Console commands

The console is a feature of many games that can be used to change certain elements of a game. In Left 4 Dead and ''Left 4 Dead 2, it can be activated in the Options menu (go to "Keyboard/Mouse", then Enable the "Allow Developer Console" option) and then displayed by pressing the tilde (~) key in game (you don't need to press "Shift"). Valve features a quick-type feature in their consoles that allow rapid entry of commands.

Note that the key used to access the (blank) console may be different on non-US keyboard layouts, for example a standard UK keyboard layout uses the ` key (left of the 1 key).

'sv_cheats'
The 'sv_cheats' is a prerequisite command to many of the game-altering commands found in Left 4 Dead. By setting sv_cheats to 1, most commands are then recognized by the game. It is with 'sv_cheats 1' that most of the exploits were found by users in the demo during its pre-order era.

Setting 'sv_cheats' to 1 disables the ability to earn achievements. This counts towards counters, as well, so any Infected killed with cheats enabled will not count towards Zombie Genocidest or any similar achievement. However, when you turn it off, achievements are still disabled. Only restarting the game will allow achievements. Achievements can still be earned though an online game as long as the cheats were never enabled on that server.

Unfortunately, Valve has disabled the ability to enable 'sv_cheats 1' in Left 4 Dead 2's official campaigns. To enable 'sv_cheats' in Left 4 Dead 2, one will either load customs maps using the command 'map X' with 'X' being the name of the map, or use the same map command to load the official maps as if they were custom ones. Sadly, achievements are still unobtainable with 'sv_cheats'.

Annotated list of commands
Knowing all the commands isn't quite as good as knowing what they do. The following will describe what each command does and its default value.

Important things to know about your cheat console:
 * Some commands require you to be the game host (such as setting  to 1).
 * It is assumed that you have  set for the commands described in this section.
 * If you turn on cheats then turn them off, many settings get discarded!
 * The console can auto-complete commands, never type more than you need to, just type a few letters then hit the up/down arrows.
 * Commands can be chained. Example:  will toggle cheats on/off and drops a can of whoop ass where you are pointing.
 * You can store your commands in a " " file you create in a text editor like "Notepad" (personally I recommend Notepad++) and put it in . It will get executed when your server runs. You can also execute a particular config file, e.g., " ", by using " " in the console.

God mode
God 1

Spawn Infected
These commands can be used to drop (spawn) in additional enemies.

z_spawn tank z_spawn witch z_spawn boomer z_spawn smoker z_spawn hunter z_spawn common also z_spawn (Unknown) e.g. z_spawn aj will spawn one infected z_spawn mob (NOTE: these "mobs" last a lot longer than the usual horde)

To remove (unspawn) special, use the  command: kick tank kick witch kick boomer kick smoker kick hunter

To bind multiple kicks to a key, it is safer to use the  command in between the kick commands.

i.e.

bind "K" "kick tank;wait;kick witch;wait;kick boomer;wait;kick smoker;wait;kick hunter"

Spawning more than one of the same special infected causes their names to go into a numbered list starting with no number. Example Hunter (1)Hunter (2)Hunter (3)Hunter

so when you try to kick a hunter and it doesn't work, then there maybe be more than one hunter on the map.

Guns R' Us
Press: " in the console, and then the item names will appear.

give autoshotgun give hunting_rifle give health give rifle give pistol give smg give shotgun give pain_pills give first_aid_kit give pipe_bomb give molotov give propane_tank give gascan

Drops
Need to drop a pipe bomb or molotov instantly, damn the consequences? This will throw an armed pipebomb or molotov at your feet. You might want to be running when you try these.

fire // will drop a molotov in the center of the character lighting you on fire boom // will drop a pipebomb in the center of the character ready to explode

How many zombies would you like, sir?
By default, the game limits how many zombies are drawn at any given time. You can bypass this limit to get truly outrageous numbers of zombies and also make you crash.

z_common_limit 30

Now how can we get the director to give us more mobs of zombies at random times? z_mob_spawn_min_interval_expert 90 z_mob_spawn_max_interval_expert 180 z_mob_spawn_min_size 10 z_mob_spawn_max_size 30

Still not hard enough... perhaps you need a MEGA MOB! z_mega_mob_spawn_min_interval 420 z_mega_mob_spawn_max_interval 900 z_mega_mob_size 50

All good and fine, but what about those spaced out zombies that are just standing still waiting for you to shoot them? Would it not be more awesome if they were always moving and instantly targeted you?

z_must_wander 0 z_acquire_far_range 2500 z_acquire_far_time 5 z_acquire_near_range 200 z_acquire_near_time 0.5

Okay, if you got this far, you're going to need more boss zombies. This controls time in seconds between boss spawns and the max number of bosses that can be spawned at any given time:

z_special_spawn_interval 45 z_exploding_limit 1 z_gas_limit 1 z_hunter_limit 1 z_minion_limit 3 // This limits the number of 1 type of special infected allowed at one time, In certain cases you would get 3 hunters this will make sure you do not get 4 so in                   places like Versus you will not be overrun by smokers / hunters / boomers.

