List of references

Bill's Hat, a reference to the game Left 4 Dead.

“

You cannot hurt me, I do not have time to bleed! *Cracking noise* My schedule has just opened up! Aaaohhww, my God!" Click to listen — The Soldier

”

Due to the comedic style of Team Fortress 2 as well as Valve's humor, the game includes references, usually in a humorous fashion. There are many different types, from games to movies. Jokes that have developed within the game and its community have been included. Below are references that are not specific to one class.

Class-specific references

• Scout-specific references
• Soldier-specific references
• Pyro-specific references
• Demoman-specific references
• Heavy-specific references
• Engineer-specific references
• Medic-specific references
• Sniper-specific references
• Spy-specific references

Achievements

General

A Fresh Pair of Eyes Dominate a player using the Pyrovision Goggles and earn your own pair! Reward: Pyrovision Goggles

A Fresh Pair of Eyes references the practice or effect of bringing in a new person to help solve a problem; the idea being that someone less familiar with the situation has a fresh pair of eyes that might see things that the rest of the team doesn't.

BFF² Have 2 BEST FRIENDS at the same time.

Best Friends Forever, often shortened to BFF, is a somewhat outdated term for a close friendship used by younger teenagers.

Grey Matter Get 25 headshots as a Sniper.

Grey matter is a major component of the central nervous system. The highest concentration of grey matter is found in the brain.

Mass Hysteria Have 6 teammates using Pyrovision at the same time.

Mass hysteria is the spontaneous manifestation of similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person.

Riftwalker Kill an enemy within 5 seconds of you traveling through an Engineer's teleporter.

In science fiction, teleportation devices are often stated to use technology which creates a rift in space, allowing a person to travel through it and out the other end while virtually no time passes in between, hence the name 'Riftwalker.'

The Great Deflate Kill 79 enemies who have the Balloonicorn pets.

The Great Debate was a debate between two influential astronomers which took place in 1920, and concerned the nature of spiral nebulae and the size of the universe.

Astro-chievements

Escape Ferocity Kill an enemy who has damaged the Australium carrier in the last 3 seconds.

Escape velocity is the speed needed to "break free" from a gravitational field without further propulsion.

Lift-offed Push a player into the rocket's exhaust path at the end of the round.

"Liftoff" refers to the moment at which a vehicle such as an aeroplane, helicopter, or more appropriately, a rocket, leaves the ground.

Someone who is said to have been "offed" has been murdered.

Plan Nine to Outer Space Launch the rocket as all 9 classes.

Plan Nine from Outer Space is a 1959 sci-fi film notorious for its poor quality.

Rocket Booster Win a round after the enemy team has opened the rocket lid.

A rocket booster is a component inside the engine of a rocket which provides additional thrust on takeoff, and is usually jettisoned when no longer required.

The Fight Stuff Win 138 Rounds.

The Right Stuff is a 1979 book about the U.S. manned space program. It was adapted into a film in 1983.

Cap-ogee Win a round with at least 5 teammates on the elevator.

The apogee is the point where a satellite is the farthest away from Earth. For example, the Moon's apogee is 405,000 km away from Earth.

Space Camp Kill an enemy within the broken crate area while they attempt to pick up the neutral Australium.

A Space Camp is a summer camp designed to teach young people about various aspects of astronomy and space exploration.

Flight Crew Play in a game with five or more players from your Friends list.

The flight crew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight.

Mission Control Pick up the Australium from its home position and capture it without dropping it.

As they are so complex, all aerospace flights require a mission control center from where support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission.

Foundry achievements

Real Steal Win a round in which the enemy team has attempted to capture your final control point.

Real Steel is a 2011 science-fiction sports film, set in a future where human boxers have been replaced by robots.

Terminated, Too Kill a player by pushing them into the cauldron fire.

This is a reference to the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day and its final scene.

Claim Jumper Capture a control point within 12 seconds after exiting a teleporter.

A "claim jumper" is someone who illegally occupies or profits from a property to which another has a legal claim.

The Crucible Win 137 Rounds.

In any year of the World Snooker Championship, held in the Crucible Theater in Sheffield, England, the winner (or the runner-up) can play a cumulative total of no more than 137 frames over all five rounds.

