Half-Life on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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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.

Half-Life is a fps, classic and 1990's game developed and published by Valve.
Released on November 19th 1998 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux in 8 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish - Spain, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Korean.

It has received 148,221 reviews of which 143,086 were positive and 5,135 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.5 out of 10. 😍

The game is currently priced at 8.19€ on Steam.


The Steam community has classified Half-Life into these genres:

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Half-Life through various videos and screenshots.

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows

Minimum: 500 mhz processor, 96mb ram, 16mb video card, Windows XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection

Recommended: 800 mhz processor, 128mb ram, 32mb+ video card, Windows XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection

MacOS
Minimum: OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3, 1GB RAM, 4GB Hard Drive Space,NVIDIA GeForce 8 or higher, ATI X1600 or higher, or Intel HD 3000 or higher Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection
Linux
Minimum: Linux Ubuntu 12.04, Dual-core from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz, 1GB Memory, nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeaon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), OpenGL 2.1, 4GB Hard Drive Space, OpenAL Compatible Sound Card

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Feb. 2026
Tips for new fans: 1) Don't forget about the tutorial (Training Room). I managed to miss it my first playthrough and didn't learn about some mechanics until I played Half-Life 2. 2) Take it slow. This game (and all the other Half-Lifes) greatly benefits if you take the time to explore and take in the many details of the environment. 3) You might want to turn the music volume up/SFX volume down? For me the default settings were so quiet I could barely hear the incredibly atmospheric soundtrack this game has. 4) Get ready for some 1998 jank. If you aren't used to games from this time period and/or don't have the patience for some frustrating moments, you might want to try Black Mesa (the fan remake) instead. I highly recommend playing both either way, and believe it or not this jank does give Half-Life a unique charm (although it might be easier to appreciate once you have more experience with the franchise). 5) You can get this and Half-Life 2 for under $5 on sale. I'm not kidding, this deal is so good it will make any other game over $10 seem not worth it. Enjoy :). This series is hands-down my favorite gaming experience of all time, even one of my favorite stories of all time, and I only first played it barely a year ago - so know that all the praise for this game isn't just nostalgia.
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June 2025
Still trying to figure out how the ♥♥♥♥ a 27 year old scientist testing some shiny rocks became a crowbar wielding morphine fueled maniac, decimated whatever the United States military threw at him, and fought what is essentially an interdimentional bloodthirsty fetus. 10/10 game by the way
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May 2025
people love to say this or that game is like a ps3 or ps2 title or whatever console as a way of saying it's outdated. but this game from 1998 feels more modern than most new games. it's truly a timeless classic.
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April 2025
for a game that released in 1990s is still better than most newer unstable games, Came here from GTA V and Forza,NFS thinking I’d shoot bad guys and maybe hijack a car. Instead, I got a physics degree from Black Mesa, learned to stack boxes like a forklift driver, and used a crowbar more than any actual gun. No flashy cars, no RPG stats, no open world, just raw storytelling, tight design, and an unforgettable mute scientist who somehow survives alien invasions without saying a word. would panic in a ventilation shaft again.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Half-Life is currently priced at 8.19€ on Steam.

Half-Life is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 8.19€ on Steam.

Half-Life received 143,086 positive votes out of a total of 148,221 achieving an impressive rating of 9.52.
😍

Half-Life was developed and published by Valve.

Half-Life is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Half-Life is playable and fully supported on MacOS.

Half-Life is playable and fully supported on Linux.

Half-Life offers both single-player and multi-player modes.

Half-Life offers both Co-op and PvP modes.

There is a DLC available for Half-Life. Explore additional content available for Half-Life on Steam.

Half-Life does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Half-Life supports Remote Play on Phone and Remote Play on Tablet. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

Half-Life is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Half-Life.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 12 March 2026 02:01
SteamSpy data 11 March 2026 13:16
Steam price 15 March 2026 04:48
Steam reviews 14 March 2026 18:05

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Half-Life, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Half-Life
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Half-Life concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Half-Life compatibility
Half-Life
Rating
9.5
143,086
5,135
Game modes
Multiplayer
Features
Online players
873
Developer
Valve
Publisher
Valve
Release 19 Nov 1998
Platforms
Remote Play