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Half-Life

Half-Life

PCPlayStation
Released

Release Date: November 19, 1998

Action, FPP, Science Fiction, FPS, Shooters, Multiplayer, Singleplayer, Internet, LAN

An FPS set in a science-fiction world, created by the debuting American studio Valve Software. The story takes place in secret research facility of Black Mesa and begins the main character of the game – Gordon Freeman - arrives at the facility.

9.7

Steam

8.7

Users

Rate It!
Ratings
[1:45] Ray Traced trailer Videos: 1
Screenshot Images: 124
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Despite the fact that Half-Life is considered a first-person shooter, it is unusual representative of the genre. Even the beginning of the game doesn’t resemble a typical FPS game – we arrive at work as Gordon Freeman, a scientist working in a secret lab called Black Mesa. Everyone is friendly and there is no need to kill anybody, not to mention the fact that we are unarmed. Only after a big disaster the actual action starts.

We don’t save the world in this game, we need to save ourselves by escaping the destroyed complex. Our escape path is blocked by alien invaders, though, as well as human marines tasked with making sure that no one comes out of the lab alive. However, some of our collegues survived, too, and it is possible to cooperate with them.

The atmosphere of horror is much better than in many productions of that genre. Our enemies are very intelligent and even fight among themselves, so we can avoid combat in more than one occasion. Great graphics and sound only boost the suspense and the fear of what’s around the corner. Half-Life is definitely a game worth checking out.

Platforms:

PC Windows

PC Windows November 19, 1998

PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2 November 30, 2001

Developer: Valve Corporation / Gearbox Software (PS2)

Publisher: Sierra

Game Series

Half-Life
Half-Life
Half-Life

10GAMES

Half-Life Game Series

A hugely popular series of first-person shooters (FPS) set in a science fiction universe. The series was created by Valve Software studio with support from Gearbox Software and Taito Corporation, among others.

Half-Life Game Series

Features

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10 Coolest Video-Games Weapons

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Eight Enemies We Were Sorry to Kill

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News

His Steam account was hacked several times. The rescue turned out to be a 19-year-old game

His Steam account was hacked several times. The rescue turned out to be a 19-year-old game

The keys from old boxed editions of a game can come in handy when a Steam user loses access to their account.

video games

Jacob Blazewicz

October 17, 2025

His Steam account was hacked several times. The rescue turned out to be a 19-year-old game
Steam and Half-Life were created because Gabe Newell couldn't stand that „more people were using Doom than Windows”

Steam and Half-Life were created because Gabe Newell couldn't stand that „more people were using Doom than Windows”

Gabe Newell recently gave an interview in which he shared the story behind the founding of Valve. As it turns out, Microsoft and Doom played a big role in it.

video games

Agnes Adamus

July 29, 2025

Steam and Half-Life were created because Gabe Newell couldn't stand that „more people were using Doom than Windows”
21 Years Ago Valve's Future Was Saved by Counter-Strike 2 Deal. Gabe Newell Made Knife Out of Joy

21 Years Ago Valve's Future Was Saved by Counter-Strike 2 Deal. Gabe Newell Made Knife Out of Joy

The contract to develop a game called Counter-Strike 2 was signed back in 2003. To celebrate this success, Gabe Newell - the founder of Valve - handmade a knife with the name of the game.

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Maciej Gaffke

November 22, 2024

21 Years Ago Valve's Future Was Saved by Counter-Strike 2 Deal. Gabe Newell Made Knife Out of Joy
Valve Keeps on Patching Half-Life; Age-old Bug Removed

Valve Keeps on Patching Half-Life; Age-old Bug Removed

It didn't end with one update. Half-Life received three more hotfixes, and the last one removed a bug that has annoyed fans for the past 25 years.

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November 23, 2023

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Half-Life Gets Big Update for 25th Anniversary [Update: Weekend Success]

Half-Life Gets Big Update for 25th Anniversary [Update: Weekend Success]

Valve is lavishly celebrating Half-Life's 25th birthday. You can get the game for free on Steam and it received an update with new content and many improvements.

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November 19, 2023

Half-Life Gets Big Update for 25th Anniversary [Update: Weekend Success]
Fans Make Impressive Remakes of Half-Life DLC [Update: New Levels]

Fans Make Impressive Remakes of Half-Life DLC [Update: New Levels]

Half-Life DLCs have never lived to see official remakes, but fans are trying to fill the gap. One such project, based on Opposing Force, has just received a new version.

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August 20, 2023

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Half-Life Looks Gorgeous With Ray Tracing; You Can Test it Now

You can now download the Half-Life 1: Ray Traced project. True to its title, it's a modification that enhances the first Half-Life with ray tracing.

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February 23, 2023

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Black Mesa: Blue Shift - Fan Remake of Half-Life DLC Gains New Missions

Black Mesa: Blue Shift - Fan Remake of Half-Life DLC Gains New Missions

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Half-Life: Another Story Combines Valve's Hit With Doom

An ambitious and highly unusual mod called Half-Life: Another Story has been released. The project offers a new adventure in the universe of the Valve's series, but it is built on the Doom II engine.

