Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Update

[Imperial Knight]

Valve has released an update to Half-Life 2 and is giving out copies for free until Nov. 18!

Half-Life 2 Anniversary Update​

November 16th, 2024 is Half-Life 2's 20th Anniversary since being released and it has received a new update.

Get Half-Life 2 Free on Steam!​

For a limited time, Valve is giving out Half-Life 2 for free. If you add the game to your library before November 18th, you get it free forever: https://store.steampowered.com/app/220/HalfLife_2/

Garry's Mod Content​

Even if you don't plan on playing Half-Life 2, if you play Garry's Mod you should consider getting a copy to have access to Episode 1 and Episode 2 content. Maps and servers use this and it'll reduce the amount of error/missing textures you have.​

Games Combined into HL2​

Episode 1, Episode 2, and Lost Coast have been combined into the main game. If you already own them, they now appear as legacy "Tools" in Steam instead of being under Games.

Steam Workshop Added​

Steam Workshop support has been added to HL2. This means you can easily browse, install, and distribute custom content for HL2: https://steamcommunity.com/app/220/workshop/

Documentary Released​

A new documentary about creating the game has been released by Valve, featuring members of the original HL2 game development team: youtube.com/watch?v=YCjNT9qGjh4

Footage of Episode 3 previously in development has been included and can be found around the 1:53:00 mark: youtu.be/YCjNT9qGjh4&t=6783. Shows interesting concepts such as an ice gun and dynamically sized enemy blobs, which are impressive for the original Source Engine.

Updated Graphics, Content, & Gamepad Support​

Certain graphics settings have been updated to allow for using episodic blood/fire effects in the base game. A new high quality mode for graphics has been added and so has bicubic lightmap filtering. Maps and their props were touched up and lighting has been better balanced when using HDR on these maps.
Gamepad input has been improved and all of these updates have been ported to the Steam Deck version.

More Details​

For more details about the update, see Valve's official announcement: https://www.half-life.com/en/halflife2/20th