Save file · Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
First release on record 16 Nov 2004 · first-person shooter, science fiction
Half-Life 2 is a single-player first-person shooter Valve built on the Source engine. Gordon Freeman wakes in occupied City 17 and joins Alyx Vance against the Combine after the Seven Hour War. Valve and Steam both date the first release to 16 November 2004 on Windows; Valve also lists Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux and Android. Steam sells the current PC edition for 9.99 USD and now includes Episode One, Episode Two, Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. The Orange Box is 19.99 USD on Steam and adds Portal and Team Fortress 2. ESRB rates the campaign Mature 17+ for Blood and Gore and Intense Violence. It suits players who want Freeman's story campaign, physics-based combat, gamepad support and no extra paid story expansion.
Researched from the official pages · Updated
| First release | 16 November 2004 (Windows) |
|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux, Android (Valve list); ESRB also lists Xbox |
| Developer | Valve |
| Publisher | Valve on Steam; Vivendi and Electronic Arts on older rating records |
| Price | 9.99 USD on Steam (US), no sale shown 29 October 2026 · checked 29 Oct 2026 |
| Modes | Single-player campaign; Half-Life 2: Deathmatch included on Steam |
| Age rating | ESRB Mature 17+; USK 18; ACB MA 15+ |
| PC needs | 1.7 GHz CPU, 0.5 GB RAM, DirectX 8.1 GPU, 6.5 GB storage (Steam minimum) |
| Languages | 27 supported on Steam; English, French, German, Italian, Korean have full audio |
Where can you buy and play Half-Life 2 now?
Steam is the store Valve links from the official Half-Life 2 page, and the US Steam price for the current PC build is 9.99 USD. Valve dates the first Windows release to 16 November 2004 and lists Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, OS X, Linux and Android. ESRB lists Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360. Original Xbox appears on that ESRB record and on an Australian Classification Xbox filing dated 7 October 2005; Valve's current Half-Life 2 page omits original Xbox. Microsoft lists The Orange Box for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, naming Half-Life 2 among five Valve titles, with no US dollar price shown on the extracted page. The Google Play listing for com.nvidia.valvesoftware.halflife2 returned Not Found on 29 October 2026.
What did the 20th Anniversary Update add to the Steam edition?
Valve's 20th Anniversary Update is the Half-Life 2 build Steam now sells. Episode One and Episode Two are included, listed on the main menu, and continue automatically after the base campaign. Lost Coast is in the Extras menu. Valve recorded 3.5 hours of new developer commentary for the original campaign and added in-game Steam Workshop browsing. Valve level designers revised every map, restored missing detail, raised lightmap resolution, added radial fog, and let players pick original 2004 blood and fire or later episode effects. Gamepad controls were rebuilt with separate aim-assist for mouse and pad, and the Steam Deck main menu appears in Steam Big Picture. The 9.99 USD Steam product is that updated build.
How much is Half-Life 2 on US stores, and what do the bundles include?
On 29 October 2026 the US Steam price for Half-Life 2 was 9.99 USD with no discount shown. The Orange Box was 19.99 USD on Steam and is dated 10 October 2007 on that package page. Steam also listed Half-Life Complete at 44.94 USD, 40 percent off at 26.94 USD, with no sale end date shown. The soundtrack on the Half-Life 2 DLC list is free. The Xbox Orange Box page listed the pack without a displayed US price and said online multiplayer on console requires Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate.
Does Half-Life 2 have multiplayer, split-screen or crossplay?
Steam tags Half-Life 2 as Single-player. The same purchase grants Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, described as deathmatch or Combine versus Resistance team play, with no maximum player count on the Half-Life 2 store page. Local split-screen and crossplay are not listed for the campaign. Steam Cloud and Family Sharing are listed. The Orange Box Xbox page advertises online multiplayer for 2 to 16 players for the pack, which also contains Team Fortress 2. Cross-progression between Steam and Xbox is not described on the pages read.
What PC does Half-Life 2 need, and how does Steam Deck fit in?
