All the previous Valve titles in the Half-Life series are free to play until March when VR’s most highly anticipated game Half-Life: Alyx launches.
Half-Life: Alyx is the first game in the much-loved series in more than 12 years, and until the VR game’s release all the previous titles are free to play for Steam users. If you have Steam installed the following links should start the installation process even if you don’t own the games.
The new game takes place before the events of Half-Life 2 and lets players embody Alyx, a previously non-playable character. If you somehow haven’t seen the trailer for the game be sure to check it out below, and we also compiled a post of everything you need to know about Alyx Vance, the titular character.
In an announcement post the Valve development team building Half-Life: Alyx “believes that the best way to enjoy the new game is to play through the old ones, especially Half-Life 2 and the episodes.”
Half-Life: Alyx will work on all PC VR headsets — including Oculus Quest with Oculus Link — but some optional interactions will only be accessible with Valve’s Index controllers which were developed alongside the game. Valve is currently sold out of Index hardware after the November announcement of the game but the company is building more and hopes to be in stock again before the release of Half-Life: Alyx.
While the game is slated for release in March, plenty of watchers are holding their breath just in case Valve Time ends up delaying the launch. If you’d like to own the entire Half-Life collection permanently, it’s available in a bundle, discounted 40%, down to around $36.
