Negative Review – Despite Actively Playing the Game

Yes, I do still play this game. But that doesn't mean I should pretend everything is fine. There are countless issues being ignored, and the current state of the game is extremely frustrating for long-time players. Here's why my review is negative:

1. Unfair Moderation and Poor Anti-Cheat
The moderation system is completely out of touch. Instead of having a proper, working anti-cheat, bans are often handed out manually or through mass reports. You can get banned for making alternate Steam accounts which isnt against any rule or tos, even without launching TF2 on them — my friend got banned this way. Meanwhile, closet cheaters (those who cheat in subtle ways, like using wallhacks/ESP only) are left untouched for months or even years.

And here's the real kicker: if you decide to fight back against cheaters using cheats yourself, you're instantly mass-reported and banned. This system protects the cheaters more than the legit players. You can also be banned for things like micspamming — even when done in a fun or non-malicious way (like during Saxton Hale rounds) — or just for acting like a bot, even if you're not using any external software. The line between "fun" and "punishable" is constantly shifting with no consistency.

2. Broken Casual Matchmaking & Game Coordinator
Casual matchmaking is an unreliable mess. The TF2 game coordinator crashes regularly — often for hours or days — and when it's down, you simply cannot find matches. The community has to sit and wait until someone at Valve (probably Eric S.) wakes up and manually resets the system. It's unacceptable for a game this old and this iconic.

3. Map Stagnation and Depopulation
There are over 112 maps in casual rotation, which is absurd given the dwindling player base. In the EU, there are usually around 3–5k players in total — spread across all game modes and maps. That often results in dead matches or infinite queues. For regions like Australia or Africa, matchmaking is borderline unusable due to low population and poor server distribution.

4. Bloat Over Content
Each year, Valve adds more and more bloat — hats, skins, particles, community maps — but nothing of substance. There's no real balance work, no core gameplay changes, and absolutely no fixes to long-standing issues. The game just gets fatter in size (soon it'll rival GTA V in disk space) without improving in quality. We don’t need more hats. We need meaningful updates.

5. No Real Update Since 2017
The last major content update was Jungle Inferno in 2017. That’s over 7 years ago. Since then, it's been nothing but community-made cosmetics stuffed into crates. Half the game is broken — from the UI to hackers to the matchmaking system — and Valve has done nothing to address it.

6. Neglect from Developers
Valve has clearly abandoned TF2 as an active project. There is no roadmap, no communication, and no commitment to fixes. The only time the game gets attention is during crate events, where Valve profits off the community without giving anything back. It feels like a scam.

7. Toxic Positivity in the Community
What’s even more painful is how part of the community acts like everything is fine. “At least the bots are gone,” they say — as if that excuses the sea of other problems. The bar has been set so low, and some players are too afraid to criticize the state of the game because they don’t want to lose the last thing they enjoy.

8. Lack of Quality Control in Community Submissions
Valve ignores its own stated rules about which community-made items are allowed. We’ve seen countless low-effort hats and poorly optimized maps added, while talented creators with unique ideas are ignored. There is no consistency or transparency in the process.

9. Technical Problems and UI Bugs
The game's user interface is ancient, full of bugs, and visually outdated. The HUD often breaks, certain settings randomly reset, and the server browser is practically useless. None of this ever gets fixed. New players are immediately turned off by the clunky and inconsistent experience.

10. Broken Promises and Abandoned Features
Competitive mode was launched with fanfare, only to be left broken and infested with smurfs and cheaters. Mannpower? Dead. PASS Time? Dead. Replay system? Broken for years. These features are either abandoned or non-functional, and Valve refuses to either fix or remove them.

11. Steam Account Limitations and False Flags
As mentioned before, players can get flagged and punished without launching the game. Even making a new Steam account for legitimate reasons can lead to suspicion and bans. Meanwhile, people using virutal machines to cheat in tf2 and continue playing. It makes no sense.

12. No Real Incentive to Play Well
Due to unbalanced matchmaking, cheaters, and the total lack of progression, playing well often goes unrewarded. Why bother trying when the enemy team has a cheater, your own team gives up, and the end result is nothing but wasted time?

Final Thoughts:
I still play TF2 because I love the core gameplay, but that doesn’t mean I have to lie to myself or others. The game is held together by duct tape and community nostalgia. Without real intervention from Valve, the game will continue to rot, no matter how many hats they add. If you’re new, be warned. If you’re returning, lower your expectations.

UPDATE 24/6/2025 -------------------

YIPPE! MVM UPDATE butt its again

WE WANT YOU TO UPDATE THE GAME!
WE GOT TO SMALL AMOUNT IF INCOME RECENTLY!
WE ADDED TO MUCH SH1TTY MAPS TO CASUAL AND NO ONE CAN FIND A MATCH BECAUSE PLAYER BASE IS TOO SMALL

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