That's still not enough zombies? Well then, time to panic (AKA: mega mob on demand)!

director_force_panic_event

Oh no, you're still alive? Okay try this:

director_panic_forever 1

But if you like beating the crap out of every single one, try this:

STEP 1: z_common_limit 400

z_special_spawn_interval 45 z_exploding_limit 1 z_gas_limit 1 z_hunter_limit 1 z_minion_limit 9 z_spawn mob z_spawn tank    (you will be overrun with lots of infected if you try this)

No more rescues
Don't like the fact that dead isn't dead? Fix it! The variable " " controls how far your teammates must get beyond your dead corpse before you can be rescued. Set to 1 light-year to preclude that ever happening. The second variable, " ", controls how many seconds must elapse after death before you come up for reincarnation. Set to a few centuries (that would be 6294240000 seconds) to preclude that possibility.

rescue_distance 4500 rescue_min_dead_time 60

Bite me
What if infected could kill you with one bite?

hunter_pz_claw_dmg 10 z_pounce_damage 5 // There's a delay of 1 second where a teammate can knock it off and you don't take this damage tongue_choke_damage_amount 10 z_hit_from_behind_factor 0.5 // If a zombie hits you in the back, multiplies the damage done z_witch_damage 100

Environmental and unknown damage modifiers:

inferno_damage 40 // Damage per second when getting flamed survivor_extra_damage_ammo_factor 1.25 // Appears to multiply the overall amount of                                           friendly fire damage. At zero it does no                                          damage even on expert though a decimal with many places will still do a good chunk with the auto shotgun. Does not appear to change damage on infected at all. TODO: test this more z_gun_damage 10 // Melee damage done to doors, boxes, and the like, but not infected

Walk or sprint?
Don't like the fact that you have a walk key instead of a sprint key? Set this variable to something ludicrous like 5,000...

survivor_walk_speed 85 // For reference base movement speed is 210 and base zombie speed is 250

Still not fast enough? Use the following to get in and out of the action at faster than light speeds. REQUIRED: you must be game host

warp_all_survivors_here  // Warp all survivors to the player's cursor warp_all_survivors_to_battlefield // Warp all Survivors to the battlefield warp_all_survivors_to_checkpoint // Warp all Survivors to the exit checkpoint warp_all_survivors_to_finale // Warp all Survivors to the finale radio warp_far_survivor_here // Teleport the farthest away Survivor to your cursor position warp_to_start_area // Warp yourself to a survivor spawn area

Versus Mode for the Man With No Friends
Well, maybe "no friends" is a bit drastic, but this will help you when you NEED some versus and have no one to play with.

sv_cheats 1 sb_all_bot_team 1 sb_unstick 0 (stops bots teleporting) vs_max_team_switches 99 chooseteam (or use "M" or whatever key you have assigned to team change) mp_gamemode versus

Do note that the computer A.I. players will walk through the stage well enough, but may get hung up when it comes to pushing certain buttons or leaving certain areas. Simply switch teams again, accomplish the goal, and switch back. Do take note that the map that you are playing is still a coop map and may end prematurely once both teams have played through. To avoid this, vote for a change in campaigns to load the Versus version of the maps.

NOTE:This cheat has been patched. In order to do this, you must enter "sv_cheats 1; mp_gamemode versus". You must then finish the level and you will switch teams afterwards. If you want the AI to play with you, enter "mp_gamemode coop". The AI will then spawn other infected to play with you. They won't make the best decisions, and you will likely be the only one killing anyone. You can also play survival mode by entering "mp_gamemode survival". You cannot use this method for Left 4 Dead 2, as mp_gamemode is not recognized by the computer. You must enter "map mapname versus". For example, to play Versus Mode on The Hotel, you must enter "map c1m1_hotel versus". This will allow you to play Versus for the entire campaign. The switchteams command is also not recognized, so you can only switch once per map. Often times, you will spawn in on the second or third map as the wrong team, so you can still switch. Sometimes, you will even spawn in as a Spectator. You will have all AI teammates, unlike the first Left 4 Dead where playing Versus by yourself meant by yourself.

NOTE: The AI survivors won't leave the Safe Room unless you enter "sb_all_bot_team 1". They will move through the level very fast, but they won't sit in the Safe Room for hours.

Survival mode for the person with no friends
Playing survival mode on single player is simple enough, it doesn't even require cheats. mp_gamemode survival changemap (map) the change map is required else you will have an empty coop map.

Bile/Rock Target Practice
Lets face it; you know it, your parents know it, your dog knows it: Puking and throwing is hard as hell to master. These are a few simple commands you can use 5 minutes a day 3 times a week that will make you a sexy puking/throwing master, you know, just like those workout ads.

