Half-Life 2
Overwhelmingly Positive — 98% positive (279,861 reviews)
Last updated 27 Sept 2026
Reawakened from stasis in the occupied metropolis of City 17, Gordon Freeman is joined by Alyx Vance as he leads a desperate human resistance. Experience the landmark first-person shooter packed with immersive world-building, boundary-pushing physics, and exhilarating combat.
£8.50
Lowest price we've ever recorded
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Price history
Action · 2004 · More £5 - £15 games
Explore the occupied metropolis of City 17 as you join forces with Alyx Vance to lead a human resistance. Half-Life 2, developed by Valve, offers an exhilarating first-person shooter experience with groundbreaking gameplay elements and detailed world-building from 2004.
About this game
The Seven Hour War is lost. Earth has surrendered. The Black Mesa incident is a distant memory. The player again picks up the crowbar of research scientist Gordon Freeman, who finds himself on an alien-infested Earth being picked to the bone, its resources depleted, its populace dwindling. Freeman is thrust into the unenviable role of rescuing the world from the wrong he unleashed back at Black Mesa. And a lot of people he cares about are counting on him.
Half-Life 2 is the landmark first-person shooter that “forged the framework for the next generation of games” (PC Gamer). Experience a thrilling campaign packed with unprecedented levels of immersive world-building, boundary-pushing physics, and exhilarating combat.
Includes the Half-Life 2 Episode One and Two Expansions
The story of Half-Life 2 continues with Episodes One and Two, full-featured Half-Life adventures set during the aftermath of the base game. They are accessible from the main menu, and you will automatically advance to the next episode after completing each one.
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Fast multiplayer action set in the Half-Life 2 universe! HL2's physics adds a new dimension to deathmatch play. Play straight deathmatch or try Combine vs. Resistance teamplay. Toss a toilet at your friend today! Included in your Steam library with purchase of Half-Life 2.
Steam Workshop
Play entire campaigns or replace weapons, enemies, UI, and more with content created by the community.
Latest news
Press Coverage
One of our favorite Half-Life 2 mods is getting a stealth game prequel where you're a Combine assassin preying on the human resistance
The cult classic Half-Life 2 mod series Entropy: Zero has another entry in the works, and speaking as a fan of Thief, Deus Ex, and all things immersive sim, Entropy: Zero 2 - Progenitors may be the most exciting one yet... Read more.Read full article on PC Gamer (Ted Litchfield)Press Coverage
Web port wizards produce browser versions of Half-Life 2 and Portal
It's been established that Doom can run on produce, but porting wizardry doesn't start and end with blasting cacodemons on increasingly ludicrous hardware setups. It's sometimes the simple things that stick out most, like this web browser port of Half-Life 2. Not as silly as potatoes, but impressive all the same... Read more.Read full article on PC Gamer (Justin Wagner)Press Coverage
"That lore terrifies me": Ex-Valve writer Chet Faliszek isn't interested in writing a Half-Life 3, as he wouldn't touch a sequel "with with a 10-foot pole"
Stop it. Stop trying to make him do it. He won't. He will not do it. He's been very clear with you. Yes, you, seemingly random commenter who's suggested that making Half-Life 3 would be a piece of cake. Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek doesn't reckon it would be. The mythical sequel's also not something he'd be interested in penning, because he's not a fan of having to deal with a tonne of established lore. Read moreRead full article on Rock, Paper, ShotgunPress Coverage
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek has no interest in writing Half-Life 3: 'I don't want to touch that with a 10-foot pole'
Chet Faliszek opens the above video by explaining, "This is not saying that something's happening, not trying to allude to anything. I'm going to talk about some stuff from like 10-plus years ago. I'm not trying to say anything. OK?" Because if you were a writer on Half-Life 2's episodes (as well as the Left 4 Dead games, the Portal games, other Valve projects, etc.) the internet will interpret anything you say as a confirmation that Half-Life 3 is in the works and will be announced at whatever unassuming videogame showcase is on the horizon, no matter how unlikely... Read more.Read full article on PC Gamer (Jody Macgregor)Press Coverage
You're not crazy, that one sewer puzzle in Half-Life 2 really was harder 22 years ago
YouTuber Ocelot, who specializes in videos comparing different versions of games like Silent Hill 3 and Resident Evil: Code Veronica, recently took to analyzing different versions of Half-Life 2. Valve's FPS may not seem as fruitful a topic for dissection, but there are more differences in these builds than you might think... Read more.Read full article on PC Gamer (Jody Macgregor)