Steam publishes a minimum PC spec only. That floor is Windows 7, Vista or XP, a 1.7 GHz processor, 512 MB of memory (0.5 GB), a DirectX 8.1 class graphics card that supports SSE, and 6500 MB (6.5 GB) of storage. From 1 January 2024 the Steam client supports Windows 10 and later only. Valve's anniversary notes add a gamepad settings menu, Steam Deck menu support and default 4x MSAA. The Steam store extract did not show a Steam Deck Verified, Playable or Unsupported badge.
How is Half-Life 2 rated for age?
ESRB rates Half-Life 2 Mature 17+ for Blood and Gore and Intense Violence, with Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB on PC, for Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360. USK classified the PC game on 15 September 2004 as keine Jugendfreigabe gemäß § 14 JuSchG under Vivendi Universal Interactive Publishing. Australian Classification rated the original PC game MA 15+ for High level animated violence on 1 November 2004 under Vivendi, and the Xbox version MA 15+ for Strong violence on 7 October 2005 under Electronic Arts. The Xbox Orange Box page shows TEEN with Blood and Strong Language, the pack's label, distinct from ESRB Mature 17+ for Half-Life 2.
What DLC and expansions ship with Half-Life 2?
The Steam DLC list for Half-Life 2 shows Half-Life 2 Soundtrack, free, dated 24 September 2014. Episode One and Episode Two are included in the base Steam purchase after the anniversary update. Lost Coast is in Extras. Deathmatch is granted with the 9.99 USD Steam purchase. The Orange Box at 19.99 USD is the Steam cart that also adds Portal and Team Fortress 2. No paid Half-Life 2 story DLC appeared on the Steam DLC page.
Release dates by platform
| Platform | Date | Region | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Windows | 16 Nov 2004 | worldwide | Released |
Prices and editions
| Store | Edition | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam (US) | Half-Life 2 | $9.99 | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Steam (US) | The Orange Box | $19.99 | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Steam (US) | Half-Life Complete | $26.94 | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Steam (US) | Valve Complete Pack | $116.84 | 29 Oct 2026 |
| Xbox (US) | The Orange Box | — | 29 Oct 2026 |
Prices change often; each is the store's own price on the day shown.
PC requirements
| Minimum | |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 7, Vista or XP (Steam client requires Windows 10 or later from 1 January 2024) |
| Processor | 1.7 GHz |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Graphics | DirectX 8.1 class card with SSE support |
| Video memory | — |
| Storage | 6.5 GB |
| DirectX | 8.1 |
From the game's official store page, read 29 Oct 2026; summarised in our own words.
Modes and features
| Feature | On record | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Single-player | Yes; the Steam campaign is tagged Single-player | Windows |
| Online multiplayer | Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is included with the Steam purchase; no player cap is printed on the Half-Life 2 store page | Windows |
| Local or split-screen | Not listed on the Half-Life 2 Steam page | Windows |
| Crossplay | Not listed for the Half-Life 2 campaign | Windows |
| Cross-progression | Steam Cloud is listed; Steam-to-Xbox cross-progression is not described | Windows |
| Controller support | Gamepad settings, aim-assist and a Steam Deck / Big Picture menu shipped in the 20th Anniversary Update | Windows |
| Steam Deck rating | Not shown on the Steam store extract; Valve describes Steam Deck menu and input updates | Windows |
| Cloud saves | Steam Cloud | Windows |
| Supported languages | 27; English, French, German, Italian and Korean include interface, full audio and subtitles | Windows |
| Family Sharing | Listed on Steam | Windows |
| Remote Play Together | Listed on Steam, with Remote Play on Phone and Tablet | Windows |
| Orange Box console multiplayer | Xbox pack lists online multiplayer for 2 to 16 players; console online play requires Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate | Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S |
| Orange Box console extras | 4K Ultra HD and Xbox One X Enhanced listed for The Orange Box pack | Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S |
DLC and expansions
| Name | Released | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Half-Life 2 Soundtrack | 24 Sep 2014 | Free · checked 29 Oct 2026 |
Age ratings
| Board | Rating | Content descriptors |
|---|---|---|
| ESRB | Mature 17+ | Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Online Interactions Not Rated by the ESRB (PC) |
| USK | 18 | keine Jugendfreigabe gemäß § 14 JuSchG |
| ACB | MA 15+ | High level animated violence |
| ACB | MA 15+ | Strong violence |
FAQ
Is a Half-Life 2 demo available?
