Are TF2 Servers Shutting Down? Here’s Everything We Know

There has been some commotion stirring about whether the Team Fortress 2 servers are shutting down or not. After scouring the internet for the facts, I have found the source of this story and what is actually happening. Sit down, my concerned gamers, here is what’s really happening with the Team Fortress 2 servers.

Will Team Fortress 2 Servers Shut Down?

With the very recent resurgence of Team Fortress 2 content, with new maps, new taunts, and tons of bug fixes released on July 12, 2023, it would be very strange to see the TF2 servers go offline for good sometime soon. Nevertheless, a nasty rumor taken as truth has circulated on the internet stating that the TF2 servers will go offline on October 10, 2023.

Related: All New Maps Added in Team Fortress 2 Summer Update

It all started when a meme account on Twitter known as @EverythingOOC posted a fabricated image that looked like it was from Valve and Team Fortress 2. This image stated, “Thank you for playing! After 16 years of fun, TF2 servers will be shutting down on October 10, 2023.”

While it’s rare to see hoaxes like this actually garner serious attention, this post shocked the internet and convinced most people that Team Fortress 2 would no longer be playable starting on October 10, 2023, since the servers would be shut down. However, this is not the case.

To make matters worse, @operagxofficial, the Twitter handle of the Opera GX gaming browser which is a legitimate gaming browser, replied to a photoshopped tweet from Valve that restated the devastating news. This tweet was an extension of @EverythingOOC’s original spread of misinformation, and the misinformation worked. There are many people that believe TF2 is shutting down on October 10, 2023. But that’s not the case.

To make it blatantly clear here and now, no, Team Fortress 2 is not shutting down on October 10, 2023. Neither Valve nor Team Fortress 2 has come out with an official statement regarding the fake news, so for the foreseeable future, the Team Fortress 2 servers will be up and running.

In fact, Valve has been ramping up TF2 support recently. With the fairly major and unexpected Summer 2023 update, Team Fortress 2 is alive and well and will continue to run until Valve themselves say otherwise. Misinformation sucks, but what do you expect from a 16-year-old game that’s gone through the worst of it, like when over 60 GB of unreleased TF2 content got leaked.