Summary
Valve has released a new update for the hit 1998 first-person shooterHalf-Life26 years after it was first released. The originalHalf-Lifewas a landmark, groundbreaking release, spawning a franchise that is still popular to this day with many fans holding out hope forHalf-Life 3to eventually hit the scene.
The originalHalf-Lifeisone of the highest-rated video games of all timeand is generally considered to be one of the industry’s best works. But with the game having first been released all the way back in 1998, no one would blame Valve for no longer supporting it. Yet, Valve continues to release new updates forHalf-Lifeevery once in a while, with the latest one dropping earlier in October.
Valve quietly released a new update for the originalHalf-Lifeearlier this month. The newHalf-Lifeupdate fixes compatibility issues with the 25th anniversary maps, addresses a memory leak problem, fixes issues impacting certain mods, and makes miscellaneous security fixes. This latest update comes almost a year after thebigHalf-Life25th anniversary update, which improved graphics and added various other features for longtime fans to check out.
Valve followed up theHalf-Life25th anniversary update with various patches that were mainly aimed at fixing issues that cropped up after the anniversary update dropped. Prior to the October 2024 update, the last update released for the originalHalf-Lifecame in December 2023. It’s unclear exactly when the nextHalf-Lifeupdate will release, if any more are on the way at all, but fans can download the newest one in the meantime.
Half-Lifeisn’t the only old Valve game that still gets attention from the studio. In fact,Half-Life 2received a mysterious updatea couple of months back, though details on what it exactly did remain scarce. Some have speculated that Valve is planning to release a big anniversary update forHalf-Life 2like it did for the original game, but fans shouldn’t hold their breath.
Half-Lifefans are used to keeping their expectations in check when it comes to the franchise. November 2024 will mark 20 years sinceHalf-Life 2released, andHalf-Life 3still has not been announced. There are rumors that Valve may finally be moving forward withHalf-Life 3, but again, it’s important that fans don’t get their hopes up.
Half-Life
WHERE TO PLAY
Named Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Valve’s debut title blends action and adventure with award-winning technology to create a frighteningly realistic world where players must think to survive. Also includes an exciting multiplayer mode that allows you to play against friends and enemies around the world.
