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{{Infobox game
|title = Half-Life 2
|image = Software Cover - Half-Life 2.jpg
|developer = [[Valve Corporation]]
|publisher = Sierra Entertainment (initial retail)<br>Electronic Arts (GotY edition)<br>Valve Corporation (digital)
|series = [[Half-Life series]]
|releasedates = {{ExpandBox|title=November 16, 2004|'''Windows:'''<br>November 16, 2004<br>'''Xbox:'''<br>November 15, 2005<br>'''Xbox 360:'''<br>October 10, 2007<br>'''PlayStation 3:'''<br>December 11, 2007<br>'''macOS:'''<br>May 26, 2010<br>'''Linux:'''<br>May 9, 2013<br>'''Android'''<br>May 12, 2014<!--expand template-->}}
|genre = [[WP:First-person shooter|First-person shooter]]
|mode = [[WP:Single-player video game|Single-player]]
|platform = [[WP:Windows|Windows]], [[WP:Xbox_(console)|Xbox]], [[WP:Xbox_360|Xbox 360]], [[WP:PlayStation 3|PlayStation 3]], [[WP:Android|Android]] (Nvidia Shield), [[WP:macOS|macOS]], [[WP:Linux|Linux]]
|engine = {{src|4}} ({{src13sp|1|nt=1}})
|appid = 220
|codelang = [[WP:C++|C++]]
|modsupport = Yes ({{code|custom}} folder, {{code|sourcemods}}, [[Steam Workshop]])
|sdk = [[Source SDK]]
|doc = [[:Category:Half-Life 2 level design|Half-Life 2 level design]]
|sysreq = <span></span>
* [[WP:Windows Vista|Win Vista]], [[WP:Windows 7|7]] or later
* 1.7 GHz and/or Dual-core
* 1 [[WP:Gigabyte|GB]] [[WP:Random-access memory|RAM]]
* 6.5 GB disk space
* NVIDIA GeForce 6xxx series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000<br>with 128 [[WP:Megabyte|MB]] [[WP:Video random-access memory|VRAM]]
''New Engine only. For details, [[#System Requirements|see below]]''
 
 
|distribution = Retail, [[Steam]]
|website = [https://www.half-life.com/halflife2 Official Website]
|links = {{Steam store|app/220|Steam page}}<br>{{Steam community|app/220/workshop|Steam Workshop page}}<br>{{Moddb|games/half-life-2|page=other|ModDB page}}
|previousgame = {{hl|2}}
|nextgame = {{hl2lc|2}}<br>{{hl2ep1|2}} (chronologically)
}}
[[File:City17 trainstation.jpg|thumb|''"Welcome. Welcome to City 17. You have chosen, or been chosen, to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers."'']]
[[File:City17 trainstation.jpg|thumb|''"Welcome. Welcome to City 17. You have chosen, or been chosen, to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers."'']]
{{metacritic score|color=lightgreen|gameid=half-life-2|platform=pc|score=96}}
<span style="color:white; font-weight:bold">Half-Life 2</span> (abbreviated as '''HL2''') defines a new benchmark in gaming with startling realism and responsiveness. Powered by then-new [[Source]] technology, '''Half-Life 2''' features the most sophisticated in-game characters ever witnessed, advanced AI, stunning graphics and physical gameplay. This was the first game requiring installation of {{steamicon|1}} when it came out back in 2004.
{{game release|appid=220}}
 
__NOTOC__
'''Half-Life 2''' is the sequel to the 1998 '''[[Half-Life]]'''. A sequel to '''Half-Life 2''' was released in 2006, titled '''[[Half-Life 2: Episode One]]''', followed by '''{{hl2ep2|1|nt=1}}''' in 2007, being the last Half-Life 2 episode. A virtual reality prequel was released in 2020, titled '''[[Half-Life: Alyx]]'''.
{{game name|hl2|name=Half-Life 2}} (2004) defines a new benchmark in gaming with startling realism and responsiveness. Powered by {{game name|src|name=Source}} technology, Half-Life 2 features the most sophisticated in-game characters ever witnessed, advanced AI, stunning graphics and physical gameplay.
 
'''Half-Life 2''' was [[Half-Life 2 (Xbox)|later ported]] for the [[WP:Xbox|Xbox]] console in 2005, as well as for the [[WP:Xbox 360|Xbox 360]] and [[WP:PlayStation 3|PlayStation 3]] in 2007, bundled under '''[[The Orange Box]]'''. The console versions use {{src07|1}}, and maps have been recompiled with HDR lighting data only.
 
A major update ('''Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Update'''), has been released on November 16, 2024 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the game. It adds Steam Workshop support, developer commentary, fixing various bugs, and both episodes ({{hl2ep1|1|nt=1}}, {{hl2ep2|1|nt=1}}), aswell as {{hl2lc|1|nt=0}} now accessible directly on Half-Life 2 menu. There are also many other changes to the graphics, such as "Very High" shaders that enable Bicubic [[lightmap]] filtering, [[radial fog]] (enabled on some maps), and option to use classic fire/blood particle effect.{{Cite|1}}


Half-Life 2 is the successor to {{game name|hl1|name=Half-Life}} (1998) which was created with {{game name|gldsrc|name=GoldSource}}.
{{Note|Since November 16, 2024, any user who owns {{hl2|4}} (or any HL2 series game) can play:
<br>{{ep1|2}}<br>{{ep2|2}}<br>{{hl2lc|2}}<br>{{hldms|2}}<br>{{hl2dm|2}}}}


