Team Fortress gets 15th birthday celebrations

Team Fortress, one of the most popular class-based squad shooters ever, is 15 years old.

According to the Team Fortress Blog, anybody who plays Team Fortress 2 on its birthday will receive:

• A free party hat!
• A free noisemaker that will have unlimited uses on Team Fortress's birthday and can only be used each year on that day!
• Free cake and gifts (in the form of remodeled health kits and ammo packs)!

Additionally, some birthday features from previous years will be making a return - the Team Fortress Birthday Beach Ball and the Celebration Gib. That last one involves exploding into confetti which is alright by us.

It's not entirely clear when the 24 hour celebratory period began, but the post is dated August 24, meaning you'll likely have until the shine has worn of August 25 a bit in Valve's home town of Bellevue Washington.

Team Fortress 2 was recently converted to free-to-play, and is available on both Mac and PC (as well as somewhat awfully on consoles), so you've probably run out of excuses not to find out why this lighthearted shooter has endured so well.

Thanks, 1UP.