Raze the Roof Kill two people on the roof of the center control point in a single life.

Raise the roof means to create an uproar or make a resounding noise. Additionally, the phrase names the gestures similar to that shown in the icon; one instance being a dancing motion whereby the dancer pushes both hands up in the air with their palms open and facing upwards.

To "raze" a building is to demolish it.

Dead Heat Play through a back-and-forth battle for 15 control point captures.

A "dead heat" in a sporting event describes a situation in which both teams are so evenly matched that neither can achieve a decisive victory.

Foundry Force Five Play in a game with five or more players from your Friends list.

Family Force 5 is a Christian crunk rock band from Georgia, USA.

Two Minute Warring Be part of a team that wins within two minutes.

In the National Football League, a "two-minute warning" is given when two minutes of game time remain on the game clock during each half of the game.

Halloween achievements

Attack o' Lantern Cause the deaths of 5 players by exploding nearby pumpkin bombs.

A jack-o'-lantern is a hollowed-out pumpkin with a face carved in its front and a light source placed inside.

Candy Coroner Collect 20 Halloween pumpkins from dead players to unlock a hat. Reward: Mildly Disturbing Halloween Mask

A coroner is a government official who examines autopsy reports and rules on cause of death.

Candy corn is a type of candy often given out during Halloween.

Costume Contest Kill a Spy disguised as your current class.

A costume contest is a competition in which participants try to determine who has the best Halloween costume.

Optical Defusion Kill MONOCULUS! Reward: MONOCULUS!

Optical Diffusion, the scattering of light, is an important game technology, such as in the Source Phong shader on the Valve Developer Community. However, the purposeful misspelling suggests that by defeating the Optical organ, the player is defusing an explosive situation.

Sackston Hale Craft the Saxton Hale Mask.

In the TF2 universe, Saxton Hale is the President and CEO of Mann Co.

Scared Stiff Kill a player scared by a ghost.

For someone to be "scared stiff", he/she must be so afraid of something he/she is unable to move. However, the term stiff may also refer to a human corpse; so, killing a scared player results in a Scared Stiff.

Sleepy Holl0WND Kill the Horseless Headless Horsemann. Reward: Horseless Headless Horsemann's Head

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a short story by Washington Irving in which a young schoolteacher named Ichabod Crane is pursued by a ghost known as the Headless Horseman on an autumn night.

"0wnd" is an Internet slang term used to refer to someone who has been defeated in a game, usually by a large margin.

Mann vs. Machievements

Balls-E Destroy the tank during the final seconds of the bomb being deployed.

WALL-E is a 2008 animated sci-fi/romance film about robots.

A "ballsy" person is one who is tough or courageous.

Brotherhood of Steel Complete a mission with 5 people on your Friends List.

The Brotherhood of Steel is one of many factions seen in the Fallout series of role-playing games.

Chippin' In As a team, pit 10 guys in a single wave in Mannhattan.

Chippin' In means throwing in or contributing to a collective or team effort. Chippin' In also means knocking something into a hole. Additionally, the pit on this map is Captain Dan's wood chipper.

Ctrl + Assault + Delete Destroy a sentry buster before it reaches its target.

Control-Alt-Delete is a keyboard command used to bring up the task manager in Windows, or otherwise used to restart a PC computer. This particular combination of keys is chosen due to generally being the least susceptible to ghosting.

Deus Ex Machina Defeat a wave in an advanced difficulty mission without dying once.

A deus ex machina, literally "god out of the machine", is a plot device that suddenly and abruptly solves a story's seemingly unsolvable problem.

Do Androids Dream? As a Scout, use the Sandman to mark 15 robots for death in a single wave.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a 1968 science-fiction novel about a bounty hunter who is charged with "retiring" escaped androids.

Engine Block Prevent the bomb from ever reaching an alarm zone during the final wave of an advanced difficulty mission.

An engine block is a metal block that contains an internal combustion engine's cylinders.

.executioner In a single wave, kill 15 bomb-carrying robots in a row before they level up.

.exe is the filename extension Windows and MS-DOS use for a program (an executable file).

Fast Cache Pick up a credit pile that is about to expire.

In computing, a cache is a temporary place to store information, to make retrieving the same information later faster.

