Valve's new Team Fortress 2 update adds ten maps and a lethal taunt

The Team Fortress 2 summer update is here, making now the ideal time to return to the seminal Valve multiplayer game. I'll always have time for TF2; even in the wake of more modern challengers such as Overwatch 2 and Marvel Rivals, there's something unflappably timeless about the classic FPS. The major new overhaul is a great excuse to dive back in, especially as it will likely act as a spark to reinvigorate servers with all us old-head FPS enjoyers, and there's a lot to look forward to, including ten new maps and a deadly taunt.

Once again, Valve has turned to the community for its latest round of creations, but don't take that as a negative - there are some incredibly talented people making Team Fortress 2 maps, items, and more, and this is the developer's pick of the pack. In total, we've got ten community-made levels to enjoy, spread across two payload maps, four king of the hills, three attack/defend options, and one capture the flag. No matter which way you prefer to play this long-standing stalwart among our best multiplayer games, you'll find something for you.

My favorite part of the update, however, has to be the Texan Trickshot. This new Engineer taunt is one of four emotes that have been introduced, and it's rather notable for its ability to kill opposing players. That's a feature we've only previously seen with the Rock, Paper, Scissors showdown, which required both sides to opt in. It does require you to go through an almost five-second animation of the Engineer spinning their revolver, but the range is pretty good, as teased in the video below courtesy of its creator 'Hypo.'

If you're feeling friendlier, the Heavy gets a Bear Hug emote, allowing you to hold your arms outstretched until another player chooses to accept your embrace. The other two options are both available to all classes, and feature your character holding up a '0' score card or planting a flag. Beyond that, there are 23 additional community-made cosmetics joining the lineup, and 14 community-created Unusual effects (these will appear on all cosmetic and taunt cases granted during the festivities).

Valve has some bigger plans on the cards too, and it's once again looking to the free Steam game's audience for help. Thirteen years since it introduced the PvE horde mode, Mann vs Machine, the developer is currently seeking submissions for new ideas to give MvM a fresh injection of life.

The Team Fortress 2 summer event is live now, and runs until Monday September 15. You can read the patch notes courtesy of Valve for a rundown of changes, which include some slight routing redesigns for the Fortezza map and other bug fixes.

We've rounded up the best FPS games in 2025 for all the shooter action you could want, and our guide to the best gaming monitor will ensure that whatever you choose looks great and runs as smoothly as possible.

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