Template:Source branches

From Valve Developer Community
Jump to navigation Jump to search
English (en)Deutsch (de)Esperanto (eo)Español (es)Français (fr)Suomi (fi)Hrvatski (hr)Magyar (hu)Italiano (it)日本語 (ja)한국어 (ko)Nederlands (nl)Polski (pl)Português (pt)Português do Brasil (pt-br)Русский (ru)Slovenčina (sk)Svenska (sv)Türkçe (tr)Українська (uk)Tiếng Việt (vi)中文 (zh)中文(臺灣) (zh-tw)
Icon-translate.png Available doc translations
View
Page history

Usage

This template contains list of Source Source engine branches, including third-party branches (using {{{show}}} parameters set to thirdparty).

Preview

Valve

Release date Title Developer Platforms Features Source code Notes
7 Oct 2004 Source 2004 Source 2004 Valve Corporation PC: Windows

Initial release:
Direct3D 9 (FL 6.x to 9.0), up to Shader Model 2.0
Up to 6x MSAA
Xbox support

Updated version (Day of Defeat: Source/Half-Life 2: Lost Coast):
HDR Rendering
Film grain post-processing effect
Color correction
Direct3D 9 (FL 6.x to 9.0+) up to Shader Model 3.
Up to 8x MSAA and CSAA support.
VTF 7.2 support
• More on Source 2004 - Features page.

GitHub (unofficial archive) GitHub (unofficial archive)
(includes SDK code & tools)
First released with Counter-Strike: Source, later used by Half-Life 2, Half-Life: Source. Later received HDR update in 2005 with the release of Half-Life 2: Lost Coast.
1 Jun 2006 Source 2006 Source 2006 Valve Corporation PC: Windows • See Source 2006 - Features page. Source SDK Base 2006 Source SDK Base 2006
Source SDK Source SDK application
(includes SDK code & tools)
GitHub (unofficial archive) GitHub (unofficial archive)
(SDK code only)
Released alongside Half-Life 2: Episode One, all previous Valve games using Source 2004 were upgraded to this branch. See Features section for the list of changes and new features.
10 Oct 2007 Source 2007 Source 2007 Valve Corporation PC: Windows
Consoles: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Achievements support
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 support
Xbox 360 controller support
Threading
Particle System
Bink video
VTF 7.3 and 7.4 support
• More on Source 2007 - Features page.
Source SDK Base 2007 Source SDK Base 2007
Source SDK Source SDK application
(includes SDK code & tools)
GitHub (unofficial archive) GitHub (unofficial archive)
(SDK code only)
Also known as "The Orange Box engine branch". Released alongside The Orange Box (Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal). Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One were also ported to this engine branch exclusively on consoles (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3). See Features section for the list of changes and new features.
17 Nov 2008 Left 4 Dead engine branch Left 4 Dead engine branch Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS (2010)
Consoles: Xbox 360
New menu UI
Improved threading support
AI director
Radial fog and fog volumes
Support for VPK archive and addons
Split-screen
Subtitles for intro & cutscenes
Shader and effect detail options
• More on L4D branch - Features page.
Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools Left 4 Dead Authoring Tools
Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring Tools Left 4 Dead 2 Authoring Tools
(no SDK Base, content-based mod only)
Source code: Not publicly available.
Released in 2008 with the release of Left 4 Dead, and later updated for Left 4 Dead 2 in 2009. Runs on newer version of Source, which does not requires Half-Life 2 base content to run. Game files from this branch were stored into VPK files, as opposed to GCF. See Features section for the list of changes and new features.
3 Jun 2009 Source 2009 Source 2009 Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS (2010) • See Source 2009 - Features page. Source SDK Source SDK application
(no SDK Base, content-based mod only)
Source code: Not publicly available.
Released in 2009 with an update to Day of Defeat: Source, and later Team Fortress 2. All Source 2006 games (except Half-Life: Source and Half-Life Deathmatch: Source), and Source 2007 were upgraded to this branch with the release of the Mac update in May 26, 2010 (Half-Life 2 and its episodes), and later on Windows in June 10, 2010, alongside Counter-Strike: Source update which features many new changes from Hidden Path Entertainment.
19 Jul 2010 Alien Swarm engine branch Alien Swarm engine branch Valve Corporation PC: Windows TileGen
VTF 7.5 support
PCF version Binary 5 PCF 2
Depth of field
Vertex animation
• More on AS branch - Features page.
Alien Swarm - SDK Alien Swarm - SDK
(includes SDK code & tools)
GitHub (unofficial archive) GitHub (unofficial archive)
(SDK code only)
Released in 2010 with the release of Alien Swarm, a remake of the Unreal Tournament 2004 mod with the same name. This is the only post-Orange Box engine branch with it's source code publicly available for free.
18 Apr 2011 Portal 2 engine branch Portal 2 engine branch Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS, Linux (2014)
Consoles: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch (2022)
Improved shadow mapping
Video playback on materials
Blob particles
World portals
Official PlayStation 3 support
Steam integration (Steamworks) on PS3
• More on Portal 2 branch - Features page.
Not publicly available. Released in 2011 with the release of Portal 2.
19 Oct 2011 Source Multiplayer Source Multiplayer Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS, Linux (2013) Same as Source 2009, aside from Linux support. Source SDK Source SDK application
(no SDK Base, content-based mod only)
Source code: Not publicly available.
Released in October 19, 2011, when Counter-Strike: Source and other multiplayer titles (Day of Defeat: Source, Team Fortress 2, etc...), which runs on Source 2009, gets updated to this branch. The Source SDK tool & launcher also got updated, which changes multiplayer titles to use Source MP configuration by default. Since atleast May 2011, all multiplayer games uses Protocol version 16 (Source 2009 games use Protocol v15), which would meant that these games use Source MP as far back as May 2011, but Source MP wasn't mentioned until SDK update alongside CS:S update (back in September 2011, changing CS:S's Protocol version to 18).
Linux support was added in February 2013, before Source 2013 Multiplayer was released, and before SteamPipe transition begins in March 2013.
21 Aug 2012 CS:GO engine branch CS:GO engine branch Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS, Linux (2014)
Consoles: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
FXAA anti-aliasing
Real-time dynamic shadows (CSM)
Lightmapped Ambient Occlusion
Phong reflections on Lightmapped materials