The term "fast cash" refers to a quick way to make money.

Frags to Riches Earn all credit bonuses in an advanced difficulty mission.

To say someone has gone from "rags to riches" means he/she has come from a state of poverty to a state of wealth, usually in a relatively short time.

In online games, the term "frag" is synonymous with "kill".

German Engineering Use a canteen charged with 'ÜberCharge' to destroy 15 robots.

"German engineering" is a buzzword used in recent Volkswagen advertisements.

Ghost in the Machine Use a canteen charged with 'Teleport to Spawn' and then kill the bomb carrier within 5 seconds.

Ghost in the Machine is a 1993 film about a serial killer whose mind is transferred to a computer and goes on a murder spree.

Hack of All Trades Play an entire mission as a single class, and do this for every class.

A "jack of all trades" is a person who is competent with many skills.

Hard Reset As a Pyro, reset the bomb 3 times in a single wave.

A hard reset is a forced shutdown and reboot to a system by hardware means, usually done by pressing a reset button.

Heavy Mettle During a wave, use rage as a Heavy to push a robot about to deliver the bomb.

"Heavy metal" is a term that commonly refers to a metallic element that is toxic and typically has a high density.

Kritical Terror Use a canteen charged with 'Crit Boost' to destroy a giant robot.

A critical error is an error that is serious enough to make the program or operating system cease to run properly, causing the computer to freeze or restart.

Negative Charge Kill 5 Medics that are ready to deploy an ÜberCharge in a wave.

A particle with a negative charge has an abundance of electrons in its outer atomic shell.

Now Legal To Eat Ooohh Ooh Ahh Ahhhh! ...in Mannhattan

This achievement is associated with Captain Dan's wood chipper -- the sign above the chipper states that the company’s wood pulp is “Now legal to eat”. Microcrystalline cellulose is a term for refined wood pulp, which is used as a thickener in soup and as an excipient in other food products. With proper labeling, wood pulp is legal to eat.

Ooohh Ooh Ahh Ahhhh! is a stereotypical vocalization made by banana-littering giant gorillas, such as those that have famously run loose in Mannhattan.

Palace-Aid Kill a tank before it crashes through the barrier in Rottenburg.

A palisade is a defensive fence or wall made by setting wooden stakes, posts, or trunks in the ground. This is a classically expedient and less than permanent construction; but building one could aide in the defense of a stone palace, a relatively permanent installation.

Raid Array Complete the Crash Course, Doe's Drill, and Mann-euvers missions.

RAID is a storage technology that spreads storage across multiple disk drives for performance or security.

Real Steal As an Engineer, escape with your sentry as a sentry buster is about to detonate.

Real Steel is a 2011 science-fiction sports film, set in a future where human boxers have been replaced by robots.

Silicon Slaughter Destroy 100,000 robots.

Silicon is a chemical element commonly used in the manufacture of electronic devices.

Sly Voltage As a Spy, sap 10 robots at once.

"High voltage" refers to voltage in circuits that poses safety issues.

Spam Blocker During a wave, defend the hatch 10 times from robots about to deliver a bomb.

Spam is a common term for junk mail. Spam blockers are programs that filter spam out of one's inbox.

Spark Plugger As a Sniper, kill 4 enemies simultaneously.

A spark plug is a device that delivers electric current to a car's engine in order to ignite it.

Steel Fragnolias Complete all waves successfully in a mission. Reward: Power Up Canteen

Steel Magnolias is a 1989 comedy film about a group of women described as delicate as magnolias, but tough as steel.

In online games, the term "frag" is synonymous with "kill".

T-1000000 Collect 1,000,000 credits in your career.

The T-1000000 is from the Universal Studios park attraction T2 3-D: Battle Across Time and is a metal spider-like version of the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Turbocharger Buff 4 or more teammates as a Soldier at the same time in a single wave.

A Turbocharger is a device which delivers compressed air to an engine to allow more power to be produced.

Undelete During a wave, use a canteen charged with 'Instant Building Upgrade' to build a new sentry gun within 3 seconds of your previous sentry gun's destruction.

To undelete a computer file is to undo a delete of the file.

Vial Sharing As a Medic, share your canteen 5 times in a single wave.

