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To host Team Fortress 2 Mann vs. Machine (MvM), install and update the dedicated server (App ID 232250), launch it on an MvM map, configure the mission and player requirement in tf/cfg/server.cfg, then expose the game port through your firewall and router or cloud firewall. Set tf_mvm_min_players_to_start 1 for a solo test; use a higher value when you want a group to ready up together.
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This guide covers official and Workshop maps, custom .pop missions, fast downloads, Steam Datagram Relay FakeIP, Linux prerequisites, troubleshooting, and the practical differences between running the server yourself and using managed hosting.
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What an MvM server actually runs
MvM is a cooperative mode in which robots attack in timed waves. Valve defines a Mission as a set of robot attack waves on one map. A Tour of Duty is a collection of Missions that can span multiple maps. Your dedicated server runs the map and mission files; it does not need to participate in Valve’s official matchmaking queue.
An unofficial server can run MvM missions without tickets. Valve’s Mann Up FAQ states that you can play as much as you like on any unofficial server. That is separate from official Mann Up progression: Tour of Duty tickets and Squad Surplus Vouchers are used in the official system, and the FAQ lists prices of $0.99 for a Tour of Duty Ticket and $1.99 for a Squad Surplus Voucher. A privately hosted match does not award those ticket-based rewards or record Tour of Duty progress.
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- Nine unique character classes, each providing a completely unique play experience for players of varying skills
- Advanced graphics that offers a unique game environment while providing game information within the visuals
- Support for up to 24 players
- Introduces new multiplayer game modes and support for voice chat
- Automatic updates – Stop wasting time looking for patches or new content
Decide how you will host
Self-hosting on a computer or virtual machine
You control the operating system, Steam updates, map and mission files, console, RCON, logs, and network rules. This is the most flexible option for custom content, but you are responsible for patching the machine, opening only the required ports, maintaining backups, and keeping the process running.
Managed dedicated hosting
A hosting panel can install the Team Fortress 2 server and provide a console, restart controls, and a public network address. Before paying, verify that the plan permits Workshop maps and custom .pop files, gives you file access, supports RCON, allows the player-slot count you need, and offers backups and a nearby location. Provider prices, slot limits, and uptime guarantees vary and are not established here.
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|---|---|---|
| Operating-system maintenance | You install security updates, libraries, and the Steam server files. | The provider maintains the host; you still maintain the game configuration. |
| Steam update control | You choose when to run updates and can stage a test instance first. | Update controls depend on the panel and provider policy. |
Maps and .pop missions |
Full access to local files and your own HTTP mirror. | Confirm upload permissions, storage limits, and custom-content rules. |
| Console and RCON | Direct console access; you define the RCON password and firewall rule. | Usually exposed through a panel or RCON, subject to the provider’s controls. |
| Network exposure | You configure the home router, cloud firewall, and host firewall. | The provider supplies the public network path; you still secure RCON. |
| Fast downloads | You operate the web server and set sv_downloadurl. |
Check whether HTTP storage or a separate download host is included. |
| Player slots | Set maxplayers within what your machine and connection can handle. |
Slot limits are defined by the selected plan. |
| Backups and latency | You schedule backups and choose the machine’s location. | Review backup retention and data-center location before ordering. |
Install and update the dedicated server
- Prepare a host. Use a Windows or Linux machine, virtual machine, or a compatible hosting panel with enough disk space for the base server and any custom content. Keep the host on a wired or otherwise stable connection if possible.
- Install the Team Fortress 2 dedicated-server files. Use Steam’s server tooling or your panel’s Team Fortress 2 installation option. The server application is identified as App ID
232250. - Run an update before the first launch. A newly installed or long-idle installation can have outdated binaries and content. Stop the server before replacing files, and keep a backup of your configuration and custom missions.
- Locate the configuration directory. The standard configuration path used by the hosting reference is
tf/cfg/. You will create or edittf/cfg/server.cfgthere.
Do not copy a listen-server setup directly to a dedicated host without checking it. An archived listen-server script demonstrates a configuration-driven way to select MvM maps and difficulty, but it is not current Valve documentation and should be treated only as a reference for ideas.
Launch the server on an MvM map
The process must start on an MvM map; launching a normal control-point or payload map will not create an MvM mission. The hosting reference gives this example:
+maxplayers 32 +map mvm_decoymvm_decoy is an example map name, while 32 is an example slot setting, not a promise that every host or mission should use 32 players. Adjust the slot count to your intended group and the capacity of the machine and connection.
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Keep the mapcycle MvM-only
If this instance exists only for robot missions, make every entry in its mapcycle an MvM map. Mixing ordinary maps can send a party into the wrong game mode after a map change. Keep a known-good official MvM map in the cycle while you test custom content.
mvm_decoy
Add other MvM map names only after those maps are installed and tested on the server.
Configure players, administration, and logging
Create tf/cfg/server.cfg and add the normal settings appropriate to your deployment: a hostname, an optional password for a private group, logging, and administration credentials. Protect RCON with a strong password and do not publish it in screenshots or chat.
Allow a solo test
For a server where one person must test a map or mission, add:
tf_mvm_min_players_to_start 1This convar makes one player sufficient to ready up and start the mission. For a group server, set it to the number of players you want present before a mission can begin. A higher value prevents an accidental start but means a smaller party may be unable to launch a wave.
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- Save
server.cfgintf/cfg/. - Start or restart the dedicated server so the file is read.
- From the server console, confirm the hostname, password behavior, map, and MvM minimum-player setting.
- Join with a test client, ready up, and watch the console and logs for mission-loading errors.
