Left 4 Dead 2

Template:Infobox game/row/linporter

Left 4 Dead 2

Cover image missing, please upload it
Developers
	Valve Corporation
Engines
	Source
Release dates
Windows	November 19, 2009
macOS (OS X)	October 5, 2010
Linux	May 3, 2013

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.

Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead	2008
Left 4 Dead 2	2009

Key points

A hack enabling split-screen co-op is available; see Local co-op.

Extensive modding community, including Steam Workshop integration.

Runs on low-end hardware.

Censored in some countries, see Low Violence/Censored Versions to override.

General information

Official Left 4 Dead Blog

Unofficial Left 4 Dead Wiki

GitHub Issue Tracker for Left 4 Dead 2 and other Source-based games

Steam Community Discussions

Steam Users' Forums

Steam Workshop for Left 4 Dead 2

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Green Man Gaming
Steam

All versions require Steam.

Version differences

Content is censored in some countries. For Australia, install the Left 4 Dead 2 - Uncensored DLC; for Germany and other regions see Low Violence/Censored Versions.

Essential improvements

Launch parameters

To learn how to add launch parameters, see Launch options.

Useful launch parameters

Parameter	Description
-w X -h Y	Sets screen resolution (or window resolution if using -window). Example: -w 1920 -h 1080.
-refresh X	Sets your screen refresh-rate (Hz). Example: -refresh 60.
-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.
-novid	Skip intro videos
-autoconfig	Restores video and performance settings to default for the current hardware detected. Ignores settings inside any .cfg files until this parameter is removed.
+mat_motion_blur_percent_of_screen_max 0	Removes motion blur.

Low Violence/Censored Versions

Due to censorship laws in countries such as Australia and Germany, versions of the game sold in these regions have no dismemberment, blood spatter, corpses, burning and more.

For Australia, install the Left 4 Dead 2 - Uncensored DLC; for Germany and other regions, follow the steps below.

Instructions

Instructions

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

Template:Game data/rowTemplate:Game data/rowTemplate:Game data/row

System	Location
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/550/pfx/

Steam Cloud settings are stored in <Steam-folder>/userdata/<user-id>/550/remote/.

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

In-game video settings.

Split-screen without bezels

L4D2 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).

L4D2's file which is going to be edited is packed. Minimal hex editing knowledge is required.

Instructions

Input settings

In-game control settings.

In-game key map settings.

Mouse+Keyboard in split-screen

When you connect only a controller, this is automatically assigned to the first player

Instructions

Audio settings

In-game audio settings.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
French
German
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Norwegian
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish

Network

In-game multiplayer settings.

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play		2	Co-op See Local play.
LAN play		8	Co-op, Versus Co-op (4 players) or "Versus" mode (up to 4v4 Survivors vs. Infected).
Online play		8	Co-op, Versus Co-op (4 players) or "Versus" mode (up to 4v4 Survivors vs. Infected).

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP		Use connect [IP address here] in the console. Server must have set sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0

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.

Local play

"SFKTeam - Kaotic" created an UI mod which should simplify even more these steps

A list of useful console commands is available below

Instructions

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
iZ3D

Headsets
SteamVR		This game might be playable with the Revive Compatibility Layer (compatibility list).
Oculus VR (LibOVR)		See Left 4 Dead 2 in the Rift with Hud Addon.
Windows Mixed Reality		This game might be playable with the Revive Compatibility Layer.

Devices
Tracked motion controllers
Traditional controller
Keyboard/Mouse

Issues fixed

Purple and black broken textures

A generic fix for this issue can be found on our Source engine page.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9
OpenGL	2.1	OS X and Linux only.
Shader Model support	2, 3

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok	Heavily modified variant.
Audio	Miles Sound System
Cutscenes	Bink Video
Multiplayer	Steamworks

Console commands

Games running on the Source engine can utilize Source Engine Console Commands for various tasks.

Instructions

You can also have the console open by default on launch by following this guide:

Instructions

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 ;

When done save the file as filename.cfg in <path-to-game>\left4dead2\cfg\. To run the cfg file, open the console during the game and type in exec filename.cfg If you want the CFG file to run automatically, name it autoexec.cfg

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.

Instructions

Third person support

The game in third person.

Input these 5 commands in the console.

c_thirdpersonshoulderaimdist 360
c_thirdpersonshoulderdist 90
c_thirdpersonshoulderheight 0
c_thirdpersonshoulderoffset 20
bind "F10" "thirdpersonshoulder"

Alternate third person which places the player in the center under the crosshair and raises the camera higher.

c_thirdpersonshoulderaimdist 1000
c_thirdpersonshoulderdist 115
c_thirdpersonshoulderheight 15
c_thirdpersonshoulderoffset 0

Pressing F10 will toggle between first and third person. You will have a greater FOV.

Some warnings:

• Some cutscene intros will be angled incorrectly.
• You will see a weird inaccurate weapon shadow.
• The crosshair will be slightly off-center. You can mess around with the "cam_idealyaw" function to correct this. This isn't usually a hindrance anyway.
• Flashlight glows may be seen at your character's back.
• When survivors heal you, their animations will look glitchy.
• The camera may occasionally see through walls and objects.
• The shotgun will sound very quiet.
• The motion blur for the fire axe and possibly other melee weapons may look ridiculous. Here's a mod to remove melee motion blur.
• Switching between first and third person in-game may cause the HUD to disappear.
• Dying and entering new areas may revert it to first person.