File sharing is a method of transferring data over the Internet. It is often misused for illegal purposes.

Wage Against the Machine Earn a credit bonus at the end of a wave.

Rage Against the Machine is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, USA.

Snakewater achievements

Log Jammin Kill 15 enemies in the rafters above the central capture point.

In the Coen Brothers film The Big Lebowski, Logjammin' is the title of a pornographic movie in which the character Bunny Lebowski starred.

Weapons

Conscientious Objector We gave peace a chance. It didn't work.

A conscientious objector is someone who refuses military service for ideological reasons.

The description of the weapon references Give Peace a Chance, a song by John Lennon.

Frying Pan

The Frying Pan is a melee weapon used by the survivors in Left 4 Dead 2.

Half-Zatoichi Soldiers and Demos Can duel with katanas For a one-hit kill

The Half-Zatoichi is a reference to a long running Japanese fictional character, Zatoichi, that is a blind swordsman. The name comes from the Demoman's missing eye, making him half blind, and the Soldier having his helmet over his eyes as opposed to being completely blind, and therefore "half" Zatoichi.

Saxxy Winner: [Category] [Year] Imbued with an ancient power.

The Annual Saxxy Award is a reference to the annual Academy Award, having similar prize statuettes and opening songs.

Cosmetic items

Alien Swarm Parasite This cute little guy was once the scourge of humanity in another time and place. Now he's content to ride on your head and keep the sun off.

This is a stylized version of an enemy parasite from Alien Swarm.

Aperture Labs Hard Hat Produce-powered personal illumination and cranial safety apparatus. NOT FOR USE OUTSIDE OFFICIAL APERTURE FACILITIES.

This cosmetic is a reference to the "Potato Clock" or "Potato Battery", a popular science fair project where a potato is used to power a clock or other electronic appliance and a running joke in Portal 2.

Athletic Supporter [Insert Favorite Regional Team Here]

The Athletic Supporter sports the Monday Night Combat logo on the front.

"Athletic supporter" is an alternate name for a jockstrap.

Beaten and Bruised

This item's different appearances for each class are based on the cover of Fight Songs: The Music of Team Fortress 2.

Additionally, the names of the different styles, 'Too Young To Die', 'Hey, Not Too Rough', 'Hurt Me Plenty', 'Ultra-Violence', and 'Nightmare', are based on the difficulty settings of the video game Doom.

Bill's Hat Left 4 You.

This is the beret worn by Vietnam war veteran Bill in Left 4 Dead.

B.M.O.C. Be the Big Man of Christmas with this fur-fringed pom-pom hat!

The "Big Man of Christmas" is Santa Claus; the abbreviation is a play on the term "Big Man on Campus", a highly respected individual on a college campus.

Bombinomicon "If ye gaze upon one tome-themed badge this year, MAKE IT NOT THIS ONE!" - Merasmus the Magician

The name "Bombinomicon", a portmanteau of Bomb and Necronomicon, is a reference to the fictional grimoire from the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Its appearance is based on the Necronomicon seen in the Evil Dead series of films, which had a face, was bound in flesh, and inked in blood.

Breadcrab

This item resembles a Headcrab, a creature from the Half-Life video game series.

Brothers in Blues

This item is based on The Blues Brothers' iconic look, more specifically their appearance in the 1980 film of the same name.

Company Man

The logo of Sarif Industries from the Deus Ex series is printed on the front of the cap.

Deep Cover Operator

This item is a reference to the iconic headwear of Solid Snake and Naked Snake in the "Metal Gear" video game series.

Dr. Whoa

The item is a reference to the Eleventh Doctor from the television series Doctor Who, who wears a similar bow tie.

Ebenezer If you are visited by one piece of spectral headwear this night, make it the Ghost of Christmas Hats, donated in true Smissmas spirit by Steam User Jacen.

The Ebenezer's name, as well as its description, is a reference to Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol. The description references the three spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future that visit Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character, during the course of the story.

Ellis' Cap

Ellis wears this cap in Left 4 Dead 2.

Flair! Show enthusiasm! For your favorite things!

The item's name and description are a reference to the film Office Space, in which employees of the restaurant Chotchkie's were required to wear at least "fifteen pieces of flair" (wacky buttons and decals) on their uniforms to demonstrate their enthusiasm.

