Left 4 Dead 2 Console Commands for PC

PC Turn on the developer console, press ~, type sv_cheats 1, then type a command and press Enter.

Filter cheats

God mode and health

Cheat	Command	Effect
God mode	PC`god 1`	Makes you and your team invincible; enter it again with a 0 to turn off
Buddha mode	PC`buddha 1`	You take damage but can't die; enter it again with a 0 to turn off
Restore health	PC`give health`	Fully restores your health
Give pain pills	PC`give pain_pills`	Adds a bottle of pain pills to your inventory
Enable cheats	PC`sv_cheats 1`	Allows cheat commands on your current map or server
First aid kit	PC`give first_aid_kit`	Gives you a first aid kit
Defibrillator	PC`give defibrilator`	Gives you a defibrillator
Adrenaline	PC`give adrenaline`	Gives you an adrenaline shot
Kill yourself	PC`kill`	Sets your health to 0

Weapons and ammo

Cheat	Command	Effect
Infinite ammo	PC`sv_infinite_ammo 1`	Removes the need to reload
Refill ammo	PC`give ammo`	Refills the ammo for the weapon you're holding
Give molotov	PC`give molotov`	Adds a molotov cocktail to your inventory
Give pipe bomb	PC`give pipe_bomb`	Adds a pipe bomb to your inventory
Infinite primary ammo	PC`sv_infinite_primary_ammo 1`	Unlimited ammo for your primary weapon only
AK-47	PC`give rifle_ak47`	Gives you an AK-47
M60	PC`give rifle_m60`	Gives you an M60
Automatic shotgun	PC`give autoshotgun`	Gives you the automatic shotgun
AWP	PC`give sniper_awp`	Gives you the AWP sniper rifle
Grenade launcher	PC`give weapon_grenade_launcher`	Gives you the grenade launcher
Chainsaw	PC`give chainsaw`	Gives you a chainsaw
Katana	PC`give katana`	Gives you a katana
Boomer Bile	PC`give vomitjar`	Gives you a bile jar

Movement

Cheat	Command	Effect
Noclip	PC`noclip`	Fly and pass through walls, floors and enemies

Zombies and director

Cheat	Command	Effect
Stop all spawns	PC`director_stop`	Stops wanderers, mobs, specials and bosses from spawning
Restart spawns	PC`director_start`	Turns spawning back on after director_stop
No mob rushes	PC`director_no_mobs 1`	Turns off mob rushes
Force a panic event	PC`director_force_panic_event`	Starts a panic event right away
Endless panic	PC`director_panic_forever 1`	Panic never ends until you set it back to 0
Freeze bots	PC`nb_stop 1`	Freezes all bots; set it to 0 to unfreeze

Maps and teleporting

Cheat	Command	Effect
Load a map	PC`map c1m1_hotel`	Loads a map by its map code, e.g. Dead Center Hotel
Survivors to you	PC`warp_all_survivors_here`	Teleports all survivors to where you are
Survivors to checkpoint	PC`warp_all_survivors_to_checkpoint`	Teleports all survivors to the current checkpoint
Back to start	PC`warp_to_start_area`	Teleports you to the start of the current map
Take control of a survivor	PC`sb_takecontrol`	Switches you to the survivor under or nearest your crosshair

Camera and world

Cheat	Command	Effect
Slow motion	PC`host_timescale 0.5`	Runs the game at half speed; 2 runs it twice as fast
Full brightness	PC`mat_fullbright 1`	Lights every area of the map at full brightness
Third person	PC`thirdperson`	Switches to the third-person camera
Over-the-shoulder view	PC`thirdpersonshoulder`	Switches to an over-the-shoulder third-person camera
First person	PC`firstperson`	Switches back to the first-person camera

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How to enter cheats in Left 4 Dead 2

PC

Load an offline campaign or versus-with-bots game.
Turn on Allow Developer Console in Options Keyboard/Mouse.
Press ~ to open the console, type sv_cheats 1 and press Enter.
Type the command and press Enter.

How to enable developer mode in Left 4 Dead 2

Go to Options > Keyboard/Mouse and set Allow Developer Console to Enabled.
From the main menu, press the ` or ~ key to open the console.
Type map followed by a map code, for example map c1m1_hotel, to start your own local game.
Type sv_cheats 1 and press Enter, then enter the commands.

Commands.gg: Left 4 Dead 2 cheats, complete list and guide for PC

Can you use these cheats in multiplayer?

Only in a game you host yourself. The game asks you to start your own listen server with the map command before it accepts sv_cheats 1, and TheGamer says god mode and noclip are treated as cheats on many public servers and can get you banned. Use them in a local campaign or a versus game with bots. TheGamer: 10 Left 4 Dead 2 Console Commands

Compatibility notes

Which releases these codes apply to, and where one behaves differently. Each note links to the source that documents it.

Public and community servers TheGamer says god and noclip count as cheats on many servers and can get you banned there, if the server lets you switch them on at all. TheGamer: 10 Left 4 Dead 2 Console Commands
Starting a game for cheats A Steam Community thread quotes the game's own message: start your own listen server from the main menu with map and a map name before sv_cheats 1 is accepted. Steam Community: Left 4 Dead 2 thread on "start listen server to enable cheats"
After joining a server A Steam Community thread reports that once you have played on any server, sv_cheats cannot be set to 1 again until you restart the game. Steam Community: Left 4 Dead 2 thread on sv_cheats after joining a server
Commands without sv_cheats Commands.gg tags which commands need sv_cheats 1. God, buddha, infinite ammo and director_panic_forever and host_timescale carry the tag; give, noclip, director_stop and the warp commands do not. Commands.gg: Left 4 Dead 2 cheats, complete list and guide for PC

FAQ

How do you open the console in Left 4 Dead 2?

Turn on Allow Developer Console in Options Keyboard/Mouse, then press the tilde (~) key during a game.

Is there a god mode command in Left 4 Dead 2?

Yes. Type sv_cheats 1 then god 1 to make you and your team invincible; enter god 0 to turn it off.

Do Left 4 Dead 2 console commands disable achievements?

Yes. Turning on sv_cheats 1 disables achievements for that session.

Do the console commands work online?

No. sv_cheats 1 only works offline, in single-player campaigns or versus games with bots.

Is there an infinite ammo command in Left 4 Dead 2?

Yes. sv_infinite_ammo 1 removes the need to reload.

Part of

References: TheGamer: 10 Left 4 Dead 2 Console Commands; Commands.gg: Left 4 Dead 2 cheats, complete list and guide for PC; Steam Community: Left 4 Dead 2 thread on sv_cheats after joining a server; Steam Community: Left 4 Dead 2 thread on "start listen server to enable cheats".