Half-Life 2 review

Half-Life 2 is the oldest game on the list and still ranks third because it delivers a tight, influential campaign for $9.99. Valve's Steam page sets the story after Earth's surrender: Gordon Freeman, joined by Alyx Vance, leads the human resistance in City 17. The page highlights physics that shape both puzzles and fights, and the current Steam version includes the Episode One and Episode Two expansions, so one purchase covers the whole story so far. Steam lists full controller support, captions, developer commentary, adjustable difficulty, Steam Workshop and the Source SDK, and it runs on Windows and Linux. The English Steam rating is Overwhelmingly Positive at 97% of 91,997 reviews. The downsides are its age, since it came out in 2004, and that it is single-player only. For the price of a lunch, it is the best value among the classics here.

Who it is for

PC players who want a landmark story shooter at a very low price.

Price

$9.99 one-time purchase on Steam (US store).

Buy Half-Life 2 $9.99
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 10, 2026.

Key features

• Story campaign in the occupied City 17
• Physics-driven puzzles and combat
• Includes the Episode One and Episode Two expansions
• Steam Workshop support and the Source SDK
• Developer commentary, captions and adjustable difficulty

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Lowest verified price on the list at $9.99
• Strength: Overwhelmingly Positive Steam rating from 97% of nearly 92,000 English reviews
• Strength: Runs on modest PCs and Linux
• Weakness: Released in 2004, so its visuals look dated next to newer games
• Weakness: Single-player only
• Weakness: Steam lists Windows and Linux only, with no macOS version

Key facts

• Developer: Valve
• Released: November 16, 2004
• Steam reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive (97% of 91,997 English reviews)
• Includes: Episode One and Episode Two
• Steam price: $9.99

Where it ranks

Half-Life 2 is No. 3 in our Best Video Games of All Time verdict.