Ten years ago, CappingTV started casting Team Fortress 2 matches to whoever would watch. This July, the last decade comes full circle at Fortress Arena in Melbourne, where LAN Downunder 2026 will crown Australia's next TF2 champion on July 18-19th!

Eight teams will make the trip, and the storylines write themselves. BLG and j*b, last year's grand finalists, are both back and neither is interested in settling for second again! Around them sits a mix of veterans with years on LAN stages and rookies who'll be walking onto one for the first time!

There's another reason this year's event carries extra weight. Alongside the tournament, CappingTV will be taking time across the weekend to look back on ten years of broadcasts, rivalries, and the community that got everyone to this point! It's a tournament and an anniversary sharing the same stage!

Tune in from 12pm AEST both days via Twitch, or grab a seat at Fortress Arena in person! Tickets and full event details are available at the Event Hub!

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Fixed missing sound for Taunt: Circuit Breaker
• Renamed "Northern Nights" Summer 2026 Unusual effect to "Polar Prism"
• Updated the Floral Growth Unusual effect to fix orientation/position problems
• Updated the Bald Spotter
  • Adjusted vertex normals and diffuse on head
  • Adjusted normals and specular on head mirror
  • Reduced mesh size slightly toward the front and back of the head
  • Fixed some facial flexes
  • Reduced texture size of lens
• Updated the Surgical Shroud
  • Fixed vertex normal issue on coat
  • Adjusted Phongfresnelranges on mirror to improve envmap effect
  • Reduced texture size of mirror
• Updated/Added some tournament medals
• Updated koth_dusker to globally improve lighting in outdoor areas for better team recognition
• Updated cp_premuda
  • Fixed conflicting files leading to crashes
  • Fixed several spawn room errors
  • Adjusted respawn-times to make capping easier
  • Adjusted sound timings and volume
  • Brightened up dark spaces and tunnels
  • Smaller changes all around the map to improve game flow
  • Miscellaneous visual and clipping bugs fixed

(Image credit: MetalCloud)

On July 24-26th, the top four teams in RGL will be flying out to Philadelphia, PA, for the Season 20 LAN Playoffs and a chance to prove who is the best team in North America!

Come watch in person or catch all of the action live on the RGL.gg Twitch Stream. Below are the match schedules for July 25th - 26th (July 24th is an optional preparation day for PC time, player and spectator pre-registration, media/interview time, and more).

Schedule - Day 1 (Saturday, July 25th) 1:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time - Round 1 Match 4:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time - Semi-Finals

Schedule - Day 2 (Sunday, July 26th) 12:30 pm Eastern Daylight Time - Lower Bracket Finals 4:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time - GRAND FINAL

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Updated the Beachcomber's Brim to fix an incorrect material
• Updated Taunt: The Circuit Breaker
  • Fixed incorrect team color on prop
  • Fixed orphaned particles
• Updated the Inglorious Patriot
  • Adjusted the normal map and refined the colors
  • Improved the weighting on the bottom pockets
  • Updated the backpack icon
• Updated pl_redwood
  • Fixed various lighting issues
  • Zipline dismount jump speed now ramps up from 1.1x base class speed to 1.8x
  • Decreased delay before a player can dismount a zipline by jumping from 0.6s to 0.25s
  • Decreased delay before a player can dismount a zipline by crouching from 0.3s to 0.1s
  • Fixed players who dismount a zipline in mid-air not receiving mini-crits from the Direct Hit and Reserve Shooter
  • Fixed the B.A.S.E. Jumper's parachute deploying while using a zipline
• Updated koth_camp_saxton
  • Vastly improved optimization. Further investigation is ongoing.
  • Tweaked log-and-netting walls along the central shore for clearer definition
  • Fixed several instances of minor prop clipping
  • Fixed players getting stuck on the wood-carved Saxtons
  • Improved clipping throughout

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Updated the Beachcomber's Brim to add a second style that was originally missed
• Updated the Northern Nights, Umbral Lights, and Solar Singed Unusual effects to fix a naming conflict
• Updated the Blissful Butterflies and Wispful Wings Unusual effects to fix visibility issues
• Updated the Hard Hearing to fix truncated style names
• Updated backpack image for the Pyro's Overalls to fix the alpha channel
• Updated the Sandwich Diner and Sideshow war paints to fix the alpha channels
• Updated the Team Union war paint to remove a few rogue pixels

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

Summer 2026!

