Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over, have read our Privacy Policy and agree to the Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Buying Guides
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • New Games 2026
  • Black Flag Resynced
  • Summer Game Fest 2026 schedule
  • Best gaming gadgets
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. FPS Games
  3. Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2's long-running bot issue hits a historical low as recent Steam reviews hit 'Mostly Negative' for the first time in its 17-year history

News
By Hirun Cryer published 4 June 2024

The bot issue appears to originate from late 2023

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Team Fortress
(Image credit: Valve)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

For the first time ever, Team Fortress 2's recent Steam reviews have fallen to an average score of 'Mostly Negative' as players bemoan Valve for not 'fixing' the game.

It's been a long, 17-year road for Team Fortress 2, but the journey hasn't been without its hardships. Players are regularly made to wait even for the slightest update for the shooter from Valve, and now things have really taken a turn for the worse among the shooter's dedicated player base. 

The tweet below calls attention to recent Steam user reviews for Team Fortress 2, which have fallen to 'Mixed' for the first time in its 17-year run. It's only gotten worse since then, too, as - at the time of writing - Team Fortress 2 has an average user review of 'Mostly Negative,' which is even worse than before.

Latest Videos From
You may like
  • Helldivers 2 Helldivers 2's Steam rating drops as players accuse devs of favoring new Warbonds over fixing issues
  • Slay the Spire 2 early access trailer screenshot shows a character wearing a skull mask. Slay the Spire 2 has almost 80,000 negative Steam reviews – nearly 14 times more than the first game
  • Slay the Spire 2 Slay the Spire 2 plummets to 66% positive lifetime Steam reviews after first major update

For the first time in it's 17 year run, TF2's review status has been demoted to "Mixed".Says a lot about how bad things have become @valvesoftware #FixTF2 #SaveTF2 pic.twitter.com/D9g6DUjjfLJune 3, 2024

What are players railing against in Team Fortress 2? Valve's apparent inability to fix bots. "My favorite game, a game I wish I could recommend, but as of recent years have grown to slowly drifted away from it due to the Hacker Bots. At the moment the game is just unplayable," one recent review writes. 

"TF2 has become the most hideous hive of scum and villainy this side of the Source Engine, and that's not cool," writes another player. "I want to play the game properly again, dammit, not be trapped inside my spawnroom while aimbots stop anyone from playing the game. I want to enjoy the legendary one-of-a-kind experience, not be hampered at every step by cheats so obvious an infant could point it out."

According to Steam's reviews graph for the shooter, the outpouring of negative reviews first began just under a month ago in mid-May, but there wasn't an update from Valve around then that could have potentially opened the gates for bots and other cheaters to enter the game en masse.

As the Reddit post below illustrates, though, the bot problem in Team Fortress 2 dates back to December 2023. "Expect gun spies, engineers, scouts, and heavies," the post author writes, attempting to show others how to spot the new bots. The post doesn't blame anyone for giving up on Team Fortress 2 but writes that anyone can still help by using the 'SaveTF2' hashtag on Twitter to get Valve's attention.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
UPDATED: NEW WAVE OF BOTS: Here's what you need to know! from r/tf2

A patch in mid-April was widely celebrated for introducing a frame rate boost for Team Fortress 2 players, while another minor patch just several days later fixed an issue where the shooter thought players were Half-Life icon Gordon Freeman. This should be a great time for Valve's shooter, but instead, it's being lambasted over Valve's typical hands-off approach to development and updates.

Check out our upcoming PC games guide for a look at other Steam games that you can sink your time into.

CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Helldivers 2
Third Person Shooters Helldivers 2's Steam rating drops as players accuse devs of favoring new Warbonds over fixing issues
 
 
Slay the Spire 2 early access trailer screenshot shows a character wearing a skull mask.
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 has almost 80,000 negative Steam reviews – nearly 14 times more than the first game
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 plummets to 66% positive lifetime Steam reviews after first major update
 
 
Arc Raiders character in witch huntress skin holding a shotgun in the dark
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders Steam reviews wobble as it's called "very frustrating" and labelled "stale"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2 classes
Roguelike Games Slay the Spire 2 devs were caught off guard by 13,000 negative Steam review spike
 
 
Overwatch's Brigitte offers you a hand up.
FPS Games Overwatch director celebrates no longer being "the lowest-rated game on Steam" but he's not sure how to reach positive
 
 
Latest in FPS Games
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
FPS Games Valve says Counter-Strike 2 cases are fine and "people enjoy surprises" in move to dismiss lawsuit
 
 
FPS Games Overwatch director agrees the game's 10th anniversary is underwhelming and promises celebrations throughout the year
 
 
A destroyer from Marathon looking head-on, with a pale blue sky behind
FPS Games Killing Marathon would be self-sabotage for Sony
 
 
Screenshot from Ultrakill, show a white-tiled room with rows of white and red robots standing on either side of the screen.
FPS Games After 5 years in early access, one of Steam's best-rated shooters goes on sale one last time before a price increase
 
 
Marathon runners
FPS Games Marathon is getting a "PVE-only mode" as Bungie responds to the state of the game
 
 
Counter-Strike 2
Games "Valve can't stop winning": New Steam update revamps Community Market to Counter-Strike 2 fans' delight
 
 
Latest in News
Grogu riding with the Anzellans in The Mandalorian and Grogu
Star Wars Movies The Mandalorian and Grogu on track for a bigger box office opening than Project Hail Mary
 
 
Counter-Strike 2 release trailer screenshot showing an old-style white desktop PC running the Counter-Strike menu atop a wooden desk
FPS Games Valve says Counter-Strike 2 cases are fine and "people enjoy surprises" in move to dismiss lawsuit
 
 
Final Fantasy 14's Echoes of Vana'diel raid
Final Fantasy Final Fantasy 11 is still kicking, despite the MMO's boss expecting a "sharp decline"
 
 
David Duchovny as Mulder and Gillian Anderson as Scully
Sci-Fi Movies X-Files movie with 32% Rotten Tomatoes score getting a new director's cut on Disney Plus
 
 
Cherry blossoms swirl around a silver car that drives towards Mt Fuji in Forza Horizon 6
Forza Horizon Forza Horizon 6 players waste no time finding a glitch that lets you unlock all the cars in hours
 
 
Marvel's Wolverine
Events & Conferences Sony's State of Play returns next month, promises "closer look at Marvel's Wolverine"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. G.I. JOE Heroscape models on tile terrain
    1
    G.I. JOE Heroscape: Rumble at the Rift review - "Continues to be one of the most approachable and welcoming tabletop miniature wargames"
  2. 2
    The Mandalorian and Grogu on track for a bigger box office opening than Project Hail Mary
  3. 3
    Final Fantasy 11 is still kicking, despite the MMO's boss expecting a "sharp decline"
  4. 4
    Valve says Counter-Strike 2 cases are fine and "people enjoy surprises" in move to dismiss lawsuit
  5. 5
    If you don't like Lego Pokemon, try these rival sets instead (especially now they're going cheap)

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...