Full Head of Steam You never took a break from cp_foundry, and now you can prove it with the actual steam whistle used to call the breaks you never took!

A "Full Head of Steam" refers to a steam boiler (especially a locomotive's) that is "all fired up", "raring to go", and operating at full pressure (also called full head). Wearing a hat with a steam whistle suggests a "Head Full of Steam".

The idiom "full steam ahead" describes a task done with as much enthusiasm as possible, or to go as straight forward as humanly possible.

Hat of Undeniable Wealth and Respect Earned by completing 28 objectives in 'The Great Steam Treasure Hunt.' Beware the Cephalopod padlock.

The hat is level 28, the same number of objectives required to be completed in The Great Steam Treasure Hunt to earn it.

Human Cannonball Ask any daredevil what they strap onto their heads before getting shot out of a cannon and the answer will be the same: a glassy, unfocused stare from years of head trauma. Head trauma that could have been prevented with this sharp-looking crash helmet.

The human cannonball is a popular circus stunt in which a person is launched from a cannon.

Lo-Fi Longwave Can't stop the signal.

This hardhat sports the KritzKast logo on the front.

The description is a tagline for pirate radio.

Macho Mann Sometimes it really does take a village, people

The name and description of this item refer to Macho Man, a song and album by the band Village People.

Map Maker's Medallion

The hammer symbol on this medal is a reference to Valve's map editor, Hammer.

The item is referred to as a "Func_Medal", a reference to the various func-prefixed entities available for use with the Hammer editor.

Marxman Everyone knows laughter is the best medicine. But did you know that laughter is also the best disguise? No? Well, good thing you're not a cop infiltrating the Chinese mafia, then. Oh wait you are. AND NOW YOU'RE DEAD. Look, rookie, these glasses are actually hilarious.

The item is designed to resemble the popular novelty item Groucho glasses, which are based on the comedian Groucho Marx.

The name is a play on the term "marksman", referring to a person who can shoot well.

Max's Severed Head Expertly crafted headwear from cruelty-free farms in the Philippines. Hollowed-out skull casing wicks moisture away when in the heat of battle.

This item is modeled after the head of Max from Sam & Max. The description is a reference to the first Sam & Max comic, Monkeys Violating the Heavenly Temple, which took place in the Philippines.

Philateler Congratulations on doing more yesterday to support the TF2 map-making community through map stamps than anyone else! Wear this with pride before it changes hands tomorrow!

Philately is the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps.

Point and Shoot The next time someone accuses you of not being a real wizard because you refuse to (read: can’t) do spells, poke them in the eye with this magically blinding pointy hat and run.

Amadeus, a wizard in Trine 2, wears a hat similar to this. The description references the fact that Amadeus is incapable of conjuring a fireball, a recurring joke in the Trine series.

Proof of Purchase From another era.

The description references this hat's origins; it is visible on the Human Commando player model from the early "Invasion" version of Team Fortress 2, as well as the files that were leaked in 2003 with Half-Life 2's source code.

Resurrection Associate Pin

This item features Portal's companion cube.

The item is level 13, the same number of games required to be played in the Potato Sack pack to earn it.

Spine-Chilling Skull Express your undying hatred for the living.

This hat is level 31, referring to Halloween on the 31st of October.

Spiral Sallet Little known fact: knights in chess travel over other pieces by rocket jumping.

The Spiral Sallet is named after the eponymous hat from Spiral Knights, though it bears more resemblance to the Mighty Cobalt Helm

Spirit of Giving The more gifts you give away, the bigger your heart will get! Get what gift-givers call "the Smissmas spirit," and what cardiologists call hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

The item is a reference to the Dr. Seuss story How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, whose title character is born with a heart two sizes too small, but, when he gives Christmas presents to the Whos of Whoville, his heart grows three sizes.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the medical term for thickening and growth of the heart.

Teufort Tooth Kicker These steel-toed dogs were scientifically engineered (in a wind tunnel) by America's foremost authorities on mouth-kicking to perfectly fit the inside of an idiot's mouth.

The Capture the Flag map 2Fort is often referred to as "Teufort" in TF2's supplementary material.

