Valve drops huge Half-Life 2 patch for game’s 20th anniversary update

Wake up, Half-Life fans. There’s a massive update now available on Steam that Valve dropped for Half-Life 2‘s 20th anniversary.

You’d be forgive for thinking Valve only surprised Deadlock players these days with updates, but this time it’s the classic shooter that’s getting some love in the form of several hours of developer commentary, advanced graphics options and fixes, Episode 1 and 2 content being incorporated into the base game, and more. The update comes in celebration of the game’s 20th anniversary, and that’s not all Valve is releasing, either. The developer partnered with Secret Tape to release a two-hour documentary on the game’s development and subsequent issues and triumphs throughout its lifespan.

Players of the new update will get to choose between blood and fire effects used on the game’s launch day or those effects incorporated via the Episodes, as well as smoother lighting and more detailed character models in the game’s new High Quality mode.

It’s not just the visuals the new update brings forward in time. There’s also new adjustments to aim assist on controller and Steam Deck menu tweaks made. Steam Workshop support has been added in, allowing players to use content made by other Steam users in the Half-Life community. There’s higher-resolution support for the UI. It’s not Half-Life 3, but it’s an incredible overhaul that is going to make Half-Life 2 feel almost like a new game itself. For a full rundown of everything being added to the game, you can check out Valve’s post on their website.

And the best part? It’s incredibly cheap to download for the first time right now. Half-Life 2 by itself is currently free on Steam until Nov. 18, and the Orange Box bundle including both Episodes, Lost Coast, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 is only $1.99 over that same period.

And hey, who knows? You can always keep up hope for a new Half-Life title if Valve is going to put this much effort into a patch for a 20-year-old game.