This is a well made, stylized, team based first person shooter. Teamwork is needed to win at higher levels of play, though lone wolfing is fine on lower skill levels such as on most public servers. There are 9 classes to choose from. Each class has unique weapons and abilities that allow each to fill a unique roll as part of a larger team. This provides for a challenging and rewarding experience when faced against opponents of similar or better skill levels.

There are two official modes of play: player versus player and 'Mann Versus Machine'.

Player versus player is a mode where one team of players battles against another team of players. Within this mode, there are different types of maps. Each type of map has it's own objectives for both teams to achieve.

'Mann Verses Machine' is a mode where a team of up to 6 players battles against waves of bots. Players collect money from destroyed bots. The money is divided equally among players in the team and can be used to purchase upgrades and abilities for the next wave of bots. The pay to play sub-mode, "Mann Up", gives rewards upon completing a "tour".

In addition to the official modes of play, there are several player made mods that introduce other modes of play such as 'Versus Saxton Hale', where a team of players battles against a player playing as a character named Saxton Hale; 'Dodge Ball', where two teams of players playing as Pyros must airblast rockets and other projectiles back and forth in order to stay alive; 'Zombie Mod', where a team of players must make it to the end of the map without dying to zombies that are played by other players; to name just a few of the many player made mods available.

In addition to game play, players will randomly receive free items from the game. Some of the free items given out are weapons, hats and crates. Hats can be worn by a class to change the appearance of that class. Crates can be opened with a key. Keys can be purchased from the Mann Co Store or from the Steam Community Market or traded for from another player. Most crates will list which items can be found within them.

The game has several communities for a player to choose from if a community is what you are looking for. The game is easy to pick up and play, either alone or with friends, yet has a depth of play that will keep you from becoming bored too quickly. The dynamics between the different classes, weapons, play styles, skill levels, modes and maps provides content for many hours of play.