Useful split-screen commands

Since Split-screen mode in Left 4 Dead 2 isn't officially supported, there are multiple important key settings which aren't immediately available.

Command	Description
connect_splitscreen localhost [ip-address] 2	Connect to a LAN or Internet server. Direct connections must be allowed
[cmd/cmd2] jointeam (2/3)	Assign selected player (cmd) to either survivor or infected team
ss_map <map-name> [realism/survival/versus/mutation#	Play the selected map in the desired mode
ss_splitmode (0/1/2)	Toggle horizontal and vertical screen split (0 is auto selection)
z_difficulty (Easy/Normal/Hard/Impossible)	Change game difficulty
setinfo name Max	Change player 1 name
name2 Tony	Change player 2 name

Notable mods

The game has a massive variety of mods, however what may be "better" is subjective to personal preference (so "Shrek Tank" won't be listed here, for example). These mods help improve the base game, though use them as your discretion.

Graphics

• Informal Skyboxes
• HD Blood textures (Alternative is Paintball)
• Enhanced Graphic Mod HD - HD texture pack.
• Realistic Flashlight - Makes the default flashlight cleaner.

UI

• Team Health Counter - Adds numbered HP above the health bar for teammates.
• Urik Color Icons - Adds color to the black-and-white icons.
• Eranthis' Healthbars - "Custom hand drawn health bars & progress bars with subtle animations." A more colourful & stylized alternative to the default healthbars.
• Eranthis' Healthbars (Without Incap' Images) - Same as above, with the incapacitated images removed due to reported conflicts with existing mods.
• Eranthis' Side HUD - "Custom colored weapon and item icons for the right UI as well as hand drawn hint interface." A more colourful & stylized alternative to the default blank white icons.
• Eranthis' Tip Graphics - "Five custom hand drawn tip images along with minitip pictures, red splatters, custom loading scroller [made by urik] and animated clock. Also comes with a versus infected picture. Does not come with versus images". A more colourful & stylized alternative to existing Tip graphics.
• Eranthis' Healthbar Icons - "Hand painted healthbar icons for each survivor." A more colourful & stylized alternative to the default black & white character icons.
• Eranthis' Lobby Graphics 2 - "Custom painted UI for lobby character selection." A stylized alternative to the default character icons, which also includes support for the Left 4 Dead Beta Survivors character models

Audio

• Resident Evil Weapon Sounds (low mid) - Lowers the volume of gunshot sounds because constantly hearing loud gunshots can be annoying.
• Shut Up Survivors - Mutes quotes/callouts heard when a player/bot is isolated, mostly to benefit playing the Lone Survivor Mutation mode. Important quotes are left intact.

Gameplay

• Disable blue ghost vision - Disables the weird blue ghost vision in Versus
• Improved Bots (Simple) - Improves the AI for friendly bots. The Advanced version offers additional features such as player-given commands, but will disable achievements, requires console input to work with community maps & campaigns and is only recommended for single-player

First-Person Animations or Viewmodel Animations

The following are recommended based on their high suitability for various viewmodel FOV values from the default 54° to 90°. Although considered an improvement both in animation quality & higher viewmodel FOV compatibility from the default, there are various viewmodel reanimations by various animators whose different styles will suit different people.

Most of these are not made available in the Steam Workshop by the original author(s).

• Arby26's Default Pistols Animations Mod - A viewmodel reanimation for both single-wielded & dual-wielded Pistols by Arby26 (Only available via GameMaps)
• Default Desert Eagle Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the Magnum/Desert Eagle by Arby26 & IRIS (Only available via the Steam Workshop).
• Arby26's Default Pump-Action Shotguns Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation for both Pump-Action Shotguns by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana)
• Arby26's Default SMGs Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the UZI & Suppressed Mac-10 SMGs by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).
• Arby26's Default Hunting Rifle Reanimated (v1) - A viewmodel reanimation of the M14/Hunting Rifle by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).
• Arby26's Default Hunting Rifle Reanimated (v2) - A newer viewmodel reanimation of the M14/Hunting Rifle by Arby26 (Only available via GameMaps).
• Arby26's Default Auto-Shotguns Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the M1014 & SPAS-12 Automatic Shotguns by Arby26 (Only available via GameMaps).
• Arby26's Default M16 Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the M16 by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).
• Arby26's Default AK-47 Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the AK-47 by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).
• Arby26's Default SCAR-L Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the SCAR-L Burst Rifle by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).
• Arby26's Default Military Sniper Rifle Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the G3/Military Sniper Rifle by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).
• Arby26's Default Grenade Launcher Reanimated - A viewmodel reanimation of the Grenade Launcher by Arby26 (Available via GameMaps & GameBanana).

Chat with controller

If you play using a controller and want to use the chat (Y) online, you must open the 360controller.cfg file and make it "//unbindall".

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Linux

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP	Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium IV 3.0 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo E4600
System memory (RAM)	1 GB (XP) 2 GB (Vista, 7)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	13 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATi Radeon X800 NVIDIA GeForce 6600 128 MB of VRAM	ATi Radeon X1600 NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.6.4
Processor (CPU)
System memory (RAM)
Hard disk drive (HDD)	13 GB
Video card (GPU)	ATi Radeon HD 2400 Pro NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT

Not supported: OS X 10.5.x (Leopard), ATI X1600 or X1900 graphics, NVIDIA GeForce 7 graphics or Intel graphics less than Intel HD 3000.