Deadlock console commands and autoexec setup

How to open the Deadlock console, the commands worth knowing for FPS, network, crosshair and practice, and how to set up an autoexec.cfg.

How to open the console in Deadlock

Turn on Dev command console under Settings > Game > Interface, then press F7 in game or on the dashboard. To move it off F7, look for Dev console under Settings > Keybinds > Miscellaneous.

The -dev and -console launch options also enable the console, and either one overrides the menu checkbox. You don’t need them just to open it.

1. 01The console is client-side. Commands that change your own settings work anywhere; commands that change the game (cooldowns, souls, bots) need cheats, which you only get in the Hideout, the Sandbox and custom games.
2. 02Valve doesn’t publish an official command list. The names below were checked against the current game files, but Valve does rename and remove them.

Launch options worth knowing

In your Steam Library, right-click Deadlock, choose Properties, and type launch options into the Launch Options field, separated by spaces.

1. 01-console or -dev: enables the developer console.
2. 02+fps_max 1200 (any number): sets a frame cap outside the menu slider’s 60 to 1000 range. The in-game tooltip points you here.
3. 03-exec autoexec: runs your autoexec.cfg on launch (see below).

Console basics

Type a variable name on its own to see its value, or with a value to change it. Semicolons chain several commands on one line, which is how most people share crosshairs and config snippets.

1. 01find <word>: searches command names and descriptions. find crosshair lists every reticle variable.
2. 02help <command>: shows the description for one command.
3. 03differences: lists every variable you’ve changed from its default. The fastest way to find a setting you forgot about.
4. 04toggle <variable>: flips an on/off variable. incrementvar steps a number up.
5. 05key_listboundkeys: lists your bound keys. key_findbinding <command> finds which key runs a command.
6. 06clear: empties the console.

FPS and network commands

1. 01fps_max <number>: in-game frame cap. 0 means no limit.
2. 02fps_max_ui <number>: frame cap while menus and the dashboard are up.
3. 03cl_showfps 1: simple FPS counter at the top of the screen. 2 is a smoothed counter, 0 turns it off.
4. 04cl_hud_telemetry_frametime_show, cl_hud_telemetry_ping_show, cl_hud_telemetry_net_misdelivery_show: the HUD Telemetry overlay. 0 = never, 1 = only when conditions are poor, 2 = always.
5. 05cl_hud_telemetry_net_quality_graph_show 2: live jitter graph, for when you suspect your connection rather than your PC.
6. 06status: prints your connection details.
7. 07net_print_sdr_ping_times: prints your ping to Valve’s relay locations and the route you’re using.
8. 08disconnect: leaves the current match. quit: closes the game.

Crosshair, camera, mouse and sound commands

Each of these matches a slider in the menu. Use the console when you want exact values or a backup you can paste back in.

1. 01citadel_crosshair_*: every Reticle setting. The crosshair guide covers each one.
2. 02citadel_crosshair_hit_marker_duration: how long hit markers stay up, in seconds. Console only.
3. 03sensitivity: mouse sensitivity. sensitivity_y_scale: vertical sensitivity as a multiplier of horizontal. zoom_sensitivity_ratio: sensitivity while zoomed.
4. 04citadel_camera_hero_fov: camera field of view. The menu allows 75 to 90.
5. 05cl_citadel_zoom_is_toggle true: zoom stays on until you press Zoom again.
6. 06r_fullscreen_gamma: the Full Screen Brightness slider. It only works in full-screen modes.
7. 07volume, snd_gamevolume, snd_musicvolume, snd_voipvolume: master, game, music and voice volume, from 0 to 1.
8. 08citadel_hud_visible false: hides the HUD for screenshots. Set it back to true afterwards.

Practice and cheat commands

These only work where cheats are allowed: the Hideout, the Sandbox, and custom games where the host has run sv_cheats true. Never in matchmaking. Use them to drill a combo without sitting through cooldowns.

1. 01citadel_enable_fast_cooldowns / citadel_disable_fast_cooldowns: abilities come back almost instantly, or back to normal.
2. 02citadel_enable_fast_stamina / citadel_disable_fast_stamina: stamina refills quickly, for movement practice.
3. 03citadel_enable_no_hero_death: your health never drops below 1.
4. 04noclip: fly through walls. god: become invulnerable. Both toggle.
5. 05healthpct <0-100>: set your own health percentage. hurtme <amount>: damage yourself, handy for testing heals and lifesteal.
6. 06kingme: gives you a huge pile of souls and maxes your abilities, for testing late-game builds.
7. 07citadel_spawn_nearby_neutrals: respawns nearby jungle camps.
8. 08trooper_kill_all: clears the lanes of troopers.
9. 09citadel_create_unit <hero>: spawns a dummy hero. Pass my_hero to spawn a copy of yours.

Hosting a custom game with friends

The host loads the map with map dl_midtown, runs status and copies the steamid value that looks like [A:1:XXXXXXXXXX:XXXXX]. Friends open their console and run connect followed by that ID. Press P during the pregame to pause it while people join.

changeteam 0 reopens the team and hero picker; changeteam 1 moves you to spectators. To fill empty slots with bots, run exec citadel_botmatch_practice_6v6 from the main menu before loading the map. changelevel dl_midtown restarts the match without kicking anyone.

How an autoexec works

An autoexec is a plain text file of console commands that runs every time the game starts. Deadlock saves most menu settings itself, so you don’t need one for the basics. It earns its place for console-only values like the hit marker duration, a crosshair you want to restore in one go, or the same setup on a second PC.

Open game\citadel\cfg in your Deadlock install folder (on a default Steam install, steamapps\common\Deadlock\game\citadel\cfg). Create a text file called autoexec.cfg, and check Windows hasn’t saved it as autoexec.cfg.txt. Put one command per line, save, then add -console -exec autoexec to the game’s launch options.

Typing exec autoexec in the console runs it by hand, so you can test changes without restarting.

1. 01Example lines: fps_max 240, cl_showfps 0, citadel_crosshair_hit_marker_duration 0.2, then your citadel_crosshair_* lines.
2. 02Anything in the autoexec overrides the menu every launch. If a menu setting keeps resetting itself, check your autoexec first.
3. 03Lines that start with // are comments. Label your sections so you remember what each line does.

What the console can’t do

Nothing you type gives you an edge in a real match, because cheat-flagged commands are blocked outside the Hideout, Sandbox and custom games. Don’t touch the engine sections of gameinfo.gi to force settings either: the game refuses matchmaking while any party member has unsupported changes to Engine2, RenderSystem or the other engine blocks. (Adding the mod search path, as in our mods guide, isn’t one of those.)