Use official maps, Workshop maps, and custom missions
Official missions
Official MvM missions are the easiest baseline because the server and clients already have the standard game content. First prove that an official map starts, accepts a player, and advances through a wave before adding custom files.
Workshop maps
For a Workshop map, use the workshop/<mapid> form wherever a map name is accepted: the launch command’s +map value, changelevel, nextlevel, or the mapcycle. For example:
+map workshop/<mapid>The Workshop form lets Steam deliver the current map version to the server and connected clients. It avoids manually mirroring the map and reduces version mismatches. Replace <mapid> with the numeric Workshop ID; do not leave the angle brackets in the real command.
Custom .pop missions
A custom mission is a wave script associated with a map. Test custom maps and .pop files on a separate staging instance before putting them on a public server. This isolates malformed scripts, missing dependencies, and balance problems from the server your friends use.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match- Install the custom map and mission files on the staging server using the package’s documented file layout.
- Start the exact map named by the mission and confirm the server can discover the corresponding
.popscript. - Join with a client that has every required custom asset. Check the console for missing-file or parsing errors before readying.
- Run at least one complete wave, then move the same files and configuration to production.
Do not assume an archived script or an old tutorial still matches current TF2 behavior. Keep a copy of each working map, mission, and configuration so an update can be rolled back for testing.
Make the server reachable from the internet
Firewall and router rules
For internet play, allow the chosen game port through three layers when they exist: the host firewall, the home router’s port-forwarding rule, and a cloud-provider firewall or security group. The configuration guide’s virtualization example forwards UDP for gameplay. TCP is needed only when you expose RCON, so do not open TCP broadly unless you actually use it.
Give friends the public address and game port only after testing from a network outside your home LAN. A local connection can succeed even when the router has no working inbound rule.
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Clients need every custom map, sound, and model. To serve them over HTTP:
- Copy the same relative files from the server’s
tf/content tree to an HTTP mirror, preserving folder names. - Set
sv_downloadurlto the mirror’s root URL inserver.cfg. - Do not add a trailing slash to that value; the client appends the requested file path.
- Test with a client that does not already have the files and watch both the web-server log and the TF2 console.
If a file downloads but the map still fails, compare paths and filenames exactly, including capitalization where the web host is case-sensitive.
Steam Datagram Relay FakeIP
The -enablefakeip launch option enables the Steam Datagram Relay mode documented by the configuration guide. The relay routes server and client connections through Steam and hides each side’s IP address from the other. On startup, look for “FakeIP allocation succeeded.” The assigned address changes whenever the server restarts, so do not treat it as a permanent address for bookmarks or firewall allow-lists.
Keep the server current
Update the server before diagnosing behavior that might be version-related. Valve’s May 1, 2025 TF Team update added a convar for controlling the maximum number of MvM robots and fixed several MvM issues involving the HUD, voice, scoring, and related behavior. If a guide tells you to work around one of those old defects, check that the current server build is installed first.
Linux-specific prerequisites
On 64-bit Linux, a server can fail before MvM loads when required 32-bit compatibility libraries are absent. Install the compatibility packages appropriate to your distribution, and account for the TF2 replay-library dependency noted in the server configuration guide. Package names differ between distributions, so use your distribution’s supported multi-architecture packages rather than copying a command intended for another release.
Troubleshoot the common failure modes
The server starts on the wrong map
- Check the launch line and mapcycle for an MvM map name.
- For Workshop content, verify the exact
workshop/<mapid>syntax. - Change level manually to a known-good official MvM map and test again.
The mission will not start
- Confirm that the server is running an MvM map, not a similarly named conventional map.
- Check
tf_mvm_min_players_to_start; a value above the number of connected players blocks readiness. - Make sure at least one player has joined and pressed the ready control.
- For a custom mission, inspect the console for a missing or malformed
.popfile and reproduce the problem on staging.
Players see a missing-map or missing-content error
- Confirm that the server has the same map and custom assets used by the mission.
- Use the Workshop map form so Steam can deliver the current version.
- If using HTTP downloads, remove the trailing slash from
sv_downloadurl, preserve the relative path, and verify that the URL is reachable from outside the host network.
Friends cannot connect
- Test the public address from a different internet connection.
- Check the host firewall, router forwarding, and any cloud firewall for the selected UDP game port.
- If RCON is enabled, open TCP only for the RCON port and restrict its source addresses where possible.
- When FakeIP is enabled, use the newly assigned relay address after every restart.
Behavior differs from current guides
Stop the server, update the dedicated-server files, and retest on an official mission. The May 1, 2025 update changed MvM robot-limit support and corrected several MvM defects, so an old binary can produce misleading symptoms.
The Linux process exits immediately
Read the first missing-library message in the terminal or service log. Install the required 32-bit compatibility libraries and verify the TF2 replay-library dependency, then launch again before investigating map or mission files.
Quick Recap
Operational checklist before inviting players
- Dedicated server files installed and updated; App ID
232250is used by the installation. - Launch command starts an MvM map and sets an intentional
maxplayersvalue. tf/cfg/server.cfgcontains hostname, access control, logging, administration, and the chosentf_mvm_min_players_to_start.- Official mission tested successfully before custom content.
- Workshop maps use
workshop/<mapid>; custom.popfiles were tested on staging. - UDP gameplay forwarding works; TCP RCON is opened only if required.
sv_downloadurlpoints to a reachable mirror without a trailing slash when custom assets are used.- Players understand that this unofficial server does not grant Mann Up ticket rewards or Tour of Duty tracking.
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