Valve’s digital distribution platform Steam is currently giving away one of the highest-rated games of all time for free.
For a limited time, Steam users can claim the original Half-Life completely free of charge. Valve’s first-ever game was the original Half-Life, a wildly successful title that was a big commercial hit and earned widespread acclaim from critics at the time of its release in 1998.
The original Half-Life put Valve on the map, and considering what the company would go on to do, an argument could be made that it’s one of the most important games of all time. Half-Life‘s success paved the way for Valve to eventually introduce the Steam digital storefront, innovate in the virtual reality space, and introduce popular hardware like its Steam Deck handheld gaming devices. Not only that, but Half-Life mods helped kickstart brand-new franchises of their own, some of which remain popular to this day. Half-Life recently turned 25, and anyone that has yet to play the landmark game can add it to their digital libraries right now completely free of charge.
Steam users have from now until Monday, November 20 to claim Half-Life for free. The game is marked down to $0.00 from its usual asking price of $9.99, so while it isn’t exactly expensive most of the time, gamers should still grab it for free while they can, especially if they haven’t played it before. There are absolutely no strings attached to this particular Steam freebie, but fans should keep in mind that the offer will expire on November 20.
For those that are unfamiliar with the game, Half-Life is a sci-fi FPS that puts players in the role of Gordan Freeman as he fights aliens in the Black Mesa Research Facility. It was highly innovative for the time and won more than 50 Game of the Year Awards. Half-Life boasts an incredible 96 review average, making it one of the highest-rated video games of all time.
While Valve seems to be celebrating Half-Life‘s big anniversary by making the game free to all Steam users, some may have hoped for the franchise to get a bigger celebration. It’s no secret that fans have been waiting nearly two decades for Half-Life 3, and unfortunately, that game still has yet to materialize. The Half-Life storyline remains unresolved, though fans were treated to a new installment in the series with virtual reality game Half-Life: Alyx a few years back.
It remains to be seen if Valve will ever bother moving forward with Half-Life 3, but fans can revisit the classics in the meantime. After snagging the original Half-Life for free, fans could purchase the rest of the series through Steam and relive Gordan Freeman’s award-winning FPS adventures.