Top Notch Welcome to a secret society so exclusive it makes the Illuminati look like a Costco. How exclusive? You are the only member. This is the only item of its kind in all of existence. So don't craft it, Miney.

The hat adopts the likeness of Markus "Notch" Persson's personal avatar, a drawing of himself in the artistic style of Minecraft, on which he was the lead developer until the game's official release.

Something which is described as being "top notch" is first rate, or excellent.

Towering Pillar of Hats A-ha-ha! You are as PRESUMPTUOUS as you are POOR and IRISH. Tarnish notte the majesty of my TOWER of HATS.

This hat and its description are references to the hidden Gentle Manne of Leisure page on the Classless Update.

Voodoo Juju Only the finest leather hats come with tattoos and piercings.

The Voodoo Juju is level 31, referring to Halloween on the 31st of October.

World Traveler's Hat Given to generous souls who have donated to community map makers. The effect will only be visible while on a map that has been donated towards!

Should a player contribute enough to obtain 200 stamps for their World Traveler's Hat, its rank changes to "Unobtainium", a reference to a recurring alloy in science fiction and speculative science.

Bots

Some bots which have names that reference other games include:

• Aperture Science Prototype XR7 – Aperture Science Laboratories is the main setting for Portal.
• Black Mesa – The main setting of Half-Life.
• Boomer Bile – A substance produced by Boomers in the Left 4 Dead series.
• CEDA –- The Civil Emergency and Defense Agency in the Left 4 Dead series is responsible for control of the Infection.
• Chell – The name of the protagonist of Portal.
• Companion Cube – An object in Portal used to solve Test Chamber 17.
• Crowbar – Gordon Freeman's melee weapon of choice in the Half-Life series.
• Delicious Cake – The "reward" of subsequent testing in Portal.
• Dog – The name of Alyx Vance's pet robot from Half-Life 2.
• GLaDOS – The main antagonist of Portal.
• Hostage – A hapless citizen held up by the Terrorist team in Counter-Strike.
• IvanTheSpaceBiker – A nickname given to the original model of Gordon Freeman in Half-Life.
• One-Man Cheeseburger Apocalypse – A reference to a quote from Coach in Left 4 Dead 2.
• Still Alive – The name of the song played during the end credits in Portal.
• TAAAAANK! – A warning shouted by the Survivors in the Left 4 Dead series when a Tank is spotted.
• The Combine – The primary antagonists of Half-Life 2 and its episodic sequels.
• The Freeman – The nickname Gordon Freeman is given by the Vortigaunts of Half-Life 2.
• The G-Man – A mysterious recurring character in the Half-Life series.
• WITCH – One of the Special Infected types in the Left 4 Dead series.
• ZAWMBEEZ – Pronunciation for "zombies", the primary enemies in the Left 4 Dead series.

Responses and sounds

The Soldier and Demoman often reference Greek myth in their taunts of each other, especially concerning the Cyclops.

One of the stock death responses used in Trailer 2 is the infamous Wilhelm Scream, a well known movie sound effect. This was also the death scream used for the Civilian class, when it was originally accessible via console commands.

Haunted Fortress 2, the soundtrack to the Scream Fortress Update, contains screaming sounds used by the Witch Infected from Left 4 Dead.

"Flawless Victory, now do it again!"

This line from the Administrator is a reference to the Mortal Kombat announcer's famous "Flawless Victory!" line.

"Merasmus talks about guns like you ain't got none, mortals! That's because I sold them all! (laughter)"

This line from Merasmus is a reference to Dr. Dre's 1999 single "Forgot About Dre", specifically referencing the lines "Now you wanna run around talkin' 'bout guns like I ain't got none / What, you think I sold 'em all?"

Companies, posters, and signs

Many signs and posters decorating the maps, many depicting businesses in the Team Fortress world, make a wide assortment of references; see List of companies and List of posters.

Other

• The Ferguson system is a real brand of tractors established in 1934.
• Badwater Basin is a real place located in Death Valley National Park, California.
• Team Fortress 2 carries a heavy retro 1960's style, drawing heavy thematic and musical inspiration from famous spy films and series such as James Bond, Get Smart and The Avengers.

• A Communities vs. Pros 3: Cold War tournament poster features the tagline "The Nuclear Winter Approaches" which is a reference to Duke: Nuclear Winter.

