Main menu

The main menu of Team Fortress 2.

“

Click to listen

— The Administrator

”

The main menu is the opening screen of Team Fortress 2. Upon the initial opening of the game's menu, one of the soundtrack songs plays, but it does not loop or play again until the game is restarted. The main menu can also be opened while connected to a server (default key: Esc).

The background of the menu is a toned grayscale render of one of the maps in game and a selection of possible class images depending upon active Holidays or special Updates.

Main menu tabs/buttons appearances and functions

Main menu
Party
	The party tab shows the members of the current party, if any. It shows the Steam profile images of the members, including the player himself. The party tab also shows the party chat, a special chat only visible for the members of the party. Clicking in any profile image shows an option to open the matchmaking settings, which allows to configure the party invite mode, ping limit, and to ignore party invites.
Main tab
	The Main tab controls the game selection, along with options to resuming the game and disconnecting from the server/quitting the game.
Casual
	Main article: Casual Mode Allows the player to play the Casual Mode and automatically join a server with the selected game modes. Each gamemode has a button that displays a list of the maps of the selected game mode. The maps in the list has a checkbox to select. The game only searches for servers with the selected maps. Pressing the check of the game mode automatically selects all the maps of said game mode. Also, there are buttons that allows to load and save any game mode/map selection setting, and a help button.
Competitive
	Main article: Competitive Mode Allows the player to play the Competitive Mode, but only if they have Premium TF2 account, a valid phone number linked to their Steam account and must be at least level 3 in Casual Mode or if they have bought the Competitive Matchmaking Pass sold in the Mann Co. Store. Inside the tab there are buttons that allows to see the match history and the leaderboards. The match history shows the Win/Lose state, the date of the match, the map played and the kills/deaths ratio.
Mann vs. Machine
	Main article: Mann vs. Machine Allows the player to play the Mann vs. Machine Co-op game mode. The tab shows the 2 modes to play Mann vs. Machine: Mann Up and Boot Camp.
Community Server
	Main article: Server Browser Allows the player to join a community server by using the server browser.
Training
	Main article: Training Allows the player to start up a training level or play a practice game against bots.
Create Server
	Allows the player to create their own server.
Alerts
	The alert box is a temporary box that appears to the left of the message tab. It shows notifications such as trade requests, new items and events.
Messages
	The messages tab, when expanded, shows a "newspaper" with updates from the TF2 Official Website's blog.
Contracts
	Main article: ConTracker The contracts button opens the ConTracker. It allows a player to navigate, select, and track available Contracts. The root folder shows all contract sets presently activated for the game. Selecting a set begins the navigation chart for that set. Orange folders contain Contracts that the player can activate. Gray folders contain premium Contracts for which the player has not purchased an access pass.
Live streams
	The live streams button opens the Team Fortress 2 section of Twitch.
Player stats
	The player stats section show the name of the player, and medal and level of both Casual and Competitive modes. It only show once pair of them at time, but can be changed with the gear button.
Featured
	Shows the featured items in the Mann Co. Store, along with its price.
Friends
	The Friends tab shows all the Steam friends of the player. It shows their Steam profile image, name and status.
Items
	Main article: Customize items The Items button takes the player to the loadout and stats pages.
Shop
	Main article: Mann Co. Store The Shop button opens the Mann Co. Store, which allows players to purchase in-game items such as hats, weapons, action items, and tools using money stored in their Steam Wallet.
Game status
Report Player	The Report Player button allows the player to submit a report against another player on the current server for various offenses. These include cheating, being idle/AFK, harassment, or griefing.
Call Vote	Main article: Voting The Call Vote allows the player to call a vote on the server they are currently on as long as the server supports it. Options include player kicking, map changes, and team scrambles.
Mute Players	Main article: Muting players The Mute Players button displays a menu that allows the player to mute other players' in-game voice chat and text chat. The menu shows an empty list when the player is not connected to a server. It does not mute sounds triggered by scripts or the server, or sounds from a third-party voice-over-internet program.
Request Coach	Main article: Coaching The Request Coach allows the player to call for a coach to teach them how to play.
Options
	Main article: Multiplayer options The Options button opens up a window where the player can change keyboard bindings, mouse, audio, and video options, voice configuration for use with a microphone, and multiplayer options. The Advanced Options button opens the "Advanced Multiplayer Options" directly.
Glyphs Bar
New User Forum	Opens the Steam overlay web browser to the Team Fortress 2 New User Forum.
Achievements	Main article: Achievements Brings up a window that shows earned and unearned achievements, along with progress bars for achievements that require them. Unearned achievements have a tick box that can enable the achievement's progress to be shown in the HUD while playing.
Developer Commentary	Main article: Developer Commentary This menu allows the player to enter one of three empty versions of the official maps. These contain non-functioning bots and speech bubbles, which provide voice commentary from the designers detailing the game's development.
Be a Coach	Main article: Coaching This gives the player the option to volunteer to coach other players in the coaching mode.
Workshop	Main article: Steam Workshop Takes the player to the Steam Workshop hub, where they can upload custom content to be rated, commented upon, and be considered as an addition to the game.
Replays	Main article: Replay Takes the player to the Replays window, where they can view their recorded clips, takes, and movies.
Report a Bug	This menu gives the player a fast and efficient option to quickly report a bug with an optional screenshot.

