Skip to main content
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
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • 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
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • 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
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • 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
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • 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
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Arc Raiders screenshot of player running from a Leaper robot
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs spent 3 years fighting "on a daily basis" over whether it was "a battle royale" or "a co-op Soul game"
The cowboy cat from the desert in Mewgenics
Roguelike Games Steam expert advises devs stick to the "Little League" section with friendslop before attempting anything like Mewgenics
Screenshot from Ratcheteer DX, showing a GBC-style cave with four pixelated characters finding warmth around a fire.
The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda-esque game mimics the GameBoy to GameBoy Color transition, goes from retro handheld to PC and Switch
Best FPS games: A screenshot of the Doom Slayer shooting a Cyberdemon in the game Doom Eternal.
FPS Games The 25 best FPS games to play in 2026
Marathon destroyer runner shell
FPS Games Arc Raiders players lay down their weapons for Marathon, saying "2 beautiful games can coexist without all this hate"
Best free Steam games - Doom Eternal image showing a large armored enemy with a gun for an arm
Action Games 25 Best free Steam games you can play in 2026
Team Fortress 2 soldier holding two grenades
Action Games 25 Best free PC games to play in 2026
Shelf Heroes
FPS Games Upcoming FPS Shelf Heroes just got a new gameplay trailer, with more modular, miniaturised mayhem than you can imagine
Damon and Baby FGS
Games Damon and Baby is a cute but tough RPG shooter from the last developer you'd expect to be making one
Last Flag character with minigun and future games show 2026 spring showcase logo
Games With a vibrant cast of Contestants and a soundtrack by Imagine Dragons' lead singer, Last Flag is a groovy take on CTF
DeeSicks
Roguelike Games Better to rule in Bullet-Hell than serve in Bullet-Heaven, says action roguelike DeeSicks, and you can try the demo right now
In Half-Life 2, Alyx Vance gestures towards the player who's viewing the scene from a first-person perspective while Dr Eli Vance looks on next to Judith Mossman
Games The 20 best classic PC games everyone needs to try in 2026
Sky: Children of the Light screenshot of three figures playing different instruments
Games The best free Switch games available right now in 2026
Peak mesa biome
Co-op Games Peak came about after a bet between Content Warning and Another Crab's Treasure leads to see whose game would sell more
FPS Games Overwatch is only in "the beginning of a comeback," lead says, as Blizzard plans to keep "making the best game" for fans
  1. Games

Team Fortress 2 demake is a love letter to retro-brawlers

News
By Matt Bradford published 30 September 2011

Red and Blue fight 8-bit style in Eric Ruth's Team Fortress Arcade

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

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get 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!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Notorious video game 'de-maker' Eric Ruth has struck again, this time by turning Valve's team-based multiplayer Team Fortress 2 into an 8-bit side-scrolling brawler. Called Team Fortress Arcade, the free game lets players select between nine familiar TF2 characters, join the heroic Blu team, and kick Red ass through ten levels alone or with an ally via local co-op.

Check it out:

In an interview with Piki Geek, Ruth said he got his inspiration for TFA from classic side-scroller games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Final Fight, and X-Men Arcade. And while there were plans to pay homage to TF2's love of hats, he admitted including them in the game was too time consuming, saying, “It's not that I don’t care or I don’t love hat collecting, but it's just not realistic for this title. There is a nod to some in-game hats in TFA though, so keep your eyes peeled!”

You may like
  • Peter Griffin from Family Guy in Fortnite Epic Games Store GM says Valve's Team Fortress hats "definitely inspired" new Fortnite crossovers
  • Shelf Heroes Upcoming FPS Shelf Heroes just got a new gameplay trailer, with more modular, miniaturised mayhem than you can imagine
  • Screenshot from Ratcheteer DX, showing a GBC-style cave with four pixelated characters finding warmth around a fire. The Legend of Zelda-esque game mimics the GameBoy to GameBoy Color transition, goes from retro handheld to PC and Switch

Ruth revealed he will be updating the game with new modes, challenges, PvP and online co-op in the future, adding, “For now, I needed to get the game out the door, but just like the real Team Fortress 2 that we know and love, there will be updates later to add things you will most definitely want. So, you won’t have to pay me anything, I assure you (although donations go a long way) to get online co-op involved in the project.”

Team Fortress Arcade is available now as a free download at Piki Geek. Eric Ruth's full library of demakes - including Pixel Force: Left 4 Dead, Pixel Force Halo, and Pixel Force: DJ Hero – can also be played at his official website.

Sep 30, 201

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.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming Platforms
Matt Bradford
Social Links Navigation

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries. 

Read more
Peter Griffin from Family Guy in Fortnite
Epic Games Store GM says Valve's Team Fortress hats "definitely inspired" new Fortnite crossovers
 
 
Shelf Heroes
Upcoming FPS Shelf Heroes just got a new gameplay trailer, with more modular, miniaturised mayhem than you can imagine
 
 
Screenshot from Ratcheteer DX, showing a GBC-style cave with four pixelated characters finding warmth around a fire.
The Legend of Zelda-esque game mimics the GameBoy to GameBoy Color transition, goes from retro handheld to PC and Switch
 
 
Deadlock Mina
Valve MOBA Deadlock gets perhaps its biggest update yet with 6 new characters, another mode, revamped postgame and more
 
 
Deadlock Celeste
Risk of Rain creator leaked Deadlock news, but no one believed the Valve dev because he calls a guy Chickenwing
 
 
Deadlock Celeste
Deadlock scores another win with Celeste, a unicorn-horned performer dazzling fans with her "overpowered" bunnyhopping
 
 
Latest in Games
Fenris in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
 
 
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs are careful with balancing because "you have a vocal minority screaming the loudest"
 
 
Starfield
Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem Leon Kennedy
Resident Evil Requiem fans are imagining all the quips Leon would say in other games: "'Guess that's The Last of Him'"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
"Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3 million units sold," says a stunned Mega Crit
 
 
Latest in News
Fenris in Dragon Age 2.
Dragon Age 2 lead says "if some people are ambivalent" about the RPG's characters, "I guess I didn't really do my job"
 
 
Jeff the Land Shark as he appears in Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals devs are careful with balancing because "you have a vocal minority screaming the loudest"
 
 
Starfield
Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"
 
 
Resident Evil Requiem Leon Kennedy
Resident Evil Requiem fans are imagining all the quips Leon would say in other games: "'Guess that's The Last of Him'"
 
 
Slay the Spire 2
"Slay the Spire 2 has been out for merely a week and we have already hit 3 million units sold," says a stunned Mega Crit
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Fallout 4 power armor
    1
    A Fallout 4 QA tester nuked the RPG so hard that Zenimax executives got emails about it
  2. 2
    Marvel Rivals devs are careful with balancing because "you have a vocal minority screaming the loudest"
  3. 3
    Project Hail Mary works because "very few people can give you the range" that Ryan Gosling does, say Lord and Miller
  4. 4
    Bethesda will have "more to share next week" on Starfield as Todd Howard waves away claims he's a "visionary"
  5. 5
    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 writer says picking an ending is like choosing a "favorite child" - "They are a pair"

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
  • Accessibility Statement

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

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...