• Featuring 6 new community maps: Dryfield, Camp Saxton, Shorelight, Redwood, Premuda, and Mojave
• Added the Summer 2026 Cosmetic Case
  • Contains 24 new community-contributed items
  • Has a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus item
• Added 4 new community-contributed taunts to the Mann Co. Store
  • Taunt: The Circuit Breaker
  • Taunt: Buffoon's Bivouac
  • Taunt: Faux-calization
  • Taunt: Friendly Fire
• Added 12 new community-created Unusual effects
  • 7 new effects for Unusual hats
  • 5 new effects for Unusual taunts
• Added the Summer 2026 War Paint Case
  • Contains 10 new community-created War Paints that make-up the Summer 2026 Collection
  • Has a chance to give a taunt Unusualifier as a bonus item
• All cosmetic and taunt cases will grant Summer 2026 Unusual effects instead of their normal Unusual effects during the Summer event. This does not include crates.
• The Summer event runs through September 15th, 2026

General

• Security and stability improvements
• Fixed bad alpha channel for The Creature's Grin, Rocket Operator, The Bountiful Bow, The Alternative Medicine Mann, and The Candyman's Cap (community fix from Chickenman456)
• Fixed the "Neo Tokyo" warpaint on the BLU team not matching the RED team because the alpha channel was incorrect (community fix from Whurrhurr)
• Fixed bad alpha channel for the Pile of End of the Line Key Gifts' backpack icon (community fix from JoriKos)
• Fixed Stat Clock model attaching incorrectly on dropped weapons (community fix from rabscootle)
• Fixed Stat Clock values always displaying '0' on world models (community fix from rabscootle)
• Fixed intel carrier glow disappearing when Spy cloaks (community fix from shockpast)
• Fixed bad alpha channel for Voodoo Juju's backpack icon (community fix from DiskIntegrity)
• Fixed Silver Botkiller Mk.I having cubemapping in the wrong area due to a VMT error (community fix from Whurrhurr)
• Fixed misspelling on cp_well's BLU rocket clamp texture (community fix from DiskIntegrity)
• Fixed wrong paths in soundscript events for some taunts (community fix from robbilookatme)
• Fixed Spy control point response rules lines playing when disguised/invisible (community fix from Churkinator)
• Fixed weapon Unusual effects (community fix from Cipherlock and rune)
  • Fixed particles being orphaned after death
  • Fixed the Energy Orb Unusual effect desyncing from the weapon when the player moves too sharply
• Fixed effects flooding the screen when spectating a dead teammate in first person with an unusual weapon (community fix from RGBACatlord)
• Fixed missing coin effect for HOUWAR's second style (community fix from DiskIntegrity)
• Fixed outdated description for the Splendid Screen (community fix from JoriKos)
• Trimmed delay at the start of the sound file for the Panic Attack's shooting sound
• Fixed the Engineer not being able to move for a few seconds after using Taunt: Cheers!
• Updated cp_powerhouse to fix collision problem with crates on final control points
• Updated cp_fortezza
  • Reworked interior of shack building next to Point A
  • Rebalanced ammo packs around Point A
  • Improved visuals across the map
  • Made rotation for shortcut path shorter
• Updated koth_blowout
  • Prevent sentry guns from being built inside a prop under the stairs in the maintenance room
  • Visual changes to improve clarity and consistency

The commentary podcast Upon Further Review, UFR, is hosting a public contest for anyone to enter! They're giving prospective content creators the opportunity to have their videos shown to thousands of people, as well as be reviewed by a panel of established and accomplished TF2 YouTubers! All submissions will receive feedback and constructive criticism. Beginners and veterans are equally welcome!