{{note|''Although Source [[mod]]s are often described as being "for Half-Life 2", they actually use [[Source SDK Base]]. SDK Base is available to anyone who owns any Valve Source game and provides all of Half-Life 2's content (except [[BSP|maps]] and [[VCD|vcd scenes]]) on a static branch of the engine.''}}
{{Note|If you encounter issues (such as some textures rendered as white/black or completely transparent), or unable to use certain feature of a mod when playing a Source mod (example: MMod (FXAA anti-aliasing and some post-processing effects), Cinematic Mod, etc.) which mounts Half-Life 2 files, or installing a custom addon/mod (outside Steam Workshop) made prior to the update, you might need to downgrade the game to "{{code|steam_legacy}} - Pre-20th Anniversary Build", and/or wait for developers to make the game or mod compatible with changes after 20th Anniversary Update. This is because 20th anniversary update make changes to engine, shaders (such as adding bicubic lightmaps), and many other changes.}}


{{note|As of May 26 2010, the branch of Source under which Half-Life 2 originally ran no longer exists on Steam. Very, very old mods which base themselves directly on the game (as opposed to [[Source SDK Base]]) are unlikely to work any more!}}
== Features ==
This section only features changes exclusive to {{hl2|1}} (and partially {{hls|1}}, {{portal|1}} (since May 2025) or mods base directly on {{hl2|1}} instead of SDK 2013), such as the recent 20th anniversary update. For features introduced in Source 2013 SP branch, see [[Source_2013#Features|this page]]. For Source engine features, see [[Source|Source engine page]].
; [[VGUI]] High DPI support {{also|{{tf2branch}} {{hls}}}}
: VGUI are now properly scalable on higher resolutions such as 4K (3840x2160).
; [[GameMenu.res#Commands|Switch expansions]] through menu
: Players can switch to '''Episode One''' and '''Two''', aswell as '''Lost Coast''' through main menu. This feature works similar to Orange Box select game menu in {{360|1}} and {{ps3|1}}.
; {{w|Bicubic}} lightmap filtering {{also|{{tf2branch}}{{hls}}}}
: Introduced in 2024, bicubic filtering is used on [[lightmap]]s when {{cmd|r_lightmap_bicubic}} is enabled, smoothing out aliasing caused by the lower resolution of lightmaps. It can be also enabled by setting the Shader detail to "Very High".
; [[env_fog_controller|Radial fog]] {{also|{{tf2branch}}{{mapbase}}{{l4dbranch}}{{asbranch}}{{p2branch}}{{csgobranch}}{{strata}}}}
: Unlike planar-based fog, radial fog does not strengthen or weaken the apparent amount of fog in a particular spot when you rotate the camera.
: You can either use radial fog or planar-based fog by changing {{ent|env_fog_controller}} "Use Radial Fog {{mono|(fogRadial)}}" KeyValues.
: {{hl2|1}} only uses radial fog in certain maps, mostly large area such as Canals (in [[Water Hazard]]), or Coast (in [[Highway 17]] and [[Sandtraps]]). Maps that use radial fog also have their fog value & distance changed.
; Continue music playback after loading levels {{also|{{hls}}}}
: Introduced in HL2's November 26, 2024 Update, music will continue to play after the next level is loaded, instead of stopping completely like in previous versions. Can be toggled using {{code|save_transition_music}} [[console command]].


== Content ==
== Content ==
* '''Half-Life 2''' content (<code>hl2</code>)
* '''Half-Life 2: Episode One''' content (<code>episodic</code>)
* '''Half-Life 2: Episode Two''' content (<code>ep2</code>)
* '''Half-Life 2: Lost Coast''' content (<code>lostcoast</code>)
* '''Half-Life 2 Complete''' (<code>hl2_complete</code>)
** On Steam, the game will be launched with {{code|hl2_complete}}, allowing users to switch to HL2, EP1, EP2 and Lost Coast through the menu (similar to {{tob|2}} on {{360|1}} & {{ps3|1}}). Running {{code|hl2.exe}} directly will instead launch {{code|hl2}}, with old UI font and without option for switching games through menu.
* Source shared (<code>hl2</code>)
* '''Source 2013 Singleplayer''' engine branch ([[Source 2013#HL2_20th_anniversary_update|updated version]])
== Other versions of Half-Life 2 ==
=== Demo ===
Half-Life 2 has a demo version, available for free. The demo consists of excerpts of the Point Insertion and Ravenholm chapters ({{code|d1_trainstation_01}} and {{code|d1_trainstation_02}}) and "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." ({{code|d1_town_01}}, {{code|d1_town_02}} and {{code|d1_town_03}}).
{{note|If you already own the game, to enter the demo mode, use the {{code|-demo}} [[Command line options|command line options]].}}
=== Half-Life 2: Update ===
{{Main|Half-Life 2: Update}}
'''Half-Life 2: Update''' is the mod developed by Fillip Victor, which improves Half-Life 2 by fixing bugs and featuring graphical improvements. It also includes [[Commentary System|Community Commentary]], featuring Update developers and YouTubers (community).
This mod is no longer actively updated since 2015 and does not feature any new updates, bug fixes and features from Steam Deck update, Anniversary Update introduced in original Half-Life 2.
=== Half-Life 2 RTX ===
{{Main|Half-Life 2 RTX}}
A ray-traced version of '''Half-Life 2''' is currently under development by Orbifold Studios, and promoted by {{wp|GeForce|Nvidia}}, using Nvidia's RTX Remix tool. A demo version featuring only [[Ravenholm]] and [[Nova Prospekt]] was released in March 18, 2025.