Update history

September 20, 2007 Patch

Disabled the loading of background maps.

September 21, 2007 Patch

Removed background map due to incompatibilities.

October 2, 2007 Patch

Added "Very High" texture resolution option.
Fixed non-English language text overlapping in a few places.
Extra options added to 'Game' tab in "Create Server" menu option.

October 9, 2007 Patch

Fixed loading screen and intro movie showing up on Windows Vista with full screen AA.

November 15, 2007 Patch

Added "The Art of War" as main menu music.

January 7, 2008 Patch

Added an option in the Options -> Multiplayer dialog to filter custom game files being downloaded from servers.

January 14, 2008 Patch

Added new option for Medi Gun beam to the Multiplayer->Advanced dialog. If on, the Medi Gun beam will stay attached to the current target without the need to hold down the fire button.
Added new option for the Sniper Rifle to the Multiplayer->Advanced dialog. If disabled, the Sniper Rifle won't re-zoom after firing a zoomed shot.

January 25, 2008 Patch

Added an option to auto-save a scoreboard screenshot at the end of a map to the Multiplayer->Advanced dialog.
Removed the "Reset Stats" button from the Player Stats screen.

February 15, 2008 Patch

Fixed stat records sometimes being attributed to the wrong class.

February 19, 2008 Patch

Fixed Badlands exploits and missing textures.

April 1, 2008 Patch

Fixed a few instances of truncated text in the menus and dialogs for languages other than English.

April 29, 2008 Patch (Gold Rush Update)

Added Character Info and Loadout to the main menu.

December 17, 2009 Patch (WAR! Update)

Added 2 game startup songs (Right Behind You and Petite Chou-Fleur).

July 8, 2010 Patch (Engineer Update)

Added Engineer main menu music.

July 13, 2010 Patch

[Undocumented] Changed the song 'More Gun' to Version 2, which begins with a passing train and a harmonica counterline to the guitar.

September 30, 2010 Patch (Mann-Conomy Update)

Added the Mann Co. Store & Catalog.
Server browser tweaks.
- It will now encourage you to add servers to Favorites or Blacklists after you have a good/bad experience on them.
- The Server Browser now automatically closes after successfully connecting to a server (opt-out via the Options-Multiplayer->Advanced dialog).
[Undocumented] Removed the "class advisor" and class records from the top-right corner of the main menu.

October 27, 2010 Patch (Scream Fortress Update)

[Undocumented] Added game start up music "gamestartup_halloween".

April 14, 2011 Patch (Hatless Update)

Updated the main menu to include 'resume game', 'call a vote' and 'request coach' selections.
Menu background is now transparent when connected to a server.
The Mann Co. Store featured item is no longer viewable in the menu unless the player selects the store button specifically.

May 5, 2011 Patch (Replay Update)

Added the Replay feature to the menu.
[Undocumented] Added the Saxxy 2011 Theme.

May 6, 2011 Patch

Fixed a client crashed caused by using custom main menu resource files.

May 9, 2011 Patch

Saxxy fanfare music wasn't playing on music channel. Music will only play once per launch now and will not play on a changelevel.

May 18, 2011 Patch

Added an Advanced Options button to the main menu to allow tweaking of many gameplay options.

May 19, 2011 Patch

Fixed a rare case where users running Service Pack 3 on Windows 7 64-bit with graphics driver version 12.42 saw a graphical glitch on the main menu Options button.

May 31, 2011 Patch

Fixed the main menu showing through the shopping cart menu when running at 2500x1600.

June 8, 2011 Patch

[Undocumented] Removed the Saxxy Awards promotion on the main menu.

