Community-made Team Fortress 2 mod Mann Versus Zombies has been high on my personal wishlist ever since developer Breadworks first revealed it earlier this year. Transforming the Valve shooter into a horde-survival zombie game, it draws heavy inspiration from the likes of Call of Duty Zombies and Left 4 Dead. Resurfacing after several months working on the project, Breadworks now has a double dose of good news. Firstly, there’s a new gameplay trailer to give us a closer look at the mode in action, and secondly, it’s currently on track to launch in early 2027.
This total-conversion mod turns many of the most iconic Team Fortress 2 locations into places to hold out against the onrushing undead hordes. While there are nods to Left 4 Dead, the most direct inspiration is very clearly CoD Zombies. You’re able to buy weapons from specific plates on the walls, must repair barricades to keep enemies away, vending machines sell perk-bestowing drinks, and you can even boost your favorite equipment to new heights with the Mannifester, a TF2-themed twist on the Pack-A-Punch machine.
While the name is a play on TF2’s official survival mode, Mann vs Machine, MvZ works a little differently. There’s no end in sight, no final wave – “The onslaught of hordes never stops, and neither should you,” Breadworks remarks, encouraging players to push themselves to see just how long you can stay alive. Rather than sticking to the TF2 weapon pool, many of the options here are “inspired by real-world firepower, from tactical rifles to heavy-duty crowd controlling tools.”
You’re able to play Mann Versus Zombies solo or in co-op with a group of up to eight people at once. There’s full Workshop support to allow the community to build their own custom maps or cosmetic skins, and you can even bring in any TF2 fashion that you’ve unlocked in the base game. It’s so slickly put together that it feels almost like an official Valve product, which is testament to the team that created it.
Mann Versus Zombies is scheduled to be released in early 2027. You can wishlist it on Steam in the meantime to follow future updates. Note that you will have to own Team Fortress 2 in order to play this, but it’s a free Steam game, so that’s no more than a button click away.
“Every second counts when you’re surrounded,” the developer writes. “Work together with your teammates, manage your resources, and repair barricades to keep the defenses standing.” I’m certainly eager to give this one a shot for myself when it lands.