 'SV.pk_live_12345.smatvirtual-us' }
  });

  // The returned URL will already be configured to skip the lobby
  const launchUrl = response.data.url;
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## What Happens Next?

1. Request Received: Our gateway sees the disableGameLobby=true flag.
2. URL Generation: We generate a signed URL that includes the internal routing instructions to bypass the lobby.
3. Seamless Transition: When the player is redirected to the returned URL, the game loads instantly without showing the smatvirtual selection screen.

## Deprecation Notice

<Warning>
  The previous method of appending `options=$   {encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify({ disableGameLobby: true }))}` manually to
  the final game URL is now deprecated. Please update your integration to pass
  this flag directly to the /games/generate-launch-url API for better security
  and reliability.{" "}
</Warning>

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Tournament-Specific Launches" icon="trophy" href="/guides/tournaments">
    Our flagship Tournament engine handles lobby states differently. Click here
    to see how to deep-link players into specific tournament leaderboards.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>