Valveis one of the biggest companies in the gaming industry, and while much of their revenue today comes from Steam, it was their days as a developer that made them the behemoth that they are today. Along with Portal, Half-Life is Valve’s biggest franchise, and the developer made sure to innovate in unique ways with every entry in the series.
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While some Half-Life games failed to hit the mark, the highs these games carried cannot be understated, especially in the world of PC gaming, and this ranking of all the games in the franchise aims to do justice to these entries.
8Half-Life: Decay
The Forgotten Experiment
Half-Life: Decay
Hidden behind the multiplayer mode of the PlayStation 2 port of Half-Life, Decay was an oddity that few players experienced firsthand. Instead of Gordon Freeman, players controlled Dr. Gina Cross and Dr. Colette Green, two scientists caught in the middle of the Black Mesa disaster. While the cooperative gameplay was a fresh idea for the Half-Life series, its forced two-player structure made it feel more like an afterthought than a true entry in the franchise.
Short-lived and lacking the innovation of its predecessors, Decay never got an official PC release. It introduced some lore elements, like the mysterious Rosenberg and a side view of the Resonance Cascade, but these tidbits weren’t enough to make it essential. Compared to the other Half-Life games, Decay felt like an experiment that didn’t quite justify its existence.
7Half-Life: Blue Shift
Barney’s Worst Day
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Barney Calhoun may be one of the most beloved characters in Half-Life 2, but Blue Shift didn’t do much to make his first starring role memorable. Originally planned as a Dreamcast-exclusive expansion, it was ultimately salvaged for PC when Sega’s console flopped. Unfortunately, Blue Shift didn’t bring much new to the table beyond a high-definition texture pack.
The biggest problem was the game’s length. At barely three hours long, it was shorter than Opposing Force and lacked the latter’s exciting new weapons and enemies. While it was interesting to see the Black Mesa disaster from a security guard’s perspective, Barney’s escape didn’t have the same high-stakes tension as Gordon’s. In the grand scheme of things, Blue Shift is an inoffensive but forgettable entry that felt like a footnote rather than a full expansion.
6Half-Life 2: Episode 1
A Brief Return to City 17
Half-Life 2: Episode 1
Valve’s first attempt at episodic storytelling had the unenviable task of following up Half-Life 2. While it expanded Alyx’s role and refined her AI, it struggled to escape the feeling of being a transitional chapter rather than a fully realized game. Taking place immediately after the Citadel’s destruction, it focused on Gordon and Alyx’s escape from City 17 before the Combine could detonate the reactor.
Gameplay-wise, Episode One introduced a few cool ideas, like forcing players to rely on Alyx’s flashlight in dark areas and emphasizing cooperative puzzle-solving. But with only five chapters and no new weapons, it lacked the variety that made Half-Life 2 so groundbreaking. It set the stage for Episode Two, but as a standalone experience, it was one of the weaker Half-Life titles ranked.
5Half-Life: Opposing Force
The Other Side of the Story
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Gearbox’s first expansion for Half-Life succeeded where Blue Shift fell short, offering new gameplay mechanics, fresh enemy types, and a gripping perspective shift. Playing as Adrian Shephard, a U.S. Marine sent to Black Mesa to “clean up” the disaster, Opposing Force gave players a new arsenal of weapons, including the iconic Barnacle Grapple.
The best part about Opposing Force was seeing Black Mesa from a soldier’s perspective, including moments where Shephard’s squad unknowingly fought against Gordon Freeman. It even introduced Race X, an alien faction not seen elsewhere in the franchise. While Opposing Force was a fantastic expansion, its canonicity remains ambiguous, and Shephard’s fate is still unknown. Even so, it stands out as one of the better spin-offs.
4Half-Life: Alyx
Not Half-Life 3
Half-Life: Alyx
For years, Half-Life 3 was the industry’s biggest mystery, until Valve finally returned to the series with Alyx. Set before Half-Life 2, it followed Alyx Vance as she fought to steal a secret weapon from the Combine. More than just a return to the Half-Life universe, Alyx was designed to push VR technology forward, making every object interactive and every firefight feel physically immersive.
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From the gravity gloves to the slow, methodicalhorrorof the Quarantine Zone, Alyx proved that VR wasn’t just a gimmick but a perfect fit for the franchise. While some fans were disappointed that the game wasn’t Half-Life 3, others saw it as a worthy continuation that left the door open for the future.
3Half-Life 2: Episode 2
The Beginning of the End
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
If Episode One felt like a transition, Episode Two was the payoff. Taking Gordon and Alyx out of City 17 and into the wilderness, it introduced some of the best combat encounters in the franchise, including the unforgettable final stand against the Striders. The Hunterenemywas a terrifying new addition, and the Gravity Gun was at its best in large, open environments.
The game’s biggest impact, however, was its devastating ending. Eli Vance’s sudden death at the hands of the Advisors remains one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the series, and with Half-Life 3 still in limbo, it left players with an unresolved cliffhanger that might or might not receive a conclusion. As one of the strongest expansions, Episode Two cemented its place among the top Half-Life games, proving that even in episodic form, the series could still deliver unforgettable moments.
2Half-Life
The One That Changed Everything
There’s a reason why Half-Life is considered one of the most influential shooters of all time. When it was released in 1998,first-person shooterswere dominated by arcade-style action, but Valve’s debut title rewrote the rules. The game’s opening tram ride set the stage for an immersive, narrative-driven experience where the story unfolded naturally. No cutscenes, just pure gameplay.
Gordon Freeman’s silent protagonist role allowed players to experience the chaos of Black Mesa firsthand, and the game’s AI, level design, and scripted sequences pushed the boundaries of what was possible at the time. When looking at the Half-Life series, the original still holds up as one of the best, not just for its influence but for how well it plays even today.
1Half-Life 2
The Most Innovative Game of the 2000s
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2had everything: physics-based gameplay, a dystopian world dripping with atmosphere, and an AI companion that felt alive. The Source engine allowed for realistic physics, and the Gravity Gun turned the environment into a weapon, letting players hurl saw blades, roll explosive barrels, and send crates flying at enemies.
City 17, Ravenholm, and the dystopian remnants of Earth created one of the most immersive worlds in gaming, while the relationship between Gordon and Alyx felt more natural than anything seen in the genre before. Half-Life 2 wasn’t just a game, it was an experience that defined what video games could be, and in the franchise, Half-Life 2 stands at the very top as a masterpiece that still holds up more than two decades later.
