Team Fortress 2 vs Team Fortress Classic
Team Fortress 2 is an FPS game (2007) while Team Fortress Classic is an FPS game (1999).
What each one is
Team Fortress 2 is filed under FPS. In contrast, Team Fortress Classic under FPS.
Nine distinct classes provide a broad range of tactical abilities and personalities. Constantly updated with new game modes, maps, equipment and, most importantly, hats!
One of the most popular online action games of all time, Team Fortress Classic features over nine character classes -- from Medic to Spy to Demolition Man -- enlisted in a unique style of online team warfare. Each character class possesses unique weapons, items, and abilities, as teams compete online in a variety of game play modes.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Logo and motto of the fictional Mann Co. Although Team Fortress 2 is designed as an open-ended multiplayer experience without an active storyline, the game and additional material feature a wider narrative centered around Mann Co. The main player-versus-player gamemodes are set during the "Gravel Wars", a conflict between the rival heirs Redmond and Blutarch Mann for which the nine playable characters were hired as mercenaries . (Wikipedia)
Characters
From left: Pyro, Engineer, Spy, Heavy , Sniper, Scout, Soldier, Demoman, Medic Team Fortress 2 features nine playable classes, which are evenly split and categorized into "Offense", "Defense", and "Support". Each class has strengths and weaknesses and must work with other classes to be efficient, encouraging strategy and teamwork. Each class has at least three default weapons: a primary weapon, secondary weapon, and melee weapon. (Wikipedia)
Reception
See also: Critical reception of The Orange Box Reception Team Fortress 2 received widespread critical acclaim, with overall scores of 92/100 "universal acclaim" on Metacritic . Many reviewers praised the cartoon-styled graphics, and the resulting light-hearted gameplay, and the use of distinct personalities and appearances for the classes impressed a number of critics, with PC Gamer UK stating that "until now multiplayer games just haven't had it".… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Team Fortress Classic received positive reviews, garnering a rating of 85% on the video game review aggregator site GameRankings . PC Gamer US named Team Fortress Classic the best multiplayer game of 1999, and wrote that it was "more fun and more addictive than any other multiplayer-only title released in 1999, and didn't cost owners of Half-Life a single penny". PC Gamer UK praised the multiple character classes, "sophisticated game-tactics",… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Team Fortress 2 | Team Fortress Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.7/10 | 7.3/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (91%, 1,248,892) | Very Positive (87%, 9,273) |
| Critic aggregate | 92/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | Free | $4.99 |
| Install size | 15 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2007 | 1999 |
| Developer | — | — |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Team Fortress 2 vs Team Fortress Classic, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Team Fortress 2FPS gameTeam Fortress ClassicFPS gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Team Fortress 2Free to Play, Hero Shooter, FPSTeam Fortress ClassicAction, FPS, ClassicThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Team Fortress 2 ✓Score 8.7 · 91% on Steam · 92 criticTeam Fortress ClassicScore 7.3 · 87% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Team Fortress 21,248,892 reviews · 1 add-on · 15 GBTeam Fortress Classic9,273 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Team Fortress 2 ✓FreeTeam Fortress Classic$4.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Team Fortress 2PlayableTeam Fortress ClassicPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Team Fortress 2 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueTeam Fortress 2 and Team Fortress Classic on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Team Fortress 2 (GamingPickz Score 8.7)
- The cheaper right now: Team Fortress 2 (Free)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Team Fortress 2 (1,248,892 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Hero ShooterMultiplayerFPSShooterActionClass-BasedTeam-BasedFunny
Where they differ
Free to PlayCartoonyTradingComedyRobotsTactical
Classic1990'sOld SchoolFast-PacedRetroViolent
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Team Fortress 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Team Fortress Classic is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Team Fortress 2 | Team Fortress Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | — | — |
| Minimum CPU | 1.7 GHz Processor | — |
| Minimum RAM | 0.5 GB | — |
| Install size | 15 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Team Fortress 2 · Team Fortress Classic.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 6 accessibility features for Team Fortress 2 and 3 for Team Fortress Classic. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Team Fortress 2 and Team Fortress Classic in scope?
Team Fortress 2 has drawn 1,248,892 Steam reviews, ships 1 add-on and installs in 15 GB. Team Fortress Classic has drawn 9,273 Steam reviews.
Is Team Fortress 2 or Team Fortress Classic better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Team Fortress 2 rates higher (8.7 to 7.3). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Team Fortress 2 or Team Fortress Classic?
Team Fortress 2 is cheaper right now at Free, against $4.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.