Festive vs Festivized Weapons: Telling TF2's Lights Apart

On October 14, 2026, a Strange Festive Scattergun listed on Steam from $306.09. A Strange Festivized Scattergun listed from $2.55. Both are Strange Scatterguns wrapped in blinking Christmas lights, and at a glance in a trade window they can look almost the same. The hundredfold gap between them is the whole reason this distinction matters.

Two ways to get the lights

Festive weapons

Festive weapons are separate items, not modified ones. The first ten, including the Festive Scattergun, Rocket Launcher, Minigun and Medi Gun, arrived with the Australian Christmas 2011 update on December 15, 2011. More followed in the Mecha Update of December 2012 and in the Smissmas updates of 2013 and 2014. They came out of the Naughty Winter Crates of those years, in Unique and Strange quality, with Strange copies far rarer.

Besides the light strings, many Festive weapons have extra decorations such as bells, baubles, ribbons or wrapping paper, and some use their own textures. Since September 17, 2014, Festive weapons have carried the "Limited" attribute.

Festivized weapons

Festivized weapons are ordinary weapons with a Festivizer applied. The Festivizer debuted on December 22, 2015, inside the Smissmas 2015 Festive Gift, and has been a bonus drop from winter cosmetic cases since Smissmas 2016. Applying one adds a string of yellow, green and team-colored lights powered by a pair of Bonk batteries, but none of the extra decorations.

A Festivizer keeps the weapon's quality: a Strange weapon stays Strange. Stock weapons become Unique when Festivized. Over the years Valve widened the list of eligible weapons, adding Australium weapons (except the Frontier Justice) at Smissmas 2017, and Smissmas 2025 added a large batch of community-requested weapons. Decorated weapons have been Festivizable since December 22, 2015.

Festivizers are cheap and plentiful. As of October 14, 2026, the Festivizer listed from $1.34 on Steam, with 942 listings and buy orders up to $1.12.

How to tell them apart

Since a patch on January 4, 2018, the game makes this easier:

Before that January 2018 patch, Festivized items used the word "Festive" in their names too, which is how much of the confusion started. The TF2 Wiki's trading guide lists "Festive vs Festivized" as a known scam: someone sends an offer claiming a Strange Festive weapon, and hovering over the item reveals it is only Festivized. Always hover, read the attribute line, and compare the icon.

Prices, as of October 14, 2026

Original Festive weapons carry most of the value, especially in Strange quality. The lowest Steam listings as of October 14, 2026:

Unique Festive weapons from the later batches are inexpensive; the Festive Bonesaw and Festive Shotgun both listed around a dollar. The Strange originals from the first years are where collectors concentrate, with the Scattergun at the top of this list. Prices on the Scattergun category show the whole spread, from plain Stranges to Festive originals.

Even cheap Festive items can move sharply on thin volume. The Festive Bonesaw was up 121.43% over seven days on tf2skins.gg's trending page as of October 14, 2026, which in dollar terms meant a move of a few tens of cents.

Killstreaks and Collector's copies

Two add-ons push Festive originals higher still. Killstreak kits have worked on Festive variants since December 6, 2013, so a Strange Festive weapon can carry a sheen and killstreaker. As of October 14, 2026, a Strange Professional Killstreak Festive Scattergun listed from $719.18 on Steam, against $306.09 for the plain Strange Festive version, though with only two listings.

Collector's quality reached the Festive line too. Collector's Chemistry Sets for the 2013 Festive weapons were a rare bonus drop from the Naughty Winter Crate 2013, and that crate can no longer be opened, so no new ones are entering the game. A Collector's Festive Black Box had a single Steam listing at $671.79 as of October 14, 2026, with the highest buy order at $190.18. With one seller and a wide gap to the best bid, treat that listing as an asking price, not a market value.

Not everything named "Festive" is a Festive weapon

Several holiday cosmetics also carry the word in their names. The Festive Fascinator, an all-class cosmetic, listed from $0.14 as of October 14, 2026. It has nothing to do with the crate-only Festive weapon line, so don't let a familiar word in a listing title stand in for the attribute check.

When Festivized adds value

Festivizing rarely changes much for common weapons, but it can stack with other attributes. As of October 14, 2026, a Strange Festivized Australium Rocket Launcher listed from $119.45, compared with $104.28 for the plain Strange Australium version, so the lights added a modest premium on an already valuable weapon.

A warning about thin listings

The market cap rankings can surface odd items. As of October 14, 2026, the Festivized Plaid Potshotter Mk.II Wrench (Factory New) ranked 18th, because its three Steam listings were priced at $1,426.23 each. The highest buy order for it was $0.60. That is not a valuable item; it is three hopeful asks multiplied together. Whenever a Festivized or decorated weapon shows a surprising price, compare the lowest listing with the best buy order before you trust it.

Checklist before trading

1. Read the name and attribute line. "Festive" plus "Limited" means an original. "Festivized" in purple means a Festivizer was applied.
2. Compare the backpack icon. Original Festive weapons use their own artwork.
3. Check the quality color. Strange originals are the valuable ones; confirm the orange Strange name.
4. Price both versions. Look up the exact name on the comparison page so a Festivized copy isn't priced like an original.
5. Remember the Festivizer can be removed. The Restore option can strip it from a weapon, so what you see in a screenshot may not be what arrives in a trade. Inspect the item in the trade window itself.