Valve has released Team Fortress 2 for free, and has announced that it is staying that way forever. Of course, the company hasn't entirely given up on making money from Team Fortress 2: gamers can still buy virtual goods in-game "to improve their gameplay experience."

There are two accounts types for the game. If you have downloaded it for free and have not made a purchase in the in-game Mann Co. store, you have a free account. If you've ever spent money on the game (including purchasing it before it was Free-to-Play, activating a retail version, or making a purchase in the Mann Co. in-game store), you have a premium account. Premium accounts have a few extra features, including access to rare and cosmetic items through random item drops, the ability to store more items in your backpack, and more powerful trading and crafting abilities.

Otherwise, the gameplay experience is pretty much identical for both types of accounts. The entire game can be played without making a purchase; all game modes, classes, and maps are available. Nearly every weapon is available through achievements, drops, or crafting.

Team Fortress 2 is a team-based first-person shooter (FPS) multiplayer video game. It was released on October 10, 2007. The game is considered a major success and has garnered hundreds of thousands of dedicated players.

Many believe it is one of the best FPS games currently available. It is praised for its graphical style, balanced gameplay, comedic value, and for its use of full character personalities in a dedicated multiplayer game.

One of the reasons for its success is that it has received multiple updates over the years. Although it was labeled as vaporware for a long time (the game was originally announced in 1998), once it launched, Valve made sure to keep development going.

In order to play Team Fortress 2, gamers need to download it via Valve's Steam digital-game-distribution service. It's available on both PC and Mac: Team Fortress 2.