* Half-Life 2 maps (<code>hl2</code>)
This version aims to remaster the entire game with new ray-traced lighting, real-time reflections, PBR textures, and a lot more without changing the core gameplay, similar to '''[[Portal RTX]]'''.
* Source shared (<code>hl2</code>)
* {{Game name|src13|name=Source 2013}} SP engine branch


== Chapters ==
== Chapters ==
# [[Point Insertion]]
'''Half-Life 2''' has 13 chapters (excluding Credits). In the demo version of the game, only two Point Insertion maps ({{code|d1_trainstation_01}} and {{code|d1_trainstation_02}}) and "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." ({{code|d1_town_01}}, {{code|d1_town_02}} and {{code|d1_town_03}}) is playable.
# [["A Red Letter Day"]]
{{Chapters}}
# [[Route Kanal]]
Since 20th Anniversary Update, users can switch to '''Episode One''' and '''Episode Two''' through Half-Life 2 menu, and play any Episodes chapters there. Lost Coast is also accessible through Extras main menu, with only one chapter named '''Lost Coast'''.
# [[Water Hazard]]
 
# [[Black Mesa East]]
<center>
# [[Ravenholm|"We don't go to Ravenholm..."]]
'''Half-Life 2: Episode One''' has 5 chapters (excluding Credits), and 7 chapters for '''Episode Two'''.
# [[Highway 17]]
{{Chapters|game=hl2ep1|state=collapsed}}
# [[Sandtraps]]
{{Chapters|game=hl2ep2|state=collapsed}}
# [[Nova Prospekt]]
</center>
# [[Entanglement]]
 
# [[Anticitizen One]]
== [[NPC|NPCs]] ==
# [["Follow Freeman!"]]
{{main|:Category:Half-Life 2 NPCs}}
# [[Our Benefactors]]
 
# [[Dark Energy]]
== Credits ==
{{main|Half-Life 2 Credits}}
{{Expand|noborder=1|title=Half-Life 2 Credits|{{:Half-Life 2 Credits/nocat}}
}}
 
== Limitations/Bugs ==
*For more '''Half-Life 2''' bugs, see this [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues?q=is%3Aopen+is%3Aissue+label%3A%22Half-Life+2%22 GitHub] page.
This section only list various bugs that are commonly encountered.
=== {{unresolved|bugs}} ===
None.
 
=== {{resolved|bugs}} ===
; Missing lighting on LDR / LDR with Bloom
:Previous version of '''Half-Life 2''' from 2010 to 2023 lacks LDR lighting on multiple game levels (starting from [[Black Mesa East]] ({{code|d1_eli_01}}) until the end of [[Nova Prospekt]]). This means that if [[HDR]] is disabled (by selecting "None" or "Bloom only" in HDR settings), [[mat_fullbright]] will be set to 1, disabling lighting and making everything bright and flat ([https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues/577 relevant GitHub issue]). Because of this, HDR is required to play the game until this is fixed.<br>This issue is not affected in the previous version of the game (which uses an older version of Source ({{src04|1}}) and all of the maps lighting are compiled in LDR only), and is fixed in '''[[Half-Life 2: Update]]''', aswell as 20th Anniversary update.
 
; Dropship NPC gun broken
:There was a bug with the [[Dropship]]'s gun that was unable to turn, this makes the [[Sandtraps]] chapter much easier.{{Cite|2}} This bug was introduced with {{src07|1}} engine branch and later, affecting both the console release of the game on [[WP:Xbox 360|X360]]/[[WP:Playstation 3|PS3]] (remains unfixed) and later in 2010 with the {{src09|1}} engine update on Mac & PC release.<br>Fixed in the current Steam version since 2022's the [[Steam Deck]] update of '''Half-Life 2'''. However, there are many third-party Source mods (including {{hl2u|1}}, {{synergy|1}}, etc...) which may or may not include this fix, plus the {{srcsdk13|1}} code also does not include this fix by default; [[Fixing the Dropship gun|this page]] details how to fix it in your mod.
 
=== Other limitations ===
{{Important|The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.}}
As of May 26, 2010 (Mac), and later June 2010 on Windows, the branch of Source under which Half-Life 2 originally ran on [[Source 2006]] no longer exists on Steam, and subsequently replaced by the updated [[Source 2009]] (which later was upgraded again to [[Source 2013 Singleplayer|Source 2013]]). Very old mods which base themselves directly on the game (as opposed to [[Source SDK Base]]) are unlikely to work any more.<br> This also meant that support for running Half-Life 2 on Windows 9x/ME/2000 have been also dropped.
 
The console port of the game for original [[Half-Life 2 (Xbox)|Xbox]], {{360|1}} and {{ps3|1}} (on {{tob|1}}), no longer received any updates or bug fixes.
 
== Technical notes ==
* If Half-Life 2 was made to run on Source 2006 engine, this will cause performance drops when the train spawns in [[d1_canals_01]]. As Half-Life 2 was last updated in April 2006 and actually runs on Source 2004 until 2010, this bug is only present when players runs on Half-Life 2 on Source 2006 engine (either using pirated copies or by copying "hl2" folder to EP1 or Source SDK 2006). Some pirated copies of Half-Life 2 or Counter-Strike: Source (which ships with Half-Life 2 build 4044) also run on this version instead of build 2707.
** Also due to build 2733 and 4044 version of Half-Life 2 was actually a mod, and Half-Life 2 last Old Engine build was 2707 (Apr 6 2006), SourceRuns community (and speedrun.com) marked this build as illegitimate.
* Although Source [[mod]]s are often described as being "for Half-Life 2", they actually use the [[Source SDK Base]]. SDK Base is available to anyone who owns any Valve Source game and provides all of Half-Life 2's content (except [[BSP|maps]] and [[VCD|vcd scenes]]) on a static branch of the engine. However, this used to be the case before 2006, when Source SDK Base wasn't available.
* The Half-Life 2 Collectors Edition, which ships with the [[Source 2004|2004]] version of the game, does not require Steam to run or update (similar to the latest version), which means that it will run on older systems with Windows 2000 and earlier. Since around 2010 or 2013, Half-Life 2 no longer requires Steam to run after installing it through Steam, but features such as Achievements will be unavailable.
* The 64-bit Windows version of Half-Life 2 (and Lost Coast), which existed around 2005, is no longer available due to technical issues.
 
