Half-Life: Alyx, the next entry in Valve’s storied FPS franchise, is coming to Steam later this year, and to get fans prepared for the series' return, the publisher has made all four of the previous main games free to play for the next two months.
“Half-Life: Alyxis set before the events ofHalf-Life 2and the episodes, but the games share characters and story elements,” Valve said in a news announcement today. “TheHalf-Life: Alyxteam believes that the best way to enjoy the new game is to play through the old ones, especially Half-Life 2and the episodes, so we want to make that as easy as possible.”
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The originalHalf-Lifereleased in 1998, and was hailed as an achievement in first-person shooters at the time for its gripping narrative and gameplay that aimed for a more realistic feeling than previous popular FPS games.Half-Life 2arrived six years later and continued the series’s hot streak, still having fans today thanks to iconic characters like Alyx Vance and the Combine, a distinctive set of weapons (including the Gravity Gun), and for the unique narrative style that Valve pioneered.
Fan anticipation for a new entry in theHalf-Lifeseries hit a fever pitch after the release ofHalf-Life 2: Episode OneandEpisode Two,with the series going radio silent for over a decade and many of the original developers moving on to other projects inside Valve and elsewhere. The company finally unveiled its newest take on the series in 2019.
The newest game,Half-Life: Alyx,turned outnot to beHalf-Life 3or the sequel to the episodesthat fans were hoping for, but a VR prequel toHalf-Life 2,putting players into Alyx Vance’s shoes before she meets series protagonist Gordon Freeman. Steam users who might want to see what all the hubbub is about will be able to catch up with the series so far untilAlyxreleases in March.
Valve is no stranger to using freebies to promote its newest projects. The company gave awayPortalfor free alongside the launch of the Mac version of Steam, and bothTeam Fortress 2andCounter Strike: Global Offensivemoved to free-to-play models a few years after their original release dates. Fans will probably want to take advantage of the offer and play through the games before March, as a specific launch date forHalf-Life: Alyxhasn’t officially been confirmedand Valve’s phrasing suggests that the games are available as a free trial rather than a full giveaway. Get it while it’s hot!
