diff --git a/src/debug.cpp b/src/debug.cpp
index be768bf34..e04357686 100644
--- a/src/debug.cpp
+++ b/src/debug.cpp
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@
 #include "debug.h"
 #include "host.h"
 #include "rang.hpp"
+#include "utils/color_out.h"
 
 volatile int log_level = LOG_LEVEL_INFO;
 
@@ -200,7 +201,7 @@ void debug_dump(void *lp, int len)
         }
 }
 
-bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs) {
+bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs, int *show_timestamps) {
         assert(optarg != nullptr);
         assert(logger_repeat_msgs != nullptr);
 
@@ -225,8 +226,9 @@ bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs) {
                 for (auto m : mapping) {
                         cout << "|" << m.name;
                 }
-                cout << "][+repeat]\n";
-                cout << "\trepeat - print repeating log messages\n";
+                cout << "][+repeat][+/-timestamps]\n";
+                cout << BOLD("\trepeat") << " - print repeating log messages\n";
+                cout << BOLD("\ttimestamps") << " - enable/disable timestamps\n";
                 return false;
         }
 
@@ -234,6 +236,12 @@ bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs) {
                 *logger_repeat_msgs = true;
         }
 
+        if (const char *timestamps = strstr(optarg, "timestamps")) {
+                if (timestamps > optarg) {
+                        *show_timestamps = timestamps[-1] == '+' ? 1 : 0;
+                }
+        }
+
         if (getenv("ULTRAGRID_VERBOSE") != nullptr) {
                 log_level = LOG_LEVEL_VERBOSE;
         }
@@ -263,9 +271,13 @@ bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs) {
         return false;
 }
 
-void Logger::preinit(bool skip_repeated)
+/**
+ * @param show_timestamps 0 - no; 1 - yes; -1 auto
+ */
+void Logger::preinit(bool skip_repeated, int show_timestamps)
 {
         Logger::skip_repeated = skip_repeated;
+        Logger::show_timestamps = show_timestamps;
         if (rang::rang_implementation::supportsColor()
                         && rang::rang_implementation::isTerminal(std::cout.rdbuf())
                         && rang::rang_implementation::isTerminal(std::cerr.rdbuf())) {
@@ -283,4 +295,5 @@ void Logger::preinit(bool skip_repeated)
 
 std::atomic<Logger::last_message *> Logger::last_msg{};
 std::atomic<bool> Logger::skip_repeated{true};
+int Logger::show_timestamps = -1;
 
diff --git a/src/debug.h b/src/debug.h
index 829fd6108..1a15bf3a7 100644
--- a/src/debug.h
+++ b/src/debug.h
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ void debug_dump(void*lp, int len);
 void log_msg(int log_level, const char *format, ...) ATTRIBUTE(format (printf, 2, 3));
 void log_perror(int log_level, const char *msg);
 
-bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs);
+bool set_log_level(const char *optarg, bool *logger_repeat_msgs, int *show_timestamps);
 
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ class keyboard_control; // friend
 class Logger
 {
 public:
-        static void preinit(bool skip_repeated);
+        static void preinit(bool skip_repeated, int show_timetamps);
         inline Logger(int l) : level(l) {}
         inline ~Logger() {
                 rang::fg color = rang::fg::reset;
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ public:
                 }
 
                 std::ostringstream timestamp;
-                if (log_level >= LOG_LEVEL_VERBOSE) {
+                if (show_timestamps == 1 || (show_timestamps == -1 && log_level >= LOG_LEVEL_VERBOSE)) {
                         auto time_ms = time_since_epoch_in_ms();
                         timestamp << "[" << std::fixed << std::setprecision(3) << time_ms / 1000.0  << "] ";
                 }
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ private:
         std::ostringstream oss;
 
         static std::atomic<bool> skip_repeated;
+        static int show_timestamps;
         struct last_message {
                 std::string msg;
                 int count{0};
diff --git a/src/host.cpp b/src/host.cpp
index db264a8a5..5ae7fbc94 100644
--- a/src/host.cpp
+++ b/src/host.cpp
@@ -207,15 +207,16 @@ struct init_data *common_preinit(int argc, char *argv[], const char *log_opt)
 {
         struct init_data *init;
         bool logger_repeat_msgs = false;
+        int show_timestamps = -1;
 
         uv_argc = argc;
         uv_argv = argv;
 
-        if (log_opt != nullptr && !set_log_level(log_opt, &logger_repeat_msgs)) {
+        if (log_opt != nullptr && !set_log_level(log_opt, &logger_repeat_msgs, &show_timestamps)) {
                 return nullptr;
         }
 
-        Logger::preinit(!logger_repeat_msgs);
+        Logger::preinit(!logger_repeat_msgs, show_timestamps);
 
 #ifdef HAVE_X
         void *handle = dlopen(X11_LIB_NAME, RTLD_NOW);