Half-Life 2: Game Profile

Half-Life 2 is a first-person action game from developer and publisher Valve. It was released in 2004 and is listed on Steam for Windows and Linux. The game casts players as Gordon Freeman, a scientist who returns to an Earth occupied by an alien force and joins a human resistance led alongside Alyx Vance in the city of City 17.

Game Identity and Store Listing

On the official Steam product page, Half-Life 2 is categorized as an Action title. The release year listed there is 2004. The storefront lists Windows and Linux as the supported platforms. This release year refers to the date given for this particular Steam product; it should not be assumed to be the earliest release of every edition of the game.

Setting and Play Premise

The official store description places the game in an occupied City 17, where the player character, Gordon Freeman, is awakened from stasis. He is joined by Alyx Vance and leads a desperate human resistance against the occupying forces. The description presents the game as a landmark first-person shooter with immersive world-building, physics-based interactions, and combat as prominent elements.

Included Content and Modes

• According to the official product listing, the following are part of the Half-Life 2 package on Steam:
• - Half-Life 2 Episode One and Half-Life 2 Episode Two, two expansion episodes set after the base game's events. They can be started from the main menu, and finishing one leads directly into the next.
• - Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, a multiplayer mode featuring free-for-all or Combine versus Resistance team play, with the game's physics system shaping the action.
• - Steam Workshop support, allowing community-created campaigns and modifications to weapons, enemies, and interface elements.

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First published Oct 8, 2026.