Valve are on a bit of a roll lately with multiple nice Team Fortress 2 (TF2) updates coming in to fix up various issues. The latest changes the networking options for making your own game, allowing you to set who can join it.
Read the full article here: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/05/team-fortress-2-update-brings-new-server-options-like-friends-only-and-relaxed-chat-rules-for-all-players/
13/5/25 A new update published by Valve confirms that voice commands and party chat have been re-enabled for all players, regardless of account status.
In the new Team Fortress 2 update, Valve says that it has "relaxed in-game chat restrictions for certain accounts." On the surface, that would seem to suggest that anybody playing TF2 for free will now be able to use the in-game text and chat functions again - since 2020, those features have been unavailable to anybody without a premium account. However, while some free players report that the chat systems are, indeed, usable now, others say that they are not. Half-Life 3 may be Valve's biggest mystery, but something strange is happening in TF2.
RELATED LINKS:
The ultra nostalgic Team Fortress 2 Classic is finally coming to Steam
Valve reverses Team Fortress 2's 'biggest' change in 17 years after just one day
After 17 years, Valve fixes Team Fortress 2's most annoying 'problem'