All entries must be submitted before July 15th, 2026! The creators of the three best videos will be given cash prizes!

Join their Discord for more details on the rules and how to apply!

(Image credit: MetalCloud)

Jump Fortress is back and more ambitious than ever! They're proud to present their most exciting rocket jumping tournament yet: The Jump Fortress Play-Offs!

After months of tournaments and open qualifiers, the stage has been set. The world's best jumpers head to a two-stage, double-elimination showdown across both Soldier and Demoman, all over three days of racing. The Soldier bracket has the likes of Nikita and Bunny in the mix, while newjuls and cander are among the names to beat on Demoman. And keep an eye on vice, who has a shot at the top in both classes! Tune in over at the EssentialsTF Twitch Channel to watch them go head-to-head in 1v1, 10-minute time attacks.

Eight Soldiers open the action on Saturday, June 20th, and Sunday, June 21st. Then four Demomen take over on Saturday, June 27th. Each day kicks off at 4:00pm CEST, all for a community-funded $3000 USD prize pool and the title of the best jumper in their class! And the competitors aren't the only ones walking away with something! With six live raffles running throughout the event, everyone tuning in has a chance to claim a prize or two. Two classes. Three days of racing. And nobody's out until they've lost twice. Who will become the Jump Fortress Champion, who will crash out, and will vice finally lose a live tournament? Find out live at the Jump Fortress Play-Offs!

Important Links:

• Jump Fortress Discord

After more than six months of stealth development, a super duper secret alpha, and a ton of broken sentry guns, TFCL is back and ready for public testing! TFCL is a North American competitive 6v6 league. Registration for TFCL's Alpha Season 2 opened on May 21st and runs through June 17th!

To make things even more awesome, they're throwing a $504 prize pool at this season! And medals, of course. Can't forget those!

Alpha Season 2 will last approximately 6 weeks, with an additional week or two for playoffs. There will be 12 matches, two per week, on servers located in North America. Entry is free. TFCL will host and configure all match servers, so all you have to do is sit back, compete, and have fun!

More information can be found here!

(Image credit: soda)

Europe's best Highlander teams are duking it out in ETF2L's 35th Premiership Grand Final, with 3AM looking to threepeat as Europe's best! But GANJA look to emerge victorious with a lower bracket run!

Tune in live on Saturday, May 30th, at 3:15 PM EDT / 9:15 PM CEST as Europe's finest will be battling on Upward, Vigil, and Product with the decider in this best of 3 final!

Important Links:

• Twitch
• Discord
• ETF2L

AsiaFortress is back with its Summer 6s finals!

After a dominant season, can the favorites close it out? Tune in live on Saturday, May 30th, at 9:00 PM SGT / 2:00 PM CET.

Important Links:

• Twitch
• Discord
• AsiaFortress

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Fixed crash related to wearables leaking when weapons are dropped (community fix from Sean McGeehan)

(Image credit: InstalerUP)

Moscow LAN 2026 signups are open!

The fourth Moscow LAN will take place August 15-16th, 2026. Registration for teams is open until July 31, 2026. See you there!

Important Links:

• Discord
• VK

An update to Team Fortress 2 has been released. The update will be applied automatically when you restart Team Fortress 2. The major changes include:

• Fixed crash related to KeyValues
• Fixed Mk.II Botkiller eyes not glowing in the dark (community fix from Whurrhurr)
• Fixed Halloween spell attribute text being grayed out during full moons (community fix from FrozenDragon)
• Fixed attachments on dropped weapons having broken textures for certain war paints and skins (community fix from Piogre)
• Fixed automatic "Control Point Lost" lines not playing (community fix from robbilookatme)
• Fixed spacing issues for item descriptions (community fix from DiskIntegrity)
• Fixed many cases where Spy disguises were broken (community fix from Sean McGeehan)
• Fixed The Fancy Spellbook's large backpack icon not matching the small version
• Updated VScript to allow set damage for force calc (community fix from doclic)
• Updated the Snow Merc to count as an assister in the death notice
• Updated the prop for Taunt: Dead Mann's Drink to fix a problem with LODs
• Updated the Die Regime-Panzerung to add a 'No Bullets' style
• Updated/Added some tournament medals
• Updated the Mann of the Hour
  • Restored missing rim mask
  • Made shapekeys for a few problematic face flexes
  • Replaced incorrect normal map
  • Altered hair mesh to ensure compatibility with Voodoo-Cursed Scout Soul
  • Updated backpack icon to represent above changes
• Updated koth_demolition
  • Fixed some lighting issues with the pipes next to the control point
  • Replaced some textures in the radio rooms
  • Added a clipbrush on the radio rooms to avoid players getting stuck when going in the air (thanks Big Wiggy)
  • Reworked the nobuild on the crane platform to allow Engineers to build on the concrete area (thanks Uncle Dane)
  • Fixed a leftover prop being inside a wall
  • Fixed a texture in the jumppad using the wrong cubemap
  • Made the catwalk behind the office building a bit bigger
  • Added a clipbrush to the pipes on the furnace rooms so players can climb up to the barrels
• Updated plr_hacksaw and plr_hacksaw_event
  • Removed attic balconies overlooking the capture zone
  • Moved a small pickup location into the attic
  • Fixed clipping errors
• Updated cp_process_final
  • Fixed various collision issues across the map
    • Most of these involved changing existing collision from player_clip to bullet_block to prevent splash damage from getting caught on small pieces of level geometry
    • Some of these involved closing off open areas where explosions could vanish
    • Some of these involved making collision areas more clear by including new geometry to better indicate what would collide and what wouldn't
  • Increased skybox height across the map to be consistent with other 5CP maps
  • Changed the small prop pipes at last to be nonsolid, but still block stickies
    • Players should be able to cleanly walk and jump along these pipes without getting stuck
    • Additionally, rockets and other explosions should collide cleanly through the pipes so they don't block splash damage
    • Stickies will adhere to the pipes as expected, rather than clipping through and being hidden by the pipe model
  • Changed the level geometry around the large pipes on the ground near the last control point. They are now enclosed in glass and have a layer of bullet block so that collision is correct.
  • Increased the height of numerous doors across the entire map. Players should be able to jump normally through the door without hitting their heads.
  • Removed some rocks near the angled ramp at 2nd and replaced them with crates
  • Added angled player clipping underneath some of the large awnings at middle to prevent players from getting stuck under the awnings
  • Made exterior fences more consistent with the bounding of the level
  • Changed some metal textures to better match the mirrored symmetry of the level
  • Added some additional detail behind the starting spawn room
  • Cleaned up the displacements in the middle and second to better handle splash damage, and reduced the amount of grass poking through concrete
  • Replaced some small pipes at the 2nd spire to make a more consistent platform
  • Made many existing light props nonsolid to prevent movement issues
    • Most were already nonsolid, but this should make most props consistent
• Updated cp_metalworks
  • Fixed various collision issues across the map
    • Most of these involved changing existing collision from player_clip to bullet_block to prevent splash damage from getting caught on small pieces of level geometry
  • Changed the level geometry at last to have more consistent collision
    • While there are small gaps and holes in the windows/doors of the new bunker and the stack of wood/chickenwire, they are covered with bullet block to prevent collision issues
  • Changed the way shadows work on certain walls throughout the map to prevent shadows leaking through
  • Redesigned the second forward spawn for both teams. The spawn has now moved back and into a larger hut structure in the yard before the second control point.
  • Increased the door size of the first forward spawn
  • The various small door brushes throughout the map have been turned into func_brushes and have had collision turned off so they don't catch splash
  • Made adjustments to the truck ramp at middle. The ramp is now a displacement, which should catch splash damage correctly and allow player to walk up to the wall cleanly.
  • Changed the collision around the very tall light poles throughout the map. Players should no longer get caught on them while in midair (but they still can't land on top of them).
  • Fixed a section of displacement where players could get stuck in the ground
  • Slight visual tweaks throughout the level

(Image credit: washy)

The Year of the Horse has arrived, and Potato.TF thinks that calls for a celebration! After asking every horse in the area the best ways to enjoy this year, it was unfortunately nays across the board. Unsure what to take from this, Potato.TF decided to celebrate the best way they could think of: bringing back Memes vs Machines! The horses did give one piece of advice: do not release on April Fools under any circumstances! In hindsight it seems this was merely a clever prank. Good job, horses, maybe that long face of yours has more brains behind it than we thought.