Basic sv_cheats 1 (You'll need this for all the commands) map l4d_airport03_garage versus (This level provides an extremly good practice environement, but you should try other maps too) sb_all_bot team 1 (Without this the game will shut down because there aren't players on the other team) sb_stop 1 (Without this the survivors will get in the way of your game, best to put this cheat in before sb_all_bot_team 1) Rock throw practice z_spawn tank z_tank_rock_debug 1 (Creates a small cube where your rock hits, helps get an idea of where your throws land) z_tank_throw_interval 1 (Makes the delay between throws non-existant. just dont get used to throwing rocks like uzi) z_spawn boomer (These provide excellent target practice) Bile practice z_spawn boomer z_vomit_debug 1 (Similar to z_tank_rock_debug 1, only it creates lines to show where the puke hitboxes travel. In other words, shows where you barf) z_vomit_interval 1 (What progress do you expect to make only puking every half-minute? Now you can do it every second. Again, don't get used to puking like an uzi)

Pitch Black Mode
Disable the white background fog, to play the game without the unrealistic lighting effect. This was the original way the game was designed per the dev team: "Left 4 Dead takes place in a variety of dimly lit nighttime environments. Because of this, playtesters weren't able to see zombie silhouettes in the midground and background. Because of this, they were repeatedly getting mobbed. While sudden zombie attacks were unarguably scary, they were also frustrating—players weren't being given the information they needed to react. They wanted that "Here they come!" moment, and we weren't giving it to them. The solution? Light-colored fog. While not as realistic-looking as actual fog in some settings, it meant playtesters could see attackers in the distance. Once they were able to anticipate attacks, playtesters started to have a much better time."

sv_cheats 1 fog_override 1 fog_enable 0

Change Player Name
This allows a player to change their game name from their steam name

setinfo name (thename)

This allows the name change to be bound to a key as well. Additionally this is temporary and only lasts on the game you are on is finished or you leave.

God Mode
After enabling cheats, God Mode can be set by entering " ". It can be turned off by entering " " into the console. Once set to " " God Mode allows your player to take no damage from infected, falling, etc..

Kill
Do you want to end your cruel life? Just type " " in the console and you will die instantly. Is there a player that's being a pain in the ass? Then type " ". But it has to match the player's/NPC's name's case; so, to kill Bill, type " ". A side note is that you do not need to type the whole name; to kill Louis, for instance, you can simply type " " and your work is done. This won't work if someone else has L at the beginning of their name, so just keep going until the name string is unique.

Explode
Maybe simple kill damage isn't enough. How about making it look like you just exploded? This works just like " " but instead, type " " and watch him fly far away and die!

Respawn
Type " " if you want to live again.

Additionally you can type "respawn_all" to ressurect bots and other dead players.

Third-person
Tired of first person view? Want to get a better look on that scratch on the back of Bill's shirt? Or maybe you just like staring at Zoey. Type in " " or if you like it like Gears of War/Resident Evil/Mass Effect type in " " to get a view from your shoulder.

firstperson thirdperson thirdpersonshoulder

Ignite your self
The command "burn" is not a very useful command. It only gives you the fire decal on your screen and the ability to light movables by just jumping on them. Best used in combo with a hunter as it gives you the extra damage. This command does no damage.

People Start Talking
Want to say something right away? Type " " to have your player say something. Most people have fun playing as Zoey and typing " " Nearly all of the commands for this command start with " " An update on Feburary 19th 2010 has disabled this command for Left 4 Dead 2.

Items
To visually see all items that spawned, and that could possible spawn in the map, use

director_debug_scavange_items 1

General AI status
To see the general status of the AI Manager (Director), use:

director_debug 1

Left 4 Dead 2 Commands
Most commands from Left 4 Dead work in Left 4 Dead 2, but some have been removed: team_desired If you use the command z_spawn mob in Left 4 Dead 2, some of the Uncommon Infected that appear in that level will be mixed in with the regular Common Infected. The new weapons in Left 4 Dead 2 can be acquired using the following commands.

Weapons As all of the original Left 4 Dead weapons appear in Left 4 Dead 2, you can spawn all of them (except for the pistol from Left 4 Dead)

NOTE: Some melee weapons can only be spawned in certain campaigns. For instance, the crowbar cannot be spawned in "Swamp Fever" unless you edit the text files in your games directory to be able to do so. give weapon_grenade_launcher // some people may have to rely on ent_create weapon_grenade_launcher give rifle_desert (Gives the Combat Rifle) give rifle_ak47 give pistol_magnum give shotgun_chrome give shotgun_spas give sniper_military give smg_silenced give vomitjar (Bile bomb) give defibrillator give electric_guitar give machete give frying_pan give katana give rifle_m60

You can also use the console to give your weapon any of the three upgrades in Left 4 Dead 2. upgrade_add LASER_SIGHT upgrade_add explosive_ammo upgrade_add INCENDIARY_AMMO

The explosive ammo can be modified with the following commands. Setting one of the force commands too high will result in the game crashing. upgrade_explosive_bullet_force (explosive force for all weapons other than shotguns) upgrade_explosive_slug_force (explosive force for shotguns) upgrade_show_explosive_ammo_radius (changing to 1 causes a sphere to be shown whenever and explosive shot is fired, depicting it's effective area)

The special infected new to Left 4 Dead 2 can also be spawned z_spawn spitter z_spawn jockey z_spawn charger

Complete list of commands
See: Complete list of console commands

Also don't forget "bind" use this to make madness such as: bind "g" "z_spawn tank" With this, every time you press "G," you will spawn a tank.