Texture streaming
Direct3D 9Ex (Windows Aero DirectX Extensions)
Scaleform menu UI (2012-2018)
Panorama menu UI (since 2018)
• More on CS:GO branch - Features page.
Not publicly available, but leaked. Released in 2012 with the release of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, featuring many changes not available with previous branches. This engine branch was later made obsolete with the release of Counter-Strike 2, which is the port of CS:GO to the Source 2 engine, which also adds new gameplay features and remakes several maps.
The full source code for this branch alongside Team Fortress 2 (Source 2013) was leaked in 2018.
7 May 2013 Source 2013 Singleplayer Source 2013 Singleplayer
Source 2013 Multiplayer Source 2013 Multiplayer
Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS, Linux
Mobile: Android (Nvidia Shield)
Consoles: Nintendo Switch
BSP compression
Support for VPK archive and 🖿custom folder
Linux, Android and cross-platform support
Raw mouse input
• More on Source 2013 - Features page.
Tools available on 🖿bin folder.
(may not be included in some games)
GitHub GitHub (SDK Code - Singleplayer)
GitHub GitHub (SDK Code - Multiplayer, legacy)
Released in 2013, during the transition to the new content distribution system called SteamPipe (which has its downsides of breaking many Source mods running on previous branches). All remaining Source 2006 games (Half-Life: Source and Half-Life Deathmatch: Source) and all Source 2009 (including Source Multiplayer sub-branch) were upgraded to this branch. Source SDK Launcher was deprecated on this branch in favor of launching tools (Hammer, Model Viewer, etc.) through .bat files, located in 🖿game name\bin. Aside from that, new features has been added along with other improvements. Half-Life: Source and Half-Life Deathmatch: Source, which was upgraded from Source 2006 to Source 2013, now suffering from multiple game-breaking bugs and graphical glitches on some chapters, requiring users to install a unoffical patch in order for it to function correctly.
Full source code for this branch (alongside CS:GO) was leaked in 2018.
Source SDK 2013 Multiplayer has been succeeded by Team Fortress 2 branch in Feburary 18, 2025.
9 Jul 2013 Dota 2 engine branch Dota 2 engine branch Valve Corporation PC: Windows, macOS, Linux • See Dota 2 branch - Features page. Not publicly available. Released in 2013 with the release of Dota 2, and the last official Source engine branch. This engine branch was later made obsolete with the release of the Dota 2 Reborn update, completely upgraded to the new Source 2 engine.
19 Apr 2024 Team Fortress 2 branch Team Fortress 2 branch Valve Corporation PC: Windows, Linux 64-bit binaries
Wikipedia icon Bicubic lightmap filtering
Steam Networking
Texture streaming
Radial fog
VGUI High DPI support
WebM video (x64 only)
• More on TF2 branch - Features page.
GitHub GitHub (Game code only) Also referred as Source SDK 2013 Multiplayer v2. It is a updated version of Source 2013 Multiplayer, developed from updates to Team Fortress 2, which have incompatible Wikipedia icon ABIs, i.e. mods/tools compiled for Source 2013 Multiplayer will not work under Team Fortress 2 without updating interfaces. It adds features such as VScript, WebM (replaces Bink on x64), 64-bit support, and more...; Aside from Team Fortress 2, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch runs on this branch after the 20th Anniversary update, then in February 18, 2025, all remaining Source 2013 Multiplayer games, as well as SDK Base 2013 - MP, have been upgraded to this branch.
Release date Title Developer Platforms Features Source code & SDK Notes

Third-party

Release date Title Developer Platforms Features Source code Notes ViewDiscussEdit templatePurge
11 Mar 2014 Titanfall branch Titanfall branch Wikipedia icon Respawn Entertainment PC: Windows
Consoles: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
64-bit binaries
Direct3D 11, Shader Model 4 & 5
7th and 8th gen console support
Deferred renderer
• More on Titanfall branch - Features page.
Not publicly available. Released in 2014 with the release of Titanfall, and later modified further starting with Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends. Runs on heavily modified version of the Source engine, forked from the Portal 2 engine branch Portal 2 engine branch.
6 Mar 2020
5 May 2015 (early access)
Xengine Xengine Crowbar Collective PC: Windows, Linux • See Xengine - Features page. Also referred as XenEngine. Known for being used in Black Mesa. Forked from Source 2013 Multiplayer, with additions from Team Fortress 2. The engine is also hybrid of Portal 2 engine branch and Left 4 Dead engine branch. It featured completely new lighting systems (CSM, Deferred lighting), and many other features listed here.
7 Jan 2024 Strata Source Strata Source Strata Source (formerly Chaos) PC: Windows, Linux • See Strata Source - Features page. Strata is a modified version of the CS:GO engine branch that combines the features of both Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and the Portal 2 engine branch, along with many improvements that bring Source close to modern standards.
Release date Title Developer Platforms Features Source code Notes