June 23, 2011 Patch (Über Update)

The Main menu now has a "Start Playing" option which presents users with various game modes to choose from. Once selected, the game matches the player into the best available server for that mode.
[Undocumented] Updated the main menu.

July 18, 2011 Patch

Added a music clip from Meet the Medic to the menu startup music list.

July 29, 2011 Patch

“Meet the Medic” startup music added.

August 2, 2011 Patch

Updated the main menu backgrounds to include Granary (Control Point) and Upward.
[Undocumented] Mistakenly added Gravel Pit as a Granary main menu background.

October 13, 2011 Patch (Manniversary Update & Sale)

Added a startup music track from Meet The Medic.
Integrated with the Steam Workshop to enable the publication and management of community contributed content.
[Undocumented] Updated class images to be wearing cosmetic items.

October 20, 2011 Patch

[Undocumented] Added Halloween Special main menu background.

October 27, 2011 Patch (Very Scary Halloween Special)

[Undocumented] Added Halloween themed Class main menu images.

November 10, 2011 Patch

Added a full moon background for the main menu.

December 15, 2011 Patch (Australian Christmas 2011)

[Undocumented] Added Australian Christmas themed Class main menu images.

May 3, 2012 Patch

Updated the main menu message notification system.

May 10, 2012 Patch

Fixed a client crash when using custom main menu .res files .

August 15, 2012 Patch (Mann vs. Machine Update)

[Undocumented] Added two startup music tracks from the Mann vs. Machine Trailer, The Calm and ROBOTS!.
[Undocumented] Add 'Play Co-op' button to the menu.
[Undocumented] Changed 'Start Playing' to 'Play Multiplayer'.
[Undocumented] Added Mannworks menu backgrounds.
[Undocumented] Added Heavy Robot class menu images.

September 4, 2012 Patch

[Undocumented] Added back pre-Mann vs. Machine backgrounds and background music to the main menu.
[Undocumented] Added all robot backgrounds (not only Heavy Robot) to the main menu.

November 2, 2012 Patch

Added zombie character images and a Halloween background for the main menu.

December 7, 2012 Patch

Fixed a client crash related to the main menu.

October 29, 2013 Patch (Scream Fortress 2013)

[Undocumented] Added Halloween 2013 classes portraits and background.

June 19, 2014 Patch

Added a new startup music track from Expiration Date

July 8, 2014 Patch

Added Mann Co. Beta Maps - Early Access program.
- Beta maps can be accessed via the quickplay menu by clicking the Play Beta Maps option.
Added a new startup music track from Expiration Date.

October 1, 2014 Patch

When you mute a player, the mute settings now apply to text chat as well as voice chat. If you want the previous behavior, change convar cl_mute_all_comms to 0.

October 29, 2014 Patch (Scream Fortress 2014)

[Undocumented] Added new main menu background.

November 4, 2014 Patch

[Undocumented] Added new main menu classes.

December 8, 2014 Patch (End of the Line Update)

[Undocumented] Added a new main menu background and class.

December 10, 2014 Patch

Fixed a client crash related to the main menu.

January 7, 2015 Patch

Removed Duck Journal event from the main menu.
Added End of the Line Soldier main menu image.

July 2, 2015 Patch (Gun Mettle Update)

[Undocumented] Added new main menu background.

October 1, 2015 Patch

Fixed a client crash related to the main menu.

October 6, 2015 Patch (Invasion Community Update)

[Undocumented] Added new main menu background.

October 28, 2015 Patch (Scream Fortress 2015)

[Undocumented] Added new main menu background.

November 13, 2015 Patch

[Undocumented] Removed the Scream Fortress 2015 main menu background.

December 7, 2015 Patch

[Undocumented] Added a Batman Arkham Contest image for the alert box.

December 17, 2015 Patch (Tough Break Update)

[Undocumented] Added new main menu background.

July 7, 2016 Patch #1 (Meet Your Match Update)

Reworked the main menu.
- All play-related buttons are now accessible by clicking the "Find a game" button.
- Moved the Workshop and Replay buttons down the bottom group of mini-buttons.
[Undocumented] Added new main menu backgrounds.

November 10, 2016 Patch

Fixed a missing material in the main menu.

January 16, 2017 Patch

Added an option to hide the 'View Promotional Codes' button in the main menu.
- Can be toggled in the Adv. Options menu under the Miscellaneous Options section.

October 20, 2017 Patch #1

Moved the Casual and Competitive badge panels to the main menu.
[Undocumented] Reworked the main menu.

October 20, 2017 Patch #2

Fixed a client stutter related to the Friends panel in the main menu.

