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, our guide can be found here.
- Using launch options you can enable borderless fullscreen windowed.
- 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 add launch parameters:
- Right click Left 4 Dead within Steam and select Properties
- Select Set Launch Options
- Add your launch parameters and click OK
- Close the properties window and launch the game with the specified launch parameters.
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 |
Skips the Valve logos and cinematic 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
Split-screen without bezels
- L4D split-screen mode was meant to be played on a single 16:9 screen only. If you have a different setup then, the image could not entirely fit the monitor(s).
Input 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
Multiplayer types
Type |
Native |
Players |
Notes |
LAN play |
| 8 |
See LAN play below for more information. "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.
Local split-screen co-op
- 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.
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:
Useful split-screen commands
Since split-screen mode in Left 4 Dead isn't officially supported, there are multiple important settings which aren't immediately available.
Command |
Description |
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connect_splitscreen localhost 2 |
Add the second player to the game
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map <map-name> gamemode |
Play that map in the selected game mode
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ss_splitmode [1/2] |
Toggle horizontal and vertical screen split
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setinfo "Max" |
Change player 1 name
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name2 "Tony" |
Change player 2 name
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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.
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) |
Nvidia GeForce 6600 ATI Radeon 9600 128 MB of VRAM
| Nvidia GeForce 7600 ATI Radeon X1600 |
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) |
Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT ATI Radeon HD 2400 Intel HD Graphics 3000 |
Notes
- ↑ Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
References