References in other games

Due to its high popularity, references of Team Fortress 2 can be found in other games as well.

• 20XX has a weapon called Vera, which looks identical to Heavy's stock Minigun.
• A Hat in Time contains two dyes available in the Nyakuza Metro + Online Party DLC, where one of the cats is selling blue dye called "Battlements" and a red dye called "Fortress", both referencing BLU and RED teams.
• Aperture Desk Job has a cutscene where a praying mantis society emerges, featuring a building with the sign "Manntis Co" that has the same typeface as Mann Co.'s logo.
• Battlefield 3 has a multiplayer assignment called "A Good Demo Man".
• Battle Nations' 4.1 Patch introduced five new units (Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demo, and Heavy) to commemorate its launch on Steam.
  • It also introduced 12 new missions, in which the player assists the BLU team in fighting both the game's various antagonists as well as the RED team.
• Bloons Tower Defense 5 has several references to Team Fortress 2, such as using one of the Soldier's taunts as an icon and a Monkey Engineer which creates Sentry guns.
• Champions Online has an arcade game called "Team Buttress 2" which advertises that now comes with "TWO FORTS!", a reference to 2Fort.
• Duke Nukem Forever's DLC, called Hail to the Icons Parody Pack, allows players to wear hats and contains a multiplayer map called 2Forts1Bridge, a reference to 2Fort.
• Dungeon Defenders has four Steam Exclusive playable "familiars": the Heavy, the Engineer, the Medic, and the Pyro.
• Dungeon of the Endless's DLC, called Australium Update, adds the RED Pyro, RED Heavy, BLU Engineer, and BLU Medic as playable characters, as well as Archimedes, the Construction PDA, Pyro's gas mask, the Sandvich, and the Towering Pillar of Hats as items.
• Evil Genius 2: World Domination has a free DLC featuring the Pyro as a hireable henchman, and a Briefcase of Australium, Briefcase of Intelligence, and the Payload cart as unlockable items.
• Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout contains a two-piece costume purchasable from the in-game store that allows the player to dress their character as the Scout.
• Fallout: New Vegas has many hackable computers containing information, one specifically referring to a RED Spy infiltrating the BLU's base.
• Henry Stickmin has multiple TF2 references, including the Soldier's default Rocket Launcher and an achievement called "Kredit 2 Team", a voice line said by the Heavy.
• Joe Danger has two TF2 characters available in their game, the Scout and the Heavy.
• Killing Floor features the Pyro as a playable character for players who own Team Fortress 2.
• Left 4 Dead has a cereal box in the first level of No Mercy that offers Team Fortress 2 toys, which can be seen in the first building the survivors venture through. Oddly enough, the box reads "10 to collect" despite there being only 9 classes, possibly referencing the tenth class.
  • In the Sacrifice comic, Louis has a Heavy figurine standing on his desk.
• Left 4 Dead 2 has a voice clip of Ellis in which he remarks "This is just like Team Fortress 2".
  • The Pyro and Heavy appear as mascots for "Pyro's Hamburgers" and "Heavy Gulp".
  • There is also a brand of soft drink labelled "MANNS" found in a safe room.
• Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond contains a level which references Team Fortress 2. The player starts in a supply room and has to fight through a western area full of enemies based on various TF2 classes. The level also includes the Meet the Spy announcement room.
• Minecraft took a jab at the Mann Co. Store for April Fools Day 2011 with in-game "Steve Co. Supply Crates" which can only be unlocked with "Steve Co. Supply Crate Keys" bought from a (fake) micro-transaction service which is presented with the Team Fortress 2 font.
  • There is also a splash that reads "The creeper is a spy!," referencing the voice clip of the same likeness spoken by all classes.
• Mini Motor Racing EVO has a Team Fortress 2-themed track, car, and three cups. The track, named "Fortress" and styled after a desert Control Point map, uses Administrator voice lines and the TF2 main theme; the car, named "TF2 Truck," is based on the trucks seen on Harvest and Harvest Event and carries a Payload bomb; and the cups, named "Team Fortress Cup," include the Fortress track and opponents named after Scout, Pyro, Demoman, and Heavy driving the TF2 Truck.
