Warnings
- The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.
Key points
- Left 4 Dead 2 includes all Left 4 Dead campaigns, Left 4 Dead 2 will likely be the preferable game to purchase.
- A hack enabling split-screen co-op is available; see Local co-op.
- Runs on low-end hardware
General information
- Official Left 4 Dead Blog
- Unofficial Left 4 Dead Wiki
- Steam Community Discussions
- Steam Users' Forums
Availability
Template:Availability Table
- All versions require Steam.
Essential improvements
Launch parameters
To learn how to add launch parameters, see Launch options.
Useful launch parameters
Parameter |
Description
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-w X -h Y |
Sets screen resolution (or window resolution if using -window). Example: -w 1920 -h 1080 .
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-refresh X |
Sets your screen refresh-rate (Hz). Example: -refresh 60 .
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-noborder -window |
Launches the game in a borderless fullscreen window (i.e. very alt-tab friendly). This may result in a minor performance loss. If you experience stuttering, disable Windows Aero.
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-novid |
Skip intro videos
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-autoconfig |
Restores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System |
Native |
Notes |
Steam Cloud |
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Syncs save games and settings |
Video settings
Template:Video settings
- FoV when playing in splitscreen is easily customizable inside
<path-to-game>\left4dead\splitscreen_config.txt
- By default field of view cannot be changed. Only changeable option is viewmodel FOV.
Split-screen without bezels
- L4D split-screen mode was meant to be played on a single 4:3 or 16:9 screen. If you have a different setup then, the image could not entirely fit the monitor(s).
Input settings
In-game control settings.
In-game key map settings.
Template:Input settings
Mouse+Keyboard in split-screen
- When you connect only a controller, this is automatically assigned to the first player
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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Simplified Chinese |
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Traditional Chinese |
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Danish |
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Dutch |
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Finnish |
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French |
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German |
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Italian |
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Japanese |
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Korean |
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Norwegian |
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Polish |
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Portuguese |
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Russian |
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Spanish |
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Swedish |
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Network
In-game multiplayer settings.
Multiplayer types
Type |
Native |
Players |
Notes |
LAN play |
| 8 |
See LAN play. "Versus" mode. Up to 4v4 Survivors vs. Infected. |
Online play |
| 8 |
"Versus" mode. Up to 4v4 Survivors vs. Infected. |
Connection types
Ports
Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
TCP |
27014-27050 |
UDP |
4380, 27000-27030 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
LAN play
- You can play Left 4 Dead over a local area network (LAN) connection.
- A list of useful commands for split-screen is available below
Issues fixed
Purple and black broken textures
- A generic fix for this issue can be found on our Source engine page.
Can't unlock Lamb 2 Slaughter achievement
Other information
Console commands
- Games running on the Source engine can utilize Source Engine Console Commands for various tasks.[1]
- You can also have the console open by default on launch by following this guide:
Creating your own CFG (to run multiple console commands together)
A CFG is a file that contains a list of commands that when run will attempt to execute them all
Open up a text editor such as notepad and type in all the commands you want separating each with a ";" (remove quotes). When done save the file as filename.cfg in <path-to-game>\left4dead\cfg
. To run the cfg file, open the console during the game and type in "exec filename.cfg" (remove quotes).
If you want the CFG file to run automatically, name it as "autoexec.cfg"(remove quotes).
Launch options
- View this Steam Support Article regarding launch options as well as the relevant Valve Developer wiki page for further information and a list of useful Source engine launch options.
Useful split-screen commands
Since Split-screen mode in Left 4 Dead isn't officially supported, there are multiple important key settings which aren't immediately available.
Command |
Description |
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connect_splitscreen localhost [ip-address] 2 |
Join a LAN or Internet server in splitscreen mode.
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[cmd/cmd2] jointeam [2/3] |
Assign selected player (cmd) to either survivor or infected team
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mp_gamemode [coop/survival/versus] |
Change gamemode. If adjusted while in-game it's advised to changelevel
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ss_splitmode [0/1/2] |
Toggle horizontal and vertical screen split (0 is auto selection)
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z_difficulty [Easy/Normal/Hard/Impossible] |
Change game difficulty
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setinfo name Max |
Change player 1 name
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name2 Tony |
Change player 2 name
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System requirements
Windows |
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Minimum |
Recommended |
Operating system (OS) |
XP, Vista, 7 |
7 |
Processor (CPU) |
Pentium 4 3.0 GHz
| Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 |
System memory (RAM) |
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Hard disk drive (HDD) |
7.5 GB | |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon 9600 Nvidia GeForce 6600 128 MB of VRAM
| ATI Radeon X1600 Nvidia GeForce 7600 |
macOS (OS X) |
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Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
10.6.4 |
Processor (CPU) |
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz |
System memory (RAM) |
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Hard disk drive (HDD) |
7.5 GB |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon HD 2400 Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
Notes
- ↑ Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
References