https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VESA_BIOS_Extensions#Linux_video_mode_numbers

Linux video mode numbers

The Linux kernel allows the user to select the VESA mode at boot time by passing a code in memory to the kernel. The LILO boot loader passes this code based on a "vga" parameter in its configuration file. It takes the form 'vga=XXX', where XXX is the decimal value, or 'vga=0xHHH', where HHH is the hexadecimal value. However, the 'vga=' boot loader parameter does not directly accept VESA video mode numbers; rather, the Linux video mode number is the VESA number plus 512 (in the case of the decimal representation) or plus 0x200 (in the case of the hexadecimal representation). For example, the defined VESA value of 257 (0x101), representing 640x480 and 256 colours, has an equivalent Linux video mode value of 769 (0x301).

See the kernel documentation in Documentation/svga.txt and Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt.

As indicated earlier, the VESA standard defines a limited set of modes; in particular, none above 1,280×1,024 are covered and, instead, their implementation is completely optional for graphics adapter manufacturers. As vendors are free to utilize whatever additional values they please, this means that, in the table below, the modes denoted in red (and expressed in decimal form) may not apply to your graphics adapter!