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Half-Life Sets New Popularity Record on Steam

Half-Life Sets New Popularity Record on Steam

The first Half-Life is a dated game, but despite the passage of time it still manages to attract and unite players. The record of 6022 concurrent players is a thing of the past. All it took was one action to improve it, and twofold!

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Jakub Tarchala

August 16, 2022

Half-Life Sets New Popularity Record on Steam

Downloads

Top downloads for Half-Life Video Game:

All Downloads

System Requirements

System Requirements for Half-Life Video Game:

PC Windows

PC / Windows

Recommended System Requirements:
Pentium II 266MHz, 32MB RAM, graphic card.

Sony PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

Supports:
memory card

Expansions

List of Game Expansions for Video Game:

Half-Life: Blue Shift

Half-Life: Blue Shift

PC

Expansion

June 14, 2001

Action

The second, but this time a standalone, addition to the Half-Life game, developed once again by the American studio Gearbox Software under the watchful eye of the original's creators. The next episode is also another look at the same events. This time, they're shown from the perspective of a Black Mesa guardian whose task is to investigate the lab's restricted areas and rescue the surviving scientists.

7.0

Gamepressure

9.3

Steam

8.4

Users

Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Counter-Strike

Half-Life: Counter-Strike

PC

Expansion

November 23, 2000

Action

Multiplayer modification of the cult Half-Life, prepared by the creators of the original from Valve Software studio. The game is a tactical FPP shooter, in which two teams face each other, representing terrorists and specialized anti-terrorist units. Each team has at their disposal a dedicated arsenal of weapons, which were prepared on the basis of original equipment of special forces from different countries (like Navy Seals, GSG9, GIGN or SAS).

9.7

Steam

8.4

Users

Half-Life: Counter-Strike
Half-Life: Opposing Force

Half-Life: Opposing Force

PC

Expansion

December 3, 1999

Action

The official expansion for Half-Life, Valve's bestselling debut from 1998. Gearbox Software, a young but experienced studio, was chosen to create the expansion. The Opposing Force storyline presents the events known from the original from a completely different perspective. We play as one of Gordon Freeman's opponents - a marine sent to cover up an incident at Black Mesa laboratories.

9.5

Steam

8.8

Users

Half-Life: Opposing Force
Team Fortress Classic

Team Fortress Classic

PC

Expansion

February 25, 1999

Action

Intended exclusively for multiplayer tactical action game, developed by the creators of Half-Life - American studio Valve. Production began its life as a modification of the legendary Quake, but after Valve bought the rights to the title, the effects of the developers' work were transferred to the Half-Life engine and made available as a free addition to the game. The gameplay in Team Fortress is based on a competition between two teams, consisting of soldiers belonging to nine different classes (e.g. sniper, medic, engineer or spy).

8.7

Steam

7.3

Users

Team Fortress Classic

Ratings

Game Ratings for Half-Life Video Game.

97%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (154,069)

STEAM
User Reviews Summary generated by AI

The main pros of the game

  • Innovative Gameplay: Many users praised the game for its groundbreaking mechanics and level design, which reward exploration and curiosity.
  • Engaging Atmosphere: The game's setting, particularly the Black Mesa facility, is described as immersive and creepy, enhancing the overall experience.
  • Strong Narrative: The story is considered compelling, with many players noting its ability to keep them engaged throughout the game.
  • Historical Significance: As a classic and influential title, Half-Life is often regarded as a must-play for understanding the evolution of the FPS genre.
  • Good Performance on Older Systems: The game runs well even on low-end hardware, making it accessible to a wide audience.
  • Replay Value: The modding community and the nostalgic appeal keep players returning to the game.

The main cons of the game

  • Outdated Graphics and Audio: Many reviews mention that the graphics and sound quality feel dated, which can detract from the experience for some players.
  • Frustrating Gameplay Elements: Some users found certain sections, especially towards the end (e.g., the Xen chapters), to be tedious or frustrating, with issues related to platforming and enemy difficulty.
  • Lack of Clear Direction: Players noted that the game sometimes lacks clear objectives or guidance, leading to confusion about where to go next.
  • Bugs and Technical Issues: A few reviews mentioned bugs and crashes, particularly related to specific settings or on certain operating systems.

The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users

  • Enhanced Audio Options: Some players expressed a desire for the original CD audio or better music integration, as the current version lacks this.
  • More Story Depth: While the narrative is engaging, a few reviews mentioned a wish for deeper dialogue or character development.
  • Quality of Life Improvements: Suggestions included more modern features like a workshop for mods or an updated save system to ease gameplay frustrations.
  • Improved Level Design: Some users felt that certain levels, especially in the latter part of the game, could benefit from reworking to avoid repetitiveness and frustration.

Summary

  • Overall, while Half-Life is celebrated as a classic and a significant title in gaming history, it also shows its age through certain gameplay mechanics and technical aspects that may not meet modern standards.

Summary generated on:

8.7

USERS Score

Average score from votes.

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