• Monday Night Combat contains a variety of items that relate to Team Fortress 2, like the Demoman's hat and eyepatch and the Heavy's bandolier.
• Noita has a seasonal variant of an enemy, the Hiisi Sniper, which has a chance to appear on August 24th and throws a bottle resembling Jarate, referencing Team Fortress 2's Sniper.
• Overwatch has a voice line for Pharah where she says "Rocket Jump? That sounds dangerous.", referring to one of the basic strategies of the Soldier.
• Paladins features an Engineer skin for Barik, one of the playable characters on the game.
• Payday 2 features a level 1 RED Sentry Gun in the Transport: Train heist and the Henry's Rock heist.
• Phantasy Star Online 2's Steam version features the Pyro's Gas Mask as a Hairstyle along with the Heavy's Minigun as a Weapon Camo.
• Poker Night at the Inventory features the Heavy as an opponent, along with many references to Team Fortress 2 made in conversations with other characters.
  • Other Team Fortress 2 references include: themed card decks with classes and other characters, table covers with familiar TF2 logos, and re-stylized theme songs (Team Fortress 2 and More Gun).
• Portal 2 features hats from Team Fortress 2 that can be used in the Co-op campaign if owned in TF2.
  • These include the Mann Co. Cap, Prince Tavish's Crown, Pyro's Beanie, Fancy Fedora, Master's Yellow Belt, Tyrant's Helm, and Aperture Labs Hard Hat.
• Roblox features a "gear" that bears a striking resemblance to the Demoman's Stickybomb Launcher.
  • The description also refers to the Demoman's "Oh, they're goin' ta have to glue you back together...IN HELL!" response.
• Saints Row IV and Saints Row: Gat out of Hell feature a skin for the RPG that looks like the stock Rocket Launcher, and a rocket launcher that looks like the Black Box.
• Sam & Max Season 3 Episode 4 Beyond the Alley of the Dolls has a cameo appearance of a level 1 BLU Dispenser, referred as a "curious dispenser".
• Section 8's add-on content 'Prejudice' has an achievement named 'Use More Gun', which is a quote of the Engineer Meet the Engineer.
• Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has the Pyro, Heavy, and Spy as a playable character on the PC version.
• StarCraft II contains two achievements that reference Team Fortress 2, called "Meet the Spy" and "Professionals Have Standards", which are named after the official Meet the Spy video and one of the Sniper's lines in Meet the Sniper, respectively.
• Star Trek Online has an item that, when equipped on a starship, grants the player with an ability called "Team Fortress".
• Super Monday Night Combat had Team Fortress 2 items, just like its predecessor. Specifically, reaching level 10 unlocked an Engineer uniform for Combat Girl, and reaching level 15 unlocked a Soldier uniform and rocket launcher skin for MegaBeth.
• Surgeon Simulator 2013 has an achievement named "Don't Be Such A Baby, Ribs Grow Back!" which is earned after completely smashing the patient's rib cage. This is a reference to Meet the Medic where the Medic speaks the same line. The icon for this achievement is also a picture of the Medic.
  • There is also a level where you play as the Medic and must perform an "Uber Heart Transplant" on the Heavy, very similar to Meet the Medic.
• Terraria has a vanity item, called the "Engineering Helmet", that is a reference to the Engineer's default helmet and goggles.
• Valorant contains a reference to Sniper in the form of a pelican case for a sniper rifle and a jar of urine.
• World of Warcraft: Cataclysm features a quest involving a large goblin pushing a cart down a track and at some point will say "We must push little cart!", a reference to the Heavy's voice clip.
• Worms Reloaded contains customizable headgear which can make Worms look like Team Fortress 2 classes, with forts that contain key features from many TF2 maps.

References in other media

• Erfworld has a character who bears striking similarity to the Engineer, while also referencing the nope.avi community fad.
• Team Fortress 2 is referenced in the Robot Chicken episode "Choked on Multi-Colored Scarves", which features a sketch in which Robot Chicken's Nerd is depicted as a class.
• The game is depicted in the Venture Bros. episode "It Happening One Night", in which characters Rusty Venture and Sergeant Hatred are shown playing on Gold Rush.

See also

• Meet the Team
• Classes
• Cosmetic items
• Bots