Half-Life

This page is for the original game. For the Source engine port, see Half-Life: Source. For the unofficial remake, see Black Mesa.

Half-Life

Developers
	Valve Corporation
Publishers
1998-2005	Sierra On-Line
2005-present	Valve Corporation
Engines
	GoldSrc
Release dates
Windows	November 19, 1998
macOS (OS X)	January 25, 2013
Linux	January 25, 2013
Reception
Metacritic	96
Taxonomy
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	FPS
Art styles	Realistic
Themes	Sci-fi, North America
Series	Half-Life

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

Half-Life is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person FPS game in the Half-Life series.

General information

GitHub Issue Tracker for Half-Life and other GoldSrc-based games

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Disc only needed to play CD music, and in previous versions; authenticate.
Retail		Half-Life 1 Anthology, and 2005 Jewel-case.
Steam

All non-Steam releases can be redeemed on Steam.

Soundtrack is available for free here. FLAC files are also available if "Download high-quality audio files" is checked in Steam's music settings.

Steam Edition has been updated to have full OpenGL support with texture filtering and smooth dynamic lighting.

Demos

Half-Life: Uplink

The official public demo that includes an exclusive chapter (and a training level) with content not found in the full release. It can be downloaded here.

The demo uses an older version of GoldSrc, which may have compatibility issues with modern systems. For full compatibility with the Steam version, the HL!UL!SL mod reworks the demo as a Half-Life mod.

Half-Life: Day One

A pre-release demo exclusive to OEMs. It contains the chapters from the full release up to and including "We've Got Hostiles" (5 chapters and a training level). It can be downloaded here.

Note that the demo uses an older version of GoldSrc, which may have compatibility issues with modern systems.

Version differences

Half-Life: Game of the Year Edition comes with both the base game and Team Fortress Classic.

Half-Life: Dreamcast is an unreleased port of Half-Life to the Sega Dreamcast. It includes various differences from the PC release (ex. modified levels, new models, adjusted difficulty, etc.). A mod that ports the Dreamcast version as a Half-Life mod is available on Mod DB.

Essential improvements

Official retail patches

These are not needed for the Steam version as that already contains the latest version.

An archive of all official patches for Half-Life and its expansions can be found here

Peixoto's patch

Peixoto's patch forced resolution allows high resolution without shrinking the HUD\menus. Super sampling anti aliasing is also possible

Disable texture resizing

By default, the game resizes textures to the nearest power of 2. This behavior can be disabled on hardware that supports non-power-of-two textures (most modern GPUs released within the past 15 years support them) by setting gl_round_down to 0 in the configuration files.

Skip intro videos for the Retail version

Steam release has no videos.

Use the -console command-line argument.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Valve\Half-Life\
Steam	<path-to-game>/valve/

*.cfg files store the configuration.

This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\valve\SAVE\
macOS (OS X)	<path-to-game>/valve/SAVE
Linux	<path-to-game>/valve/SAVE/

The file names follow the pattern:

• autosave.sav
• half-life-000.sav
• half-life-001.sav
• ...

The magic number (the file signature at the beginning of the file, consisting of two or more hexadecimal values) is JSAV in ISO 8859-1 encoding (4A53 4156 in hexadecimal).

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game video settings (Steam version)

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Game is Vert-; see Field of view (FOV) for a workaround. Use Half-Life WON Resolution FOV MP3 Patch for non-Steam versions
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen			Vert-. Increase FOV to compensate. See Field of view (FOV).
4K Ultra HD			Both in-game and menu UI may become too small on displays with a high pixel density, see 4K Ultra HD for various fixes.
Field of view (FOV)		90 by default. See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Use -window -noborder.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		16 samples by default in Steam version. Use gl_ansio X[sic] in the console, with X as number of samples. See OpenGL texture filtering to disable texture filtering altogether.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		4x MSAA by default in Steam version. Use -nomsaa to force off. Enhanceable to HSAA on Nvidia systems.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Always on for the retail version.
60 FPS
120+ FPS		Capped at 100 FPS (72 FPS in retail version) by default. See High frame rate.
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See OpenGL overbright lighting to increase the rendering dynamic range.

For a list of console commands, see here.

4K Ultra HD

This section may require cleanup to meet basic quality standards. The specific problem is: Provide a vanilla resized HUD and crosshairs. Figure out how to increase other font sizes. You can help by modifying the article. The discussion page may contain useful suggestions.

Assets are designed for 640x480, and UI may be too small at higher resolutions.