Steam's Half-Life 2 page includes a Download Half-Life 2: Demo control next to the purchase module.
Are Episode One and Episode Two still sold as separate add-ons you must buy with Half-Life 2?
Valve states Episode One and Episode Two are included with Half-Life 2, playable from the main menu, with automatic advance after each campaign.
Can you still buy Half-Life 2 on Google Play for NVIDIA Shield?
The Google Play URL for com.nvidia.valvesoftware.halflife2 returned Not Found on 29 October 2026. Valve's site still names Android as a platform.
Which company is listed as publisher on the rating boards versus Steam?
Steam and Valve's current site list Valve as publisher. USK and the original Australian PC classification list Vivendi. ESRB and the Australian Xbox classification list Electronic Arts.
Does The Orange Box on Xbox require Xbox Game Pass to play Gordon Freeman's campaign?
The Xbox Orange Box page says online multiplayer on console requires Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate. Half-Life 2's campaign is listed as single-player on Steam.
Our take
Buy the current Steam Half-Life 2 for 9.99 USD if the goal is Gordon Freeman's campaign plus Episode One, Episode Two, Lost Coast, Deathmatch, commentary, Workshop and Steam Cloud on a PC that can run Steam on Windows 10 or later. Pick The Orange Box at 19.99 USD only when Portal and Team Fortress 2 belong in the same cart. The Google Play Shield listing is gone. Treat ESRB Mature 17+ as the rating for Half-Life 2 itself. Steam showed no always-online requirement for the story; console online multiplayer in the Xbox pack is subscription-gated.
Best for: Players who want Gordon Freeman's campaign plus Episode One and Episode Two in one Steam purchase; PC players who want Steam Cloud, Workshop, gamepad options and Family Sharing.
Not for: Anyone planning a Google Play / NVIDIA Shield purchase from the old store URL; Players looking for a current PlayStation Store listing of Half-Life 2; Buyers who treat the Xbox Orange Box TEEN label as the rating for the Half-Life 2 campaign.
Which version: The current Steam Half-Life 2 build at 9.99 USD, which includes the 20th Anniversary Update, Episode One, Episode Two, Lost Coast and Deathmatch.
Built only from the official facts above. We don't review games we haven't played, and nothing here is paid.
Sources
- Valve read 29 Oct 2026
- Valve read 29 Oct 2026
- Valve read 29 Oct 2026
- ESRB read 29 Oct 2026
- USK read 29 Oct 2026
- Microsoft read 29 Oct 2026
- Google read 29 Oct 2026
- Valve read 29 Oct 2026
- Australian Classification Board read 29 Oct 2026
- PEGI read 29 Oct 2026
- Australian Classification Board read 29 Oct 2026
- Australian Classification Board read 29 Oct 2026
- Valve read 29 Oct 2026
The record
Every line has its source and the day it was read- Dates on record
- 16 Nov 2004 Wikidata · read 26 Oct 2026
- Developer
- Valve CorporationWikidata · role not verified
- Publishers on record
- Valve Corporation Wikidata
- Genres
- first-person shooter, science fiction video game, post-apocalyptic video game, science fiction horror Wikidata
- Modes
- single-player Wikidata
- Age ratings on record
- Wikidata
- Series
- Half-Life Wikidata
- Engine
- Source Wikidata
- Platforms on record
- WindowsmacOSLinuxPS3Xbox 360AndroidXbox on Wikidata · on Wikidata without a reference. A platform missing here is not proof it is absent.
Facts: Wikidata Q193581 (CC0), revision 2558407669, read 26 Oct 2026, researched by VGKami Games Research (VGK-WIKIDATA-CENTRE-20261028-V3d). Spotted a wrong fact? Tell us.
On VGKami's lists
- Games by Valve Corporation17 games