How to get Free Items in TF2

Team Fortress 2 has changed a lot since it launched in 2007, not least its in-game economy. There are countless cosmetic items you can buy, earn, and equip in TF2, and dedicated players can end up spending a big wedge of cash. Thankfully, there are ways you can get free items to make sure you don’t break the bank chasing nostalgia.

Random Drops - Just Play the Game

The most common way you’ll be getting TF2 items for free is just by playing TF2. I don’t need to explain this too deeply, surely.

You’re guaranteed to find an item every 50 minutes of playtime on average, although the time range changes so it isn’t always predictable. In order to be eligible, you have to play on Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC)-enabled servers, which most official and major servers are.

The timer doesn’t reset when you take a break, too, so you don’t have to worry about grinding until the next unlock. Drops will often stop after around 10 hours a week, too, unless you hadn’t used all 10 hours the previous week in which case the remainder rolls over to the next week.

Items you get through these drops are completely random. From hats to weapon skins, tools to supply crates, it could be anything, so this isn’t the best method for grinding out that one thing you’re desperate for.

Also, free-to-play accounts have their drops limited to exclude Rare or Special items until they upgrade to Premium. Still, this can be cheap. Spending any money at all on TF2 will upgrade you to Premium. 

Earning Money Online - Play Games and Get Paid

If you want to upgrade your account, you will need to pay money into the game. However, by using sites like Freecash, you can get free money to unlock Premium status and more.

All you have to do is:

You can cash out with all kinds of methods as well, including PayPal and Visa, both of which are available for use in TF2.

Get Achievements in TF2 - Reach Milestones

For certain special items, you’ll need to earn them through completing specific tasks. By working towards achievements, you can unlock one-off items unattainable any other way.

For example, every class has Milestone Achievements, which each offer three separate unlocks. Across all nine classes, that’s a total of 27 potential free weapons, each of which materially changes the way you play the game.

Let’s say you want the Spy’s Dead Ringer weapon—you’ll need to unlock 17 achievements for that character and you’ll get the weapon for free.

There are other non-milestone items you can gain in TF2 as well through the achievement system, including plenty of unique cosmetics. The TF2 community has plenty of guides on how to obtain these special drops, some of which require you to play other Valve games like Poker Night at the Inventory and Spiral Knights.

Crafting With Duplicates - Turn Trash into Treasure

If you have an inventory full of dupes, fear not. That’s your ticket to freebies in TF2.

You can turn duplicates into different rarities of metal, which can then be converted into items depending on how many pieces of metal you have.

Two duplicate weapons make one Scrap Metal. Three Scrap Metal makes one Reclaimed Metal. Three Reclaimed Metal makes one Refined Metal. By playing and farming items, you can build up a decent stock of Refined Metal, which you can then use to craft items for free.

It’s worth remembering that free-to-play players will still be limited by the fact that only Premium players can craft Rare or Special items. As mentioned before, though, just one small purchase will lift this restriction.

Trading - Barter with TF2’s Community

You can use items from TF2, as well as other Valve games like Counter Strike 2 and DOTA 2, to trade for items you want. 

Before trading, make sure you do your research on the Steam Marketplace to check the value of your goods—you don’t want to get scammed!

A great way to use the trading system is to obtain Mann Co. Supply Keys, which are required to open crates earned through random drops.

In order to trade either head to dedicated Discord or Reddit groups to strike up a conversation on trades, or head to sites focused on setting up trades if you’re looking for something more structured.

Events - Celebrate the Season with Freebies

Valve often runs promotions to encourage engagement in their games, and TF2 is no exception. Playing the game during these events often rewards players with free goodies. For example, log in around Halloween and you’ll play Scream Fortress, an event that adds a dark twist to everything in-game and a whole load of free items.

Check TF2’s Steam announcements to stay up to date with the free items available!

Community Giveaways - Goodies From Good People

The TF2 community can be a giving bunch. If you’re embedded in the community, such as on Discord and Steam, players often host raffles to give out items. You’ll need a bit of luck on your side to win, but there’s no reason to skip the opportunity!

My advice is to play the numbers game here. Don’t get your heart set on a single giveaway, spread your chances out and you’ll be far more likely to succeed. You can even win crafting metal in some of these giveaways so you can deck yourself out in whatever way you want.