Can my friends join without a lobby?

Yes. The server accepts direct connections, so each player opens the developer console and types connect with the address and port from the panel.

Can we play Versus or Survival?

Yes. The server starts in co-op; set mp_gamemode to versus, survival, scavenge or realism in 1up-owner.cfg and load a map made for that mode.

How many survivors can join?

From 2 to 8. Co-op campaigns are built for four survivors; eight slots are for Versus, four survivors against four special infected.

Do I need a Steam token for Left 4 Dead 2?

No. A token for app ID 550 is optional; the server runs and accepts players by address without one.

Free Left 4 Dead 2 server, in 60 seconds.

Your own campaign server for four survivors, joined by address with no lobby. From Casual, 24/7 with anti-DDoS included.

Create a Left 4 Dead 2 server 24/7 from €3.00

New versions on release day
No card
Low-ping regions

Left 4 Dead 2Available

Nodes ready · start the first oneaverage start 115 s

~17 ms

Guide · Left 4 Dead 2

Left 4 Dead 2 server hosting for your own campaigns

Left 4 Dead 2 sends four survivors against the infected horde across campaigns like Dead Center, Dark Carnival and The Parish. A dedicated server keeps the session off any player's PC, so nobody hosts on a weak upload and the game survives the host leaving. We run Valve's dedicated server for Left 4 Dead 2, opening on c1m1_hotel, the first chapter of Dead Center.

Lobbies usually decide which server a group lands on, so we write sv_allow_lobby_connect_only 0 for you: without that line nobody could reach your server by address. The game needs 1 GB of memory and 15 GB of disk, since its files alone pass 9 GB, and runs 24/7 from Casual.

How to set up a Left 4 Dead 2 server

Select Left 4 Dead 2 when you create a server; the wizard lists the plans with room for 15 GB of game files.
Set the slots: 4 for a co-op campaign, up to 8 for four against four in Versus.
Keep c1m1_hotel as the opening chapter or type the map code of another campaign, such as c2m1_highway for Dark Carnival.
Paste a Steam token for app ID 550 if you have one and press start; the very first install takes longer than any later boot.
In the game, allow the developer console in the keyboard options, open it and enter connect with the address and port from the panel.

Joining by address instead of a lobby

Your group meets on the server rather than in a matchmaking lobby: every survivor pastes the same connect line into the console. A password from the Game tab keeps random players away from your run. When the survivors reach the safe room, the server moves on to the next chapter of the campaign by itself.

Mode, chapter and slots

The panel sets the opening map, the slot count, the password, the name and the token. Co-op is the mode the server starts in; Versus, Survival, Scavenge and Realism come from the mp_gamemode variable, which you can write into left4dead2/cfg/1up-owner.cfg with the file manager. Unlike our other Source servers, Left 4 Dead 2 keeps its in-game votes, because every vote variable is locked behind cheats on this build.

Memory and disk for Left 4 Dead 2

Idle on its first chapter the server uses roughly 250 MB, so 1 GB leaves plenty of margin for the horde; 2 GB suits a busy Versus server with all eight players. Disk is the real constraint: the install is about 9.4 GB, so every server gets 15 GB.

Moderating survivors

From the panel console you can message everyone, kick a player by name or by user ID with a reason, ban a Steam ID for a number of minutes, lift it with removeid and change chapter with changelevel. The status command lists who is connected; Left 4 Dead 2 prints no slot column there, and the Players tab still shows every Steam profile and VAC record.

When nobody can get in

If friends see a lobby error, check that they used connect with both the address and the port rather than the matchmaking menu. A first start that seems frozen is normally the download: the game fetches its Windows files once and then the Linux ones. If a line you added breaks the server, empty 1up-owner.cfg and restart; the console shows what the engine rejected.

L4D2 Dedicated Server: Setup, Joining Without a Lobby and Modes

Versions

Left 4 Dead 2 versions

latestDefault

Switch versions from the panel: we back the server up first and tell you what will be left behind.

Loaders

Left 4 Dead 2 loaders and templates

VanillaVersion latestThe game exactly as the studio ships it.

Pick the template when you create the server: we install it, configure it and hand it over running.

Data

Left 4 Dead 2 server data

Minimum RAM	1 GB
Recommended RAM	2 GB
Disk	15 GB
Port	Assigned to each server; the panel shows it
Free plan	Yes
24/7 from	Casual · €3.00/month
Crossplay	No switch in the panel
Mods	No one-click catalogue
Templates	Vanilla

Requirements

How much RAM does your Left 4 Dead 2 server need?

Left 4 Dead 2 boots on 1 GB and has room to spare on 2 GB. This is the RAM each plan gives you and whether the game fits in it.

Up to 4 friends, no plugins2 GBFREE
Up to 6 players, 24/7, no one-click plugins2 GBCASUAL
Up to 8 players with plugins4 GBSTARTER
Up to 8 players or mid-size modpacks8 GBPRO
Up to 8 players and several worlds at once16 GBSTUDIO
Heavy modpacks and large communities32 GBULTRA

FAQ · Left 4 Dead 2

Questions about Left 4 Dead 2 servers

The Free plan runs it within its daily free time, and any plan from Casual up keeps it online 24/7. The server needs 1 GB of memory and 15 GB of disk for the game files.