== System Requirements<span id="Sysreq"><!--Used by Sysreq template, clicking on "See system requirements" will send you to this section.--></span> ==
<!-- May include unofficial info alongside official one, just to make sure the game still perform well on any hardware. Most official system requirements, like CS:GO, might be out of date. -->
 
<p style="color:white; font-weight:bold">Windows (Old Engine):</p>
*OS: Windows [[WP:Windows 98|98]] / [[WP:Windows ME|ME]], [[WP:Windows 2000|2000]], [[WP:Windows XP|XP]] or later
*[[WP:Central processing unit|CPU]]: 1.2 [[WP:Hertz|GHz]]
*[[WP:Random-access memory|RAM]]: 256 [[WP:Megabyte|MB]]
*Disk space: 4.5 [[WP:Gigabyte|GB]]
*Nvidia GeForce FX 5700, ATI Radeon 9500 (with 128MB [[WP:Video random-access memory|VRAM]])
*[[WP:Direct3D|Direct3D]] 9.0 compatible [[WP:Video card|video card]] (with atleast DirectX 7.0 or higher [[DirectX Versions|feature level]]) and 128MB VRAM
*Other: [[Steam]] required (except Collector's Edition copies)
 
<p style="color:white; font-weight:bold">Windows (New Engine):</p>
*OS: [[WP:Windows Vista|Vista]], [[WP:Windows 7|7]] or later
*[[WP:Central processing unit|CPU]]:1.7 GHz and/or Dual-core
*[[WP:Random-access memory|RAM]]:1GB RAM
*Disk space: 15 GB
*GPU (pre-20th): NVIDIA GeForce 6 series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000 (with 128MB [[WP:Video random-access memory|VRAM]])
*GPU (post-20th): NVIDIA GeForce 200 series, ATI Radeon 4000 series, Intel HD Graphics 4000 (with 128MB [[WP:Video random-access memory|VRAM]])
*[[WP:Direct3D|Direct3D]] 9.0 compatible [[WP:Video card|video card]] (with atleast DirectX 8.0 or higher [[DirectX Versions|feature level]]) and 128MB VRAM
*Other: If you play the previous version of the game (from 2010 to 2023, or New Engine pre-20th anniversary) and run on DirectX 8.0 mode or having HDR disabled, the game will have issues with [https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Source-1-Games/issues/577 fullbright lighting] due to Valve forgot to compile the maps with both LDR + HDR lighting. This issue has been fixed with 20th anniversary update. Also, if your game runs on DirectX 8 level by default, [[DirectX Versions#Fix_DirectX_8.0_level_on_modern_hardware|visit this page for fix]].
{{Note|Original disk requirements are 6.5 GB prior to 20th Anniversary Update, which installs {{hl2lc|1}}, {{ep1|1}} and {{ep2|1}} content alongside {{hl2|1}} and thus increase disk space requirements.
Additionally with 20th anniversary update, the highest settings will be more demanding to run on older hardware due to changes to 3D skybox in some maps (Sandtraps, {{code|d2_coast_10}}) aswell as LOD being disabled.
}}
{{Note|Due to Steam dropping support on Windows XP/Vista, users need run the game without Steam by running the {{code|hl2.exe}} executable directly. Running the game without Steam will disable Achievements.}}
{{Note|The latest version is no longer compatible with [[WP:Windows XP|Windows XP]] since the 2022 Steam Deck update. Earlier versions of Windows (98, ME, 2000) are also dropped.<br>User using Windows XP can downgrade to previous version of the game [[Source/Engine_versions#7628|here]]. But please note that this version does not include all the bug fixes and new features that were introduced with Steam Deck and 20th Anniverasry Update.
Users with Collector's Edition copies (which runs on Source 2004, also supporting Win98/ME and 2000), or any Steam copies of Half-Life 2 since 2013 ([[SteamPipe]]), can play the game without Steam.
}}
 
<p style="color:white; font-weight:bold">OS X:</p>
*[[WP:OS X|OS X]] 10.5.8, 10.6.3 (up to 10.14.6)
*CPU: 2.0 GHz and/or Dual-core
*RAM: 1 GB
*Storage: 15 GB
*GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8xxx series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000<br>OpenGL 2.1 compatible
*Audio: OpenAL compatible
*Other: HDR is required to be enabled ({{code|steam_legacy}}/{{code|previous}} branch only)
{{Note|Mac version are no longer supported after macOS Catalina (10.15), due to this game only have 32-bit binaries, meaning that '''Half-Life 2''' will not work out of the box. Valve later removed macOS binaries in June 12, 2024.<br>
User can manually build Intel 64-bit/Apple Silicon version of HL2 by [https://www.applegamingwiki.com/wiki/Half-Life_2#Native following this guide]<!-- not sure if this is legal for it to be mention here as the guide rely on using the modified leaked source engine source code, through user can build HL2 for Apple Sillicon using official (non-leaked) code. -->.
Additionally, the above 64-bit/Apple Silicon version currently does not work with 20th anniversary update yet.
}}
 
<p style="color:white; font-weight:bold">Linux:</p>
*OS: Ubuntu 12.04, SteamOS 1.0 or later<br>Other Linux distros supported.
*CPU: 2.0 GHz and/or Dual-core
*RAM: 1 GB
*Storage: 15 GB
*GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8xxx series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000<br>OpenGL 2.1 compatible
*Audio: OpenAL compatible
*Other: For {{code|steam_legacy}}/{{code|previous}} branch, HDR would be required.
{{Note|The system requirements for {{hl2|4}} on Linux are unofficial, based off Windows/Mac info, as well as other Source games that support Linux, such as Portal 2.}}
 
