diff --git a/player/lua/console.lua b/player/lua/console.lua
index e5136c8928..b39f9dc370 100644
--- a/player/lua/console.lua
+++ b/player/lua/console.lua
@@ -167,9 +167,8 @@ function format_table(list, width_max, rows_max)
 
     -- use as many columns as possible
     for columns = 2, list_size do
-        local old_row_count = row_count
-        local rows_lower_bound = math.ceil(list_size / columns)
-        local rows_upper_bound = math.min(list_size, math.ceil(list_size / (columns - 1) - 1))
+        local rows_lower_bound = math.min(rows_max, math.ceil(list_size / columns))
+        local rows_upper_bound = math.min(rows_max, list_size, math.ceil(list_size / (columns - 1) - 1))
         for rows = rows_upper_bound, rows_lower_bound, -1 do
             cw = {}
             width_total = 0
@@ -200,7 +199,7 @@ function format_table(list, width_max, rows_max)
                 break
             end
         end
-        if row_count == old_row_count then
+        if width_total + (columns - 1) * spaces_min > width_max then
             break
         end
     end
@@ -210,8 +209,7 @@ function format_table(list, width_max, rows_max)
     local spacing = column_count > 1 and string.format('%' .. spaces .. 's', ' ') or ''
 
     local rows = {}
-    local rows_truncated = math.min(row_count, rows_max)
-    for row = 1, rows_truncated do
+    for row = 1, row_count do
         local columns = {}
         for column = 1, column_count do
             local i = row + (column - 1) * row_count
@@ -221,9 +219,9 @@ function format_table(list, width_max, rows_max)
             columns[column] = string.format(format_string, list[i])
         end
         -- first row is at the bottom
-        rows[rows_truncated - row + 1] = table.concat(columns, spacing)
+        rows[row_count - row + 1] = table.concat(columns, spacing)
     end
-    return table.concat(rows, '\n'), rows_truncated
+    return table.concat(rows, '\n'), row_count
 end
 
 local function print_to_terminal()