Increase font sizes

Open <path-to-game>\platform\resource\TrackerScheme.res in a text editor. Under "Legacy_CreditsFont", change "tall" as desired to change the size of the in-game credits font, used for the opening credits, level titles, and tutorial prompts. Recommended settings for a similar font size to that used in 640x480 are: "30" for 720p or 768p "40" for 960p, 1024p, or 1080p "50" for 1200p "60" for 1440p "70" for 1600p "80" for 2160p ("4K") "120" for 2880p ("5K") "135" for 3240p ("6K") "180" for 4320p ("8K")

Field of view (FOV)

FOV adjustment may be necessary at widescreen resolutions.

Field of view
In the game's launch options, add +default_fov ###, replacing ### with the desired FOV. While in game, open the console (~). Type default_fov and press ↵ Enter to confirm the changes have taken place in-game. Notes Weapon models are affected by changes in FOV. To maintain identical vertical FOV to the 4:3 FOV at 16:9 resolutions, use 106. At 21:9 resolutions, use 121.

High frame rate

Use +developer 1 +fps_override 1 +fps_max ###
Disabling the cap may reduce the speed at which you move objects. NPC turn rate bug was fixed.

OpenGL texture filtering

By default the filtering is enabled (not in Software rendering mode).

Disable OpenGL texture filtering
Go to <path-to-game>. Create a file called autoexec.cfg. Add new line gl_texturemode gl_nearest. Save the file. Notes Using the line gl_texturemode gl_nearest_mipmap_linear instead will enable mipmapping to prevent some textures from flickering at a distance, but will be blurry if not combined with anisotropic filtering.

OpenGL overbright lighting

Overbright lighting increases the rendering dynamic range, resulting brighter and more colorful visuals.

Overbright lighting normally only works on the Direct3D and software renderers.

Nvidia cards: Enable the GL extension limiter

Download and run Nvidia Profile Inspector. On the Half Life profile, set Extension limit to On. Apply changes. Go to <path-to-game>. Create a file called autoexec.cfg. Add new line gl_overbright "1". Save the file. Notes Doing this will disable multi-texturing, which has the side-effect of disabling detail textures, which may effect the appearance of other games and mods that share hl1.exe, including Counter-Strike: Condition Zero and Day of Defeat. Doing this disables the Steam version's built-in MSAA. On the Half Life profile, change Antialiasing - Mode to Override any application setting and Antialiasing - Setting to the desired level of antialiasing (such as 4x [4x Multisampling] for a vanilla look, or 32xS [Combined: 2x2 SS + 8x MS] for maximum antialiasing).

Input

In-game key map settings (Steam version)

In-game mouse/joystick settings (Steam version)

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		Intended for single sticks like a flight stick; controllers like an Xbox 360 Controller will only use the left stick.
Full controller support
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers

PlayStation controllers

Tracked motion controllers		Supports Razer Hydra.
Button/gesture prompts

Generic/other controllers
Button prompts

Audio

In-game audio settings (Steam version)

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Lost with Linux update. Can be restored in retail version with DirectSound 3D restoration software (Creative Alchemy or dsoal).
Subtitles		Use Half-Life: Subtitles mod
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		A3D 2.0 and EAX were supported. Both have been removed during the transition to SteamPipe. See MetaAudio for Steam version.
Red Book CD audio		Deprecated with MP3 playback since 1.1.0.9. Current release still supports reading from CD when available.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				subtitles mod
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
French
German				Censored (enemy soldiers replaced with robots, gore removed). An uncut DLC was released after BPjM cleared the game, but it has since gone. Players can still play in English, edit their registry, or ask the Steam Support to remove all Low-Violence tags from their GoldSource games.
Italian
Korean
Spanish
Polish				Fan translation from subtitles mod
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation, download.
Russian				Fan translation from subtitles mod, also available an Audio Translation created from various unofficial voice-overs
Turkish				Fan translation from subtitles mod
Ukrainian				Fan translation by TSF, download.

Network

In-game multiplayer settings (Steam version)

For more information, see the "Half-Life Dedicated Server" section of our GoldSrc article.

Steam Edition actively supported via Steamworks with a small but dedicated community.

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play		Versus, Co-op Use Universal Split Screen
LAN play		32	Versus, Co-op Use Sven Co-op for co-op (see the FAQ).
Online play		32	Versus, Co-op Use Sven Co-op for co-op (see the FAQ).

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated		Servers are hosted using a separate "hlds.exe