--- title: "L4D2 Dedicated Server: Setup and Join Guide" url: https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/l4d2-dedicated-server/ lastmod: 2026-10-26 --- # L4D2 Dedicated Server: Setup, Joining Without a Lobby and Modes Run an L4D2 dedicated server: Valve's server, joining by address instead of a lobby, the opening chapter, Versus and other modes in your own cfg, and kicks and bans from the panel. By [Baurtock](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/author/baurtock/) Updated Oct 26, 2026 · 6 min read Read in[es](https://1up-servers.com/es/blog/servidor-dedicado-l4d2/)[en](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/l4d2-dedicated-server/)[pt-BR](https://1up-servers.com/pt-br/blog/servidor-dedicado-l4d2/)[de](https://1up-servers.com/de/blog/l4d2-dedicated-server/) **Your game server, free**Ready in 60 seconds, no card.[Create free server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/) An L4D2 dedicated server keeps your campaign off any player's PC, so nobody hosts on a weak upload and the run survives the host leaving. This guide covers Valve's Left 4 Dead 2 dedicated server, running it on our [Left 4 Dead 2 server hosting](https://1up-servers.com/en/left-4-dead-2/), how to join without a lobby, the game modes and how to moderate. - **What it is:** Valve's free Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated Server, Steam app 222860. - **Joining:** players connect by address from the developer console. We switch off lobby-only connections for you. - **Players:** 2 to 8. Four for a co-op campaign, eight for Versus. - **On 1up:** the server needs 1 GB of RAM. It runs on Free at ×1, so the hourglass does not speed up, and 24/7 from Casual. ## 1. Self-host or hosting? Left 4 Dead 2 normally sends your group through a lobby, which picks a Valve server or lets one player host. A dedicated server of your own fixes the address, the rules and the ping. - **Self-host:** install the server with SteamCMD (app 222860), start it with `-game left4dead2` and a map, and open UDP 27015 on your router. Add `sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0` to its `server.cfg`, or nobody will reach it by address. - **A hosted server:** the server runs in a data centre and you manage it from a web panel. ## 2. Create an L4D2 server on 1up 1. Create an account and press **Create server**. 2. Choose **Left 4 Dead 2**. It fits every plan, Free included: there your free time runs at the normal pace, with no hourglass multiplier. For a server that stays online 24/7, pick Casual or above. 3. Pick a region, London or Paris. The wizard measures your ping and suggests the nearest one. 4. Set the slots and the opening chapter. Optionally paste a Steam GSLT for app ID 550. 5. Create the server. The very first start downloads the game twice (Windows files, then the Linux ones) and takes longer than any later boot. 6. When it is online, the **Overview** shows the **IP** line with the address and port. **Shortcut: on 1up it takes three clicks** Your free server in 60 seconds. No card. [Create your Left 4 Dead 2 server](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/?game=l4d2) ## 3. The panel settings The **Game** tab sets five things; the panel shows a preview of the launch line and the `server.cfg` it writes. | Setting | What it sets | When it applies | | --- | --- | --- | | **Starting map** | `+map`, c1m1_hotel by default | Restart | | **Max players** | `+maxplayers`, 2 to 8, 4 by default | Restart | | **Server password** | `sv_password` | Restart | | **Server name** | `hostname` | At once | | **Steam GSLT token** | `+sv_setsteamaccount` | Restart | The token is optional: the server runs and accepts players by address without one. If you want one, create it on Steam's [game server account page](https://steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers) with app ID 550. Your account must own the game and have a registered phone, and each server needs its own token. The starting map is a map code. Each campaign is `cm`, as Valve's [list of L4D2 missions files](https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/List_of_L4D2_Missions_Files) shows. Some first chapters: | Campaign | First chapter | | --- | --- | | Dead Center | `c1m1_hotel` | | Dark Carnival | `c2m1_highway` | | The Parish | `c5m1_waterfront` | | No Mercy | `c8m1_apartment` | | The Last Stand | `c14m1_junkyard` | When the survivors reach the safe room, the server moves to the next chapter by itself. ## 4. Modes and your own cvars The server starts in co-op. Versus, Survival, Scavenge and Realism come from `mp_gamemode`, which you set in your own config file. We rewrite `left4dead2/cfg/server.cfg` at every start, so edits there are lost. Your lines go in `left4dead2/cfg/1up-owner.cfg`, a file we create empty once and never overwrite. Open it in the **Files** tab: ``` mp_gamemode versus ``` Restart, and load a map made for that mode. Use 8 slots for Versus: four survivors against four special infected. Unlike our other Source servers, Left 4 Dead 2 keeps its in-game votes. Every vote variable is locked behind cheats on this build, so we cannot switch them off for you. ## 5. How players connect There is no lobby step. Each player: 1. Enables the developer console in the game's keyboard options. 