== See also ==
* [[:Category:Half-Life_2_level_design|Half-Life 2 level design]]
* [[Half-Life 2: Update]] - a fan-made Steam-released mod aimed at bug-fixing and giving the game a mild visual upgrade. It is no longer recommended for most users since most of the bug fixes have already been fixed in Half-Life 2 itself, and Half-Life 2: Update does not include any new fixes introduced in later versions of Half-Life 2.
* [[Synergy]] - a fan-made Steam-released co-op mod that allows users to play the entire '''Half-Life 2''''s campaign with multiplayer.
* [[:Category:Source mods]]


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=nolines heights=192px widths=307px>
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_1.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_2.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_3.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_4.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_5.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_6.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_7.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_8.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_9.png|
Half-Life 2 - Screenshot_10.png|
</gallery>


<gallery mode=packed heights=155px><!--
== External links ==
File:City17 trainstation.jpg-->
* {{Steam community|app/220|Half-Life 2 on Steam Community}}
File:Water hazard 2.jpg
* {{gamebanana|9|GameBanana page}}
File:Black mesa east 4.jpg
* {{cow|Half-Life 2}} on '''Combine OverWiki'''
File:Ravenholm zombies.jpg
* {{w|Half-Life 2}} on '''Wikipedia'''
File:Highway17.jpg
 
File:Novaprospekt courtyard.jpg
{{references|1=
File:Nexus Roof.jpg
{{Ref2|cite id=1|access-date=November 16, 2024|[https://www.half-life.com/en/halflife2/20th/ Official Website - Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary update]}}
File:Citadel - Inside - Walls 1.jpg
{{ref2|cite id=2|access-date=June 10, 2024|[[User:kr0tchet|User:leonidakarlach]] (June 10, 2024). {{Yt|page=watch|t-M2ZXHrqd8|t=40|Half-Life 2 - The one Dropship gun bug that ruins the Sandtraps chapter (Now fixed)}}. ''YouTube''.<br>{{Note|The bugs shown on the video are recorded from {{hl2u|4}} (both unpatched and unofficially patched), but these also applies to original version of {{hl2|4}} (since 2007 for consoles, 2010 for PC, was fixed on PC in 2022).}}}}
</gallery>
}}


== See also ==
{{Half life games|hidecancelled=true|hide3rdparty=true}}
* [[Half-Life 2 Level Creation]]
* [[Half-Life 2 Credits]]
* [[Wikipedia:Half-Life 2]]
* [[:Category:Source mods|Mods on VDC]]
* [http://games.moddb.com/61/ ModDB profile]
{{half life games}}


[[Category:Valve Games]]
[[Category:Verified Steam Deck games]]
[[Category:Source 2013 engine branch games]]
[[Category:Half-Life 2]]
[[Category:The Orange Box]]
[[Category:Open source mods and games]] <!-- game code available via Source SDK -->
[[Category:Source 2013 SP engine branch games]]
[[Category:Source 2013 SP engine branch games]]

Latest revision as of 02:02, 17 June 2025

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Half-Life 2
Software Cover - Half-Life 2.jpg
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
Sierra Entertainment (initial retail)
Electronic Arts (GotY edition)
Valve Corporation (digital)
Release date(s)
November 16, 2004 
Windows:
November 16, 2004
Xbox:
November 15, 2005
Xbox 360:
October 10, 2007
PlayStation 3:
December 11, 2007
macOS:
May 26, 2010
Linux:
May 9, 2013
Android
May 12, 2014
Mode(s)
Platform(s)
Steam AppID
Written in
Mod support
Yes (custom folder, sourcemods, Steam Workshop)
Documentation
System requirements
  • Win Vista, 7 or later
  • 1.7 GHz and/or Dual-core
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 6.5 GB disk space
  • NVIDIA GeForce 6xxx series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000
    with 128 MB VRAM
New Engine only. For details, see below
Distribution
Retail, Steam
Official website
Previous game
"Welcome. Welcome to City 17. You have chosen, or been chosen, to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers."

Half-Life 2 (abbreviated as HL2) defines a new benchmark in gaming with startling realism and responsiveness. Powered by then-new Source technology, Half-Life 2 features the most sophisticated in-game characters ever witnessed, advanced AI, stunning graphics and physical gameplay. This was the first game requiring installation of Steam when it came out back in 2004.

Half-Life 2 is the sequel to the 1998 Half-Life. A sequel to Half-Life 2 was released in 2006, titled Half-Life 2: Episode One, followed by Episode Two in 2007, being the last Half-Life 2 episode. A virtual reality prequel was released in 2020, titled Half-Life: Alyx.

Half-Life 2 was later ported for the Xbox console in 2005, as well as for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2007, bundled under The Orange Box. The console versions use Source 2007, and maps have been recompiled with HDR lighting data only.

A major update (Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Update), has been released on November 16, 2024 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the game. It adds Steam Workshop support, developer commentary, fixing various bugs, and both episodes (Episode One, Episode Two), aswell as Lost Coast now accessible directly on Half-Life 2 menu. There are also many other changes to the graphics, such as "Very High" shaders that enable Bicubic lightmap filtering, radial fog (enabled on some maps), and option to use classic fire/blood particle effect.[1]

Note.pngNote:Since November 16, 2024, any user who owns Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 (or any HL2 series game) can play:
Half-Life 2: Episode One Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode Two Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Half-Life 2: Lost Coast Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
Half-Life Deathmatch: Source Half-Life Deathmatch: Source
Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
Note.pngNote:If you encounter issues (such as some textures rendered as white/black or completely transparent), or unable to use certain feature of a mod when playing a Source mod (example: MMod (FXAA anti-aliasing and some post-processing effects), Cinematic Mod, etc.) which mounts Half-Life 2 files, or installing a custom addon/mod (outside Steam Workshop) made prior to the update, you might need to downgrade the game to "steam_legacy - Pre-20th Anniversary Build", and/or wait for developers to make the game or mod compatible with changes after 20th Anniversary Update. This is because 20th anniversary update make changes to engine, shaders (such as adding bicubic lightmaps), and many other changes.