October 30, 2017 Patch

Fixed a bug with the main menu sometimes displaying two character images at the same time.

January 4, 2018 Patch #1

Fixed the main menu being muted if clients disconnect from a server while in freezecam.

February 14, 2018 Patch

[Undocumented] Removed the Jungle Inferno Campaign main menu.
[Undocumented] Restored original main menu startup themes.
[Undocumented] Renamed Yeti Park from gamestartup_operation_summer2017.mp3 to gamestartup27.mp3
[Undocumented] Renamed Saxton's Dillema^(sic) from gamestartup_operation_summer2017_1.mp3 to gamestartup28.mp3
[Undocumented] Renamed Mercenary Park from gamestartup_operation_summer2017_2.mp3 to gamestartup29.mp3

March 28, 2018 Patch #1

The type of badge shown on the main menu can now be changed by clicking the gear button near the badge.
The in-game action buttons (Call a vote, Request a coach, etc.) have been moved to the bottom center of the main menu.
Sped up the main menu screen transitions. Controlled via the ConVar tf_dashboard_slide_time.
Fixed the console, server browser and options menus sometimes going behind the main menu and becoming unclickable.
Fixed a client crash related to the cycling ads in the main menu.

March 28, 2018 Patch #2

Fixed a client crash on the main menu.

April 26, 2018 Patch

Fixed a client crash related to the main menu.

May 17, 2018 Patch

Fixed a memory leak in the main menu.

August 11, 2022 Patch

Fixed the Mann vs. Machine mission selection dialog sometimes drawing under the category controls.

October 18, 2022 Patch

Fixed missing nomip/nolod for Sniper's zombie image in the main menu.

July 20, 2023 Patch #1

Added main menu character for the Summer event.

December 7, 2023 Patch #1

Added main menu character for the Smissmas event.

December 18, 2023 Patch #2

Updated main menu background to prevent being affected by mat_picmip.

November 14, 2024 Patch

Fixed the matchmaking settings dialog frequently failing to display any datacenters

Bugs

Occasionally, the "You are already queued for this mode." alert does not disappear when the player leaves the Mode Selection screen.
- This can be fixed by moving the cursor over one of the mode selection buttons.
Rarely, the Mann vs. Machine Mann Up Mode search button may not appear.
- This can be fixed by searching for a Bootcamp server, then go back to the Mann Up Mode.

Gallery

Main menu backgrounds

Main backgrounds

2Fort main menu background.
2Fort main menu background (widescreen).
Gravel Pit main menu background.
Gravel Pit main menu background (widescreen).
Upward main menu background.
Upward main menu background (widescreen).
Mannworks main menu background.
Mannworks main menu background (widescreen).

Halloween events backgrounds

The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2010.
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2010 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2011.
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2011 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2012.
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2012 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2013 and Halloween 2016.
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2013 and Halloween 2016 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2014.
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2014 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2015.
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2015 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Halloween 2017.

Special events backgrounds

The Saxxy Awards extra that appeared on the main menu during the Replay Update.
The main menu background that appears during a Full Moon, featuring Double Cross.
The main menu background that appears during a Full Moon, featuring Double Cross (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Australian Christmas 2011 and Smissmas 2016.
The main menu background that appeared during Australian Christmas 2011 and Smissmas 2016 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during the End of the Line Update.
The main menu background that appeared during the End of the Line Update (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during the Gun Mettle Update.
The main menu background that appeared during the Gun Mettle Update (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during the Invasion Community Update.
The main menu background that appeared during the Invasion Update (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during the Tough Break Update.
The main menu background that appeared during the Tough Break Update (widescreen).
One of four alternating backgrounds that appeared during the Meet Your Match Update (widescreen).
One of four alternating backgrounds that appeared during the Meet Your Match Update (widescreen).
One of four alternating backgrounds that appeared during the Meet Your Match Update (widescreen).
One of four alternating backgrounds that appeared during the Meet Your Match Update (widescreen).
One of two alternating backgrounds that appeared during the Jungle Inferno Update (widescreen).
One of two alternating backgrounds that appeared during the Jungle Inferno Update (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Smissmas 2020 and 2021.
The main menu background that appeared during Smissmas 2020 and 2021 (widescreen).
The main menu background that appeared during Smissmas 2023.
The main menu background that appeared during Smissmas 2023 (widescreen).

Classes

All possible class images that appear on the main menu are shown below. When the main menu is rendered one of the images is picked. Certain class images only appear at certain times.

The "default" class portraits can appear at anytime, unless overridden by a holiday.