2. Opens it and types `connect` with the address and port from the **IP** line, for example `connect 203.0.113.10:31015`. 3. Types the password if you set one. Copy both numbers from the panel: our port is not 27015. If a friend gets a lobby error, they used the matchmaking menu instead of `connect`. ## 6. Moderating from the panel The **Console** tab sends the server's own commands: - `say` messages everyone, `kick` and `kickid` remove a player by name or by user ID with a reason. - `banid` bans a Steam ID for a number of minutes (0 for good); `removeid` lifts it. Bans are written to disk and loaded on every start. - `changelevel` jumps to another chapter or campaign; `status` lists who is connected. The **Players** tab shows each connected Steam profile with hours played and any VAC record, and the console's activity view counts kills, deaths and chat. ## 7. When nobody can get in - **"Lobby" or "matchmaking" errors:** the player used the game's lobby menu. Use `connect` with the address and the port. - **The first start looks frozen:** it is the download. Watch the **Console** until the first map loads; it fetches the Windows files once, then the Linux ones. - **The server stops after you edit your cfg:** a line in `1up-owner.cfg` broke it. Empty the file, restart, and read the console for the command the engine rejected. - **Wrong password:** a new password only applies after a restart. ## 8. Limits worth knowing - **No Workshop campaigns in the panel.** Custom campaigns are not installed for you; the `addons` folder is kept across restarts if you add files yourself. - **Slots follow the plan.** Casual has 6, so a full Versus game of 8 needs Starter (10) or above. For the RAM, the server idles at about 250 MB, so 1 GB leaves plenty of margin and 2 GB suits a busy Versus server. Disk is the real constraint: the install is about 9.4 GB. With prices from [our pricing page](https://1up-servers.com/en/pricing/), Free (€0) gives 4 slots and no backups, enough for a four-player co-op campaign; Casual (€3/month) gives 2 GB of RAM, 20 GB of disk, 6 slots, 1 backup and 24/7 uptime; Starter (€5/month) gives 4 GB, 20 GB and 10 slots. If your group also plays other classics, our guides to a [TF2 dedicated server](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/tf2-dedicated-server/) and a [Garry's Mod dedicated server](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/gmod-dedicated-server/) follow the same steps. For sandbox nights between campaigns, our [Garry's Mod server hosting](https://1up-servers.com/en/garrys-mod/) runs Facepunch's Source sandbox 24/7 from Casual. **Left 4 Dead 2 24/7 from Casual** Your own Left 4 Dead 2 server online around the clock on the Casual plan, €3.00 a month. [Left 4 Dead 2 24/7 from Casual](https://1up-servers.com/en/signup/?plan=casual&game=l4d2) Tested on Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated Server build 23990100, 2026-10-08: settings, files and commands checked against our image on 1up v0.282.4; plans re-checked on 1up v1.9.2, 2026-10-20. **Change log** - 2026-10-25: plan figures updated from the live plans list. - 2026-10-20: Left 4 Dead 2 is no longer in beta and runs on Free too (×1 on the hourglass); 24/7 from Casual at €3. - 2026-10-08: first version. ## Frequently asked questions Install Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated Server with SteamCMD (app 222860), start it with -game left4dead2 and a map, set sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0 and open UDP 27015. Or create a hosted server, which does that for you. About the author[Baurtock](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/author/baurtock/)Founder, developer and support ## Keep reading [Space Engineers · 7 min**Space Engineers Dedicated Server: Setup, Worlds, Admins and RAM**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/space-engineers-dedicated-server/)[Icarus · 7 min**Icarus Dedicated Server: Setup, Olympus, Admin Commands and RAM**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/icarus-dedicated-server/)[Return to Moria · 6 min**Return to Moria Dedicated Server: Setup, Invite Code, Saves and RAM**](https://1up-servers.com/en/blog/return-to-moria-dedicated-server/)