Team Fortress 2
This one should hardly need any introduction – Team Fortress has been around in some form or another since 1996, then as a multiplayer mod for Quake that was ultimately packaged, ported, and sold by Valve and Sierra in 1999. Now Team Fortress 2 is one of the most well-loved and long-lived shooters ever made.
With all the classes and game modes to choose from, it’s difficult to describe Team Fortress 2 succinctly. It’s a team-based first-person shooter with objectives that vary depending on which mode you’re playing. You can play offense, defense, or support, with each character equipped with special abilities and specific weapons. There’s so much game in Team Fortress 2 that you could seriously not play anything else – which is exactly how a lot of players treat it.
And there’s a whole culture of TF2 as well. Sure, it’s free, but players have yet to grow tired of purchasing new outfits for their favorite characters. Hats, traditionally. And with Source Filmmaker (also free), now they’re making complete hat-based movies.
Valve has continued to support Team Fortress 2 with regular updates that provide new maps, weapons, and characters, and there are occasionally special events as well. There’s a lot to love about this game, and by itself it constitutes a solid reason to sign up for a Steam account if you haven’t already.