Operation Memes vs Machines: Re-Peeled is a new Mann vs. Machine charity event brought to you by Potato.TF! Complete over 10 missions across new and returning maps and complete at least 8 missions to receive an in-game medal! Click here to get started!

Feeling generous? Potato.TF is also hosting a charity fundraiser supporting Hawaii Storm Relief! Donate as little as $5 to receive an in-game medal! Have the link to your Steam profile ready and click here for more information.

Destroy those robots while you can! The event will run until May 25th, 2026.

Important Links:

• Event website
• Discord
• Steam Group

(Image credit: Concept artist - Endi, SFM artist - BloodiestBanana, Illustrator - Max Shortt)

This is where they'd put the trophy...

Are you the sort with a healthy dose of ideas but nowhere to use them? Have you just had one now and are wondering where you're going to find a plastic pelican at this hour? Then oh-boy does KritzKast have the competition for you!

KritzKast are looking for those with creative juices to spare, maybe even some artistic flare, or at the very least a friend or two who knows it's the sharp end of the pencil that goes down. This is absolutely the least effort you'll ever have to put into a creative endeavour to win big. Actually, technically to win very small, but still to win awesomely.

A fancy French cosplay studio (whose work you may have seen in certain "meet the real" videos) has volunteered to create the best esport trophy Team Fortress 2 has ever seen, for ÃBERFEST 2026! But KritzKast are notoriously work-shy, so to reach this trophy's full potential they need your ideas for what it should actually look like.

The winning idea will be made real, put on display during the LAN, and then awarded to the winning esport team! If it's your idea that's chosen, you and your team will each receive a one-of-a-kind handmade miniature replica of the trophy! There will also be plenty of Lo-Fi Longwave hats up for grabs!

The competition runs until the end of May!

Important Links:

• Get started
• More information and instructions

(Image credit: Max Shortt)

Fireside Casts will be hosting their Cam's Cup Highlander tournament starting this Friday, April 17, @ 3:30PM EDT! The event honors a North American community member that recently passed away. Featuring 12 teams of 9 players, captains will gather to do a live draft the day before matches. The 12 teams will then be sorted into three divisions relevant to the teams' assumed skill levels and will be playing in a double elimination best-of-1 bracket.

On Friday, viewers can watch the live draft where captains will pick players to be on their respective teams. Then on Saturday and Sunday match coverage of the cup begins, featuring commentary from new and old faces alike!

Be sure to tune in and catch all the action! More details can be found on their Discord server.

Important Links:

• Twitch
• Camâs Cup Discord
• Fireside Casts Discord

(Image credit: Waltz)

TF2 Painter's Workshop is proud to announce the winners of the Americana Contest have been chosen! The submission scores were averaged between five judges according to three criteria: Theme Adherence/Concept, Execution, and Personal Preference.

All of the winning submissions and the extras which scored at or above a 9/15 have been included in the Americana Collection! There's also a custom war paint case proposal!

All of the submissions have been included in the Americana Contest Entries collection!

To donate or participate in future events, join their Discord server!

MGE.tf is launching a new season with the addition of 1v1 competition and the debut of a new region: Asia! Players will now be able to compete in both 1v1 and 2v2 leagues across North America, Europe, and Asia!

Players will face off in weekly deathmatch games against opponents of similar skill levels, creating a structured environment where everyone, from brand new players to top professionals, can sharpen mechanics and improve through consistent competition. Competitors can sign up for 1v1 or team up with a partner for 2v2, with multiple divisions to fight for glory, cash prizes and medals! Join their discord for league information and to train with other MGE players.

Who will be top of the leaderboards this season? Signups are open!

Important Links:

• Signup
• Discord
• YouTube