Features

This section only features changes exclusive to Half-Life 2 (and partially Half-Life: Source, Portal (since May 2025) or mods base directly on Half-Life 2 instead of SDK 2013), such as the recent 20th anniversary update. For features introduced in Source 2013 SP branch, see this page. For Source engine features, see Source engine page.

VGUI High DPI support (also in Team Fortress 2 branch Half-Life: Source)
VGUI are now properly scalable on higher resolutions such as 4K (3840x2160).
Switch expansions through menu
Players can switch to Episode One and Two, aswell as Lost Coast through main menu. This feature works similar to Orange Box select game menu in Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Wikipedia icon Bicubic lightmap filtering (also in Team Fortress 2 branchHalf-Life: Source)
Introduced in 2024, bicubic filtering is used on lightmaps when r_lightmap_bicubic is enabled, smoothing out aliasing caused by the lower resolution of lightmaps. It can be also enabled by setting the Shader detail to "Very High".
Radial fog (also in Team Fortress 2 branchMapbaseLeft 4 Dead engine branchAlien Swarm engine branchPortal 2 engine branchCS:GO engine branchStrata Source)
Unlike planar-based fog, radial fog does not strengthen or weaken the apparent amount of fog in a particular spot when you rotate the camera.
You can either use radial fog or planar-based fog by changing env_fog_controller "Use Radial Fog (fogRadial)" KeyValues.
Half-Life 2 only uses radial fog in certain maps, mostly large area such as Canals (in Water Hazard), or Coast (in Highway 17 and Sandtraps). Maps that use radial fog also have their fog value & distance changed.
Continue music playback after loading levels (also in Half-Life: Source)
Introduced in HL2's November 26, 2024 Update, music will continue to play after the next level is loaded, instead of stopping completely like in previous versions. Can be toggled using save_transition_music console command.

Content

  • Half-Life 2 content (hl2)
  • Half-Life 2: Episode One content (episodic)
  • Half-Life 2: Episode Two content (ep2)
  • Half-Life 2: Lost Coast content (lostcoast)
  • Half-Life 2 Complete (hl2_complete)
    • On Steam, the game will be launched with hl2_complete, allowing users to switch to HL2, EP1, EP2 and Lost Coast through the menu (similar to The Orange Box The Orange Box on Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3). Running hl2.exe directly will instead launch hl2, with old UI font and without option for switching games through menu.
  • Source shared (hl2)
  • Source 2013 Singleplayer engine branch (updated version)

Other versions of Half-Life 2

Demo

Half-Life 2 has a demo version, available for free. The demo consists of excerpts of the Point Insertion and Ravenholm chapters (d1_trainstation_01 and d1_trainstation_02) and "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." (d1_town_01, d1_town_02 and d1_town_03).

Note.pngNote:If you already own the game, to enter the demo mode, use the -demo command line options.

Half-Life 2: Update

Main article:  Half-Life 2: Update

Half-Life 2: Update is the mod developed by Fillip Victor, which improves Half-Life 2 by fixing bugs and featuring graphical improvements. It also includes Community Commentary, featuring Update developers and YouTubers (community).

This mod is no longer actively updated since 2015 and does not feature any new updates, bug fixes and features from Steam Deck update, Anniversary Update introduced in original Half-Life 2.

Half-Life 2 RTX

Main article:  Half-Life 2 RTX

A ray-traced version of Half-Life 2 is currently under development by Orbifold Studios, and promoted by Wikipedia icon Nvidia, using Nvidia's RTX Remix tool. A demo version featuring only Ravenholm and Nova Prospekt was released in March 18, 2025.

This version aims to remaster the entire game with new ray-traced lighting, real-time reflections, PBR textures, and a lot more without changing the core gameplay, similar to Portal RTX.

Chapters

Half-Life 2 has 13 chapters (excluding Credits). In the demo version of the game, only two Point Insertion maps (d1_trainstation_01 and d1_trainstation_02) and "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." (d1_town_01, d1_town_02 and d1_town_03) is playable.

Since 20th Anniversary Update, users can switch to Episode One and Episode Two through Half-Life 2 menu, and play any Episodes chapters there. Lost Coast is also accessible through Extras main menu, with only one chapter named Lost Coast.

Half-Life 2: Episode One has 5 chapters (excluding Credits), and 7 chapters for Episode Two.


NPCs

Credits

Main article:  Half-Life 2 Credits
Half-Life 2 Credits

These are the official credits for "Half-Life 2" as released in October 2004:

