GamingPickz

Half-Life

Catalogue entry · not reviewed · store data read 30 August 2026

Named Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Valve's debut title blends action and adventure with award-winning technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players must think to survive. Also includes an exciting multiplayer mode that allows you to play against friends and enemies around the world.

First-Person Shooter

Player score
9.6/10
163,786 reviews
Released
1998
Developer
Not recorded
Platforms
3 systems
Critics
96
Steam Deck
verified
Download
Not stated
We have not written a full review of this game.This is a catalogue entry: everything below comes from a source we can link, checked on a stated date. There is no score and no verdict here, because we only publish those after a reviewer has played the game and written it up properly. Our team may well have played this one. Until someone writes the review, we are not going to imply a verdict we have not put our name to.

What is Half-Life?

Named Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Valve's debut title blends action and adventure with award-winning technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players must think to survive. Also includes an exciting multiplayer mode that allows you to play against friends and enemies around the world.

Description as published by the developer on its own store page, read 30 August 2026. It is marketing copy, not our assessment.

The record

Catalogue facts
First released19 November 1998
DeveloperNot recorded
PublisherNot recorded
PlatformsPC, PlayStation 2, Steam Deck
GenresFirst-Person Shooter
Languages8 supported

Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q279744, seeded 30 August 2026. Store data from Steam, read 30 August 2026.

How was Half-Life received?

Players96%positive of 163,786 · Overwhelmingly Positive
Metacritic96critic aggregate, PC

Method. Player figures are Steam's own totals for the PC version, read 30 August 2026. The Metacritic score is the one Steam publishes on its store page and can lag the site itself. Metacritic page. Neither is our opinion. We have not published a review of this game.

Accessibility

8 declared features

Seeing

  • Color Alternatives

Hearing

  • Custom Volume Controls
  • Stereo Sound

Input

  • Full controller support
  • Keyboard Only Option
  • Playable without Timed Input

Difficulty

  • Adjustable Difficulty
  • Save Anytime

Method. Features the publisher declared on its own store page. A declaration is a floor, not a review.

What does it support?

Technical support
CapabilitySupport
Controllerfull support
Cloud savesYes
Cross-platform playNo
Mod supportNo official workshop
Online playYes
In-game purchasesNo
Steam Deckverified
Download sizeNot stated
Add-on content1 DLC listed
Age gateNone

Content descriptors

  • Frequent violence or gore
  • General mature content

Method. Read from the publisher's Steam listing on 30 August 2026. Describes the PC version. Console versions differ.

What does it cost?

$9.99

Steam price in US dollars, read 30 August 2026. Prices move hourly and vary by region. Check the current price.

Problems players report

We read the 300 most recent negative Steam reviews of Half-Life on 30 August 2026 and counted what they mention. These are complaints, not confirmed defects: we have not reproduced any of them, and a review describes one person's machine. What the counts tell you is which problems more than one person ran into.

  1. Performance and stutter9 of 300 (3%)

    But if you’re simply looking for a fun FPS to play in 2026, I honestly think your time is better spent elsewhere.

    Steam review, 11 July 2026 · 16 hours played · 11 readers marked it helpful

    I know it was extremely good for it's time and it's the groundwork for basicly all modern FPS games, but the flaws just make me loose interest.

    Steam review, 2 January 2026 · 9 hours played · 6 readers marked it helpful
  2. Softlocks and broken quests9 of 300 (3%)

    Level 6 soft lock that will break your game.

    Steam review, 18 July 2026 · 4 hours played · 3 readers marked it helpful

    I wanted to play this game to see if it would be fun but no I have soft locked my self a ton of times and The floor is made of baby oil.

    Steam review, 17 July 2026 · 12 hours played · 3 readers marked it helpful

A further 13 reviews call the game buggy or broken without saying how, which is why they are counted separately rather than assigned to a theme. Counted by keyword across review text, so a review discussing two problems is counted under both. Read the reviews yourself.

Games like Half-Life

24 games overlap with Half-Life on the tags Steam players applied to it, on genre, and on theme. The closest are Half-Life: Opposing Force, Half-Life: Blue Shift and Half-Life: Source.

All 24 games like Half-Life

Common questions about Half-Life

What platforms is Half-Life on?

Half-Life is available on PC, PlayStation 2, Steam Deck. It first released in 1998.

How much does Half-Life cost?

$9.99 on Steam in the United States, read on 30 August 2026. Prices move often and vary by region, so check the store before buying.

Do players recommend Half-Life?

96% of 163,786 Steam reviews are positive, which Steam rates Overwhelmingly Positive. That is players rating it, not our review. We have not published a review of this game.

What is the Metacritic score for Half-Life?

96 out of 100 for the PC version, as published on the game's own Steam store page. Steam can lag Metacritic by a few points.

Does Half-Life work on Steam Deck?

Valve rates Half-Life as verified on the Steam Deck, from its own testing. That means it works out of the box with no configuration.