Beginners Guide

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Main SWAT 3/4 web resources

  • Tactical Ape - Lots of general info on the SWAT 3/4 franchise.
  • 10-David - Archived page link only available.


Fixing the server list

Gamespy shut down the official master server back in 2012, so if you attempt to refresh the server list, nothing will be visible. There are several patches available to fix the server list, however, none of them are guaranteed to have 100% coverage of all public servers.

A recommended patch with no known side effects is provided by swat4stats.com. Just download Engine.dll corresponding to your game version, replace the file in System directory with it, and the server list will be visible again. Make sure not to overwrite the DLL with an incompatible version.


Installing mods

Most mods consist of simply dragging and dropping the files into the SWAT 4 directory. This includes maps and skins, covered in a separate section in this page. Usually just follow any instructions given in the README of the mod. Most mods can be found on Moddb for SWAT 4 and expansion.

The game pulls its files in a hierarchical order. In the SWAT 4 directory, you'll find Content and ContentExpansion folders, which stand for base game and expansion respectively. So ContentExpansion will pull from Content when launching the expansion, in turn any mods that go into separate folders will pull from ContentExpansion which pulls from Content. Modifying most files will cause a content mismatch error when trying to join servers, so you might want to make separate installations for things that modify certain game files.

Installing SEF

SWAT: Elite Force (SEF) is an overhaul of the game with improved AI, additional weapons, quality of life changes and bugfixes.

  1. Download the latest version from Moddb.
  2. Extract the archive using a program like 7-Zip.
  3. Navigate to your SWAT 4 installation directory. If using the Gold Edition, it's going to be located under C:\GOG Games\SWAT 4 or if you're using GOG Galaxy, it should be in C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\SWAT 4.
  4. Drag and drop the SEF folder, which contains Content, Extras, System folders and other files.
  5. Launch the game from LaunchSEF.bat or LaunchSEF.exe located in the Extras folder. You can make a shortcut to either one by holding the Alt key and dragging the file onto your desktop.

SEF Based Mods

There are other mods which are based on SEF, like First Responders or Back to Los Angeles, which are installed the same way, just follow the steps above. You can have all of them simultaneously installed as they have their own folders. Just create appropriate shortcuts to make sure you're not launching SEF or the base game. Both mods mentioned provide a complete overhaul as well, with entirely new weapon models, new equipment, better gameplay and more quality of life changes.


Installing custom maps

  1. Download the maps you like. For example, this website hosts the Mega Map Pack. If the packs have .exe installers, just click them and follow the on-screen instructions. Sometimes you need to supply the SWAT 4 installation directory if the installer doesn't detect it. If the files are zip compressed, then read below.
  2. Open the file with an archiver such as 7-Zip.
  3. If you are installing Mega Map Pack, you can just unzip everything to the root SWAT 4 folder while using the setting extract with full pathnames.
  4. Otherwise, extract different file types separately according to the following:
    • If you know the map is for TSS ONLY, then replace "Content" with "ContentExpansion" below.
    • *.s4m => SWAT 4\Content\Maps
    • *.utx => SWAT 4\Content\Textures
    • *.usm => SWAT 4\Content\StaticMeshes
  5. Installing all the maps under Content does not prevent the game from running, but it may cause a crash if you try to play TSS only maps from vanilla SWAT 4.


Playing custom maps

Not all custom maps support all gamemodes. The maps have a naming convention in which SP or COOP only maps are given SP- prefix, and adversarial mode (BS, VIP, RD, Smash & Grab in TSS) maps have MP-. You can open maps that are for multiplayer only also in single player, but all the AI characters will be gone. Without Mega Campaign Mod, custom maps don't show up in the Career Menu, so you have to start them via console.

Opening maps in single player

  1. Open the console (usually the key left to "1" or "~") and type in open XYZ without the quotes, whereas XYZ is the filename of the map without the extension. For example, if the mapname is sp-dark_scarlet.s4m, type in open sp-dark_scarlet. See also other console commands.
  2. Now the map will start directly, so if you want to adjust your loadout you have to restart the map. To do that DO NOT use the restart button in the debrief screen, but open the console again and enter reconnect.

Alternatively you can use a mission loader tool that allows you to start SWAT 4 with a selected custom map.

Custom maps in multiplayer

If you are hosting a server, you'll see the custom maps show up in the same menu than the official maps – no extra effort required. But if you join a server that uses custom maps you don't have, you'll drop from the server as soon as one of these maps is being loaded. So basically you need to know which maps are on the server. Check the welcome messages, and go to the clan's website and have a look if they provide links to the maps, or even a map pack.


Major mods for SWAT 4: TSS

All of these mods will install themselves into separate subfolders of the main SWAT 4 folder, so they don't overwrite any original files, and thus you are still able to play the original, unmodified game.

SWAT: Elite Force


Canadian Forces: Direct Action v4.1

  • Author: Canadian Army + many modders
  • Download
  • Size: 743 MB
  • Focus: Realism, Army Training


H.S.M. Enhancements Mod v3.0: Reloaded

  • Author: [ATL]Zeus_CST & [ATL]kAz
  • Download
  • Size: 66 MB
  • Focus: Gameplay
  • Suspect AI is extremely fast in this one. Extra challenge.


SSF Realism Mod v3.2 FOR TSS


SAS Mod v1.1


Major mods for SWAT 4

11-99 Enhancement Mod v1.35


CODE 11 - Authentic SWAT Mod v1.12

  • Author: .338LapuaMagnum
  • Download
  • Size: 9 MB
  • Focus: Realism, Single Player
  • See the readme for changelog.


SWAT4 - The New York City Finest v1.0

  • Author: OfficerIgor
  • Download
  • Size: 37.7 MB
  • Focus: Realism, NYPD graphics
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