Half-Life 2 was released 20 years ago and is considered one of the greatest video games of all time. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Valve has made the game free for a limited time on Steam, which has attracted a large number of players. There’s also HL2 RTX coming up if you’re looking to revisit the classic with ray tracing.

Steam Deck users, in particular, seem to be enjoying the game as it has climbed into the platform’s top-played charts. We can’t be sure whether the majority of these are first-time new players or just people returning to check out the 20th-anniversary update, but either way, it’s nice to see some love for HL2.

Half-Life 2 is currently the eighth most-played game on the Steam Deck

Half-Life 2 currently holds the eighth spot on the Steam Deck's top-played charts. It has surpassed popular titles like Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, Hogwarts Legacy, and Red Dead Redemption 2. The free promotion is one big reason behind this surge, as it has made the game easily accessible to everyone. This surge isn’t limited to Steam Deck users, as the game also hit a new all-time player count on Steam after becoming free.

Half-Life 2 is also Verified on the Steam Deck. For those who don’t know, a Verified title runs smoothly on the Steam Deck without any issues. You don’t have to worry about tweaking any settings or making adjustments to optimize performance. This is one of the reasons why so many people are enjoying the game on the Deck.

The Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Update also brings various improvements to the game including 3.5 hours of Developer Commentary and Steam Workshop support for more easily accessible community content. Upgrades that affect the Steam Deck are also nice to see, such as a new default Steam Input config, a gamepad settings menu, and a new Aim-Assist “Enhanced” mode that should make it easier to track enemies on a controller.

How long will it be free to keep?

It is important to keep in mind that Half-Life 2 is free until today, November 18, 1 pm ET, so you will need to grab it quickly. After that, it will return to its original price. In any case, if you’ve been planning to give Half-Life 2 a try, now would be the perfect time. The game’s main campaign can be completed in around 13 hours, while 100% completion can take up to 16 hours.

The 20th-anniversary update also integrates HL2: Episode 1 & Episode 2 into the game as a single package; the standalone games have now been unlisted on Steam. That means even more hours of gameplay to enjoy (and a cliffhanger we’re still waiting to be resolved).

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.