  • Viktor Antonov
  • Ted Backman
  • Kelly Bailey
  • Jeff Ballinger
  • Matt Bamberger
  • Aaron Barber
  • Yahn Bernier
  • Ken Birdwell
  • Derrick Birum
  • Chris Bokitch
  • Steve Bond
  • Matt Boone
  • Charlie Brown
  • Julie Caldwell
  • Dario Casali
  • Yvan Charpentier
  • Jess Cliffe
  • John Cook
  • Greg Coomer
  • Kellie Cosner
  • Scott Dalton
  • Kerry Davis
  • Jason Deakins
  • Ariel Diaz
  • Quintin Doroquez
  • Martha Draves
  • Laura Dubuk
  • Mike Dunkle
  • Mike Dussault
  • Rick Ellis
  • Dhabih Eng
  • Miles Estes
  • Adrian Finol
  • Bill Fletcher
  • Moby Francke
  • Pat Goodwin
  • Chris Green
  • Chris Grinstead
  • John Guthrie
  • Leslie Hall
  • Damarcus Holbrook
  • Tim Holt
  • Brian Jacobson
  • Erik Johnson
  • Jakob Jungels
  • Iikka Keranen
  • Eric Kirchmer
  • Marc Laidlaw
  • Jeff Lane
  • Tom Leonard
  • Doug Lombardi
  • Randy Lundeen
  • Scott Lynch
  • Ido Magal
  • Gary McTaggart
  • John Morello II
  • Bryn Moslow
  • Gabe Newell
  • Tri Nguyen
  • Jake Nicholson
  • Martin Otten
  • Kristen Perry
  • Bay Raitt
  • Alfred Reynolds
  • Dave Riller
  • Danika Rogers
  • David Sawyer
  • Aaron Seeler
  • Nick Shaffner
  • Taylor Sherman
  • Eric Smith
  • David Speyrer
  • Jay Stelly
  • Jeremy Stone
  • Mikel Thompson
  • Kelly Thornton
  • Carl Uhlman
  • Bill Van Buren
  • KayLee Vogt
  • Robin Walker
  • Josh Weier
  • Doug Wood
  • Matt T. Wood
  • Matt Wright

Voices:

  • Robert Guillaume - Dr. Eli Vance
  • Robert Culp - Dr. Wallace Breen
  • Lou Gossett, Jr. - Vortigaunt
  • Michelle Forbes - Dr. Judith Mossman
  • Merle Dandridge - Alyx Vance
  • Mike Shapiro - Barney Calhoun
  • Mike Shapiro - Gman
  • Harry S. Robins - Dr. Isaac Kleiner
  • Jim French - Father Grigori
  • John Patrick Lowrie - Citizens\Misc. characters
  • Mary Kae Irvin - Citizens\Misc. characters
  • Ellen McLain - Overwatch

Voice Casting:

  • Shana Landsburg\Teri Fiddleman

Voice Recording:

  • Pure Audio, Seattle, WA
  • LA Studios, LA, CA

Voice recording scheduling and logistics:

  • Pat Cockburn, Pure Audio

Translations:

  • SDL

Crack Legal Team:

  • Liam Lavery
  • Jason Holtman
  • Karl Quackenbush
  • Kristen Boraas
  • Kevin Rosenfield
  • Alan Bruggeman
  • Dennis Tessier

Thanks to the following for the use of their faces:

  • Jamil Mullen
  • Art Min
  • Larry 'The Count' Heard
  • Ted Cohrt
  • Roger Guay
  • Frank Sheldon
  • Travis Dunlop
  • Daniel Dociu
  • Van Crowder
  • Joey Paresa
  • Chau Luu
  • Kim Harris-Jones
  • Michael S. Smith
  • Joe Cairo
  • Naomi Cotton
  • Sandro Consi
  • Lakeetra Gilbert
  • Erdin Grcic
  • Kanisha Speyrer
  • Warren Slough

Special thanks to everyone at:

  • Alienware
  • ATI
  • Dell
  • Falcon Northwest
  • Havok
  • SOFTIMAGE
  • and Don Kemmis, SLK Technologies

Limitations/Bugs

  • For more Half-Life 2 bugs, see this GitHub page.

This section only list various bugs that are commonly encountered.

☒ Unresolved bugs

None.

☑ Resolved bugs

Missing lighting on LDR / LDR with Bloom
Previous version of Half-Life 2 from 2010 to 2023 lacks LDR lighting on multiple game levels (starting from Black Mesa East (d1_eli_01) until the end of Nova Prospekt). This means that if HDR is disabled (by selecting "None" or "Bloom only" in HDR settings), mat_fullbright will be set to 1, disabling lighting and making everything bright and flat (relevant GitHub issue). Because of this, HDR is required to play the game until this is fixed.
This issue is not affected in the previous version of the game (which uses an older version of Source (Source 2004) and all of the maps lighting are compiled in LDR only), and is fixed in Half-Life 2: Update, aswell as 20th Anniversary update.
Dropship NPC gun broken
There was a bug with the Dropship's gun that was unable to turn, this makes the Sandtraps chapter much easier.[2] This bug was introduced with Source 2007 engine branch and later, affecting both the console release of the game on X360/PS3 (remains unfixed) and later in 2010 with the Source 2009 engine update on Mac & PC release.
Fixed in the current Steam version since 2022's the Steam Deck update of Half-Life 2. However, there are many third-party Source mods (including Half-Life 2: Update, Synergy, etc...) which may or may not include this fix, plus the Source SDK Base 2013 code also does not include this fix by default; this page details how to fix it in your mod.

Other limitations

Icon-Important.pngImportant:The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

As of May 26, 2010 (Mac), and later June 2010 on Windows, the branch of Source under which Half-Life 2 originally ran on Source 2006 no longer exists on Steam, and subsequently replaced by the updated Source 2009 (which later was upgraded again to Source 2013). Very old mods which base themselves directly on the game (as opposed to Source SDK Base) are unlikely to work any more.
This also meant that support for running Half-Life 2 on Windows 9x/ME/2000 have been also dropped.

The console port of the game for original Xbox, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (on The Orange Box), no longer received any updates or bug fixes.

Technical notes

  • If Half-Life 2 was made to run on Source 2006 engine, this will cause performance drops when the train spawns in d1_canals_01. As Half-Life 2 was last updated in April 2006 and actually runs on Source 2004 until 2010, this bug is only present when players runs on Half-Life 2 on Source 2006 engine (either using pirated copies or by copying "hl2" folder to EP1 or Source SDK 2006). Some pirated copies of Half-Life 2 or Counter-Strike: Source (which ships with Half-Life 2 build 4044) also run on this version instead of build 2707.
    • Also due to build 2733 and 4044 version of Half-Life 2 was actually a mod, and Half-Life 2 last Old Engine build was 2707 (Apr 6 2006), SourceRuns community (and speedrun.com) marked this build as illegitimate.
  • Although Source mods are often described as being "for Half-Life 2", they actually use the Source SDK Base. SDK Base is available to anyone who owns any Valve Source game and provides all of Half-Life 2's content (except maps and vcd scenes) on a static branch of the engine. However, this used to be the case before 2006, when Source SDK Base wasn't available.
  • The Half-Life 2 Collectors Edition, which ships with the 2004 version of the game, does not require Steam to run or update (similar to the latest version), which means that it will run on older systems with Windows 2000 and earlier. Since around 2010 or 2013, Half-Life 2 no longer requires Steam to run after installing it through Steam, but features such as Achievements will be unavailable.
  • The 64-bit Windows version of Half-Life 2 (and Lost Coast), which existed around 2005, is no longer available due to technical issues.

System Requirements

Windows (Old Engine):

Windows (New Engine):

  • OS: Vista, 7 or later
  • CPU:1.7 GHz and/or Dual-core
  • RAM:1GB RAM
  • Disk space: 15 GB
  • GPU (pre-20th): NVIDIA GeForce 6 series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000 (with 128MB VRAM)
  • GPU (post-20th): NVIDIA GeForce 200 series, ATI Radeon 4000 series, Intel HD Graphics 4000 (with 128MB VRAM)
  • Direct3D 9.0 compatible video card (with atleast DirectX 8.0 or higher feature level) and 128MB VRAM
  • Other: If you play the previous version of the game (from 2010 to 2023, or New Engine pre-20th anniversary) and run on DirectX 8.0 mode or having HDR disabled, the game will have issues with fullbright lighting due to Valve forgot to compile the maps with both LDR + HDR lighting. This issue has been fixed with 20th anniversary update. Also, if your game runs on DirectX 8 level by default, visit this page for fix.
Note.pngNote:Original disk requirements are 6.5 GB prior to 20th Anniversary Update, which installs Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two content alongside Half-Life 2 and thus increase disk space requirements.

Additionally with 20th anniversary update, the highest settings will be more demanding to run on older hardware due to changes to 3D skybox in some maps (Sandtraps, d2_coast_10) aswell as LOD being disabled.

Note.pngNote:Due to Steam dropping support on Windows XP/Vista, users need run the game without Steam by running the hl2.exe executable directly. Running the game without Steam will disable Achievements.
Note.pngNote:The latest version is no longer compatible with Windows XP since the 2022 Steam Deck update. Earlier versions of Windows (98, ME, 2000) are also dropped.
User using Windows XP can downgrade to previous version of the game here. But please note that this version does not include all the bug fixes and new features that were introduced with Steam Deck and 20th Anniverasry Update.

Users with Collector's Edition copies (which runs on Source 2004, also supporting Win98/ME and 2000), or any Steam copies of Half-Life 2 since 2013 (SteamPipe), can play the game without Steam.

OS X:

  • OS X 10.5.8, 10.6.3 (up to 10.14.6)
  • CPU: 2.0 GHz and/or Dual-core
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Storage: 15 GB
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8xxx series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000
    OpenGL 2.1 compatible
  • Audio: OpenAL compatible
  • Other: HDR is required to be enabled (steam_legacy/previous branch only)
Note.pngNote:Mac version are no longer supported after macOS Catalina (10.15), due to this game only have 32-bit binaries, meaning that Half-Life 2 will not work out of the box. Valve later removed macOS binaries in June 12, 2024.

User can manually build Intel 64-bit/Apple Silicon version of HL2 by following this guide. Additionally, the above 64-bit/Apple Silicon version currently does not work with 20th anniversary update yet.

Linux:

  • OS: Ubuntu 12.04, SteamOS 1.0 or later
    Other Linux distros supported.
  • CPU: 2.0 GHz and/or Dual-core
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Storage: 15 GB
  • GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8xxx series, ATI Radeon X1600, Intel HD Graphics 3000
    OpenGL 2.1 compatible
  • Audio: OpenAL compatible
  • Other: For steam_legacy/previous branch, HDR would be required.
Note.pngNote:The system requirements for Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 on Linux are unofficial, based off Windows/Mac info, as well as other Source games that support Linux, such as Portal 2.

See also

  • Half-Life 2 level design
  • Half-Life 2: Update - a fan-made Steam-released mod aimed at bug-fixing and giving the game a mild visual upgrade. It is no longer recommended for most users since most of the bug fixes have already been fixed in Half-Life 2 itself, and Half-Life 2: Update does not include any new fixes introduced in later versions of Half-Life 2.
  • Synergy - a fan-made Steam-released co-op mod that allows users to play the entire Half-Life 2's campaign with multiplayer.
  • Category:Source mods

Gallery

  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 1.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 2.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 3.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 4.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 5.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 6.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 7.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 8.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 9.png
  • Half-Life 2 - Screenshot 10.png

External links

References

References
2. User:leonidakarlach (June 10, 2024). YouTube logo Half-Life 2 - The one Dropship gun bug that ruins the Sandtraps chapter (Now fixed). YouTube.
Note.pngNote:The bugs shown on the video are recorded from Half-Life 2: Update Half-Life 2: Update (both unpatched and unofficially patched), but these also applies to original version of Half-Life 2 Half-Life 2 (since 2007 for consoles, 2010 for PC, was fixed on PC in 2022).
. Retrieved on June 10, 2024.
GoldSrc GoldSrc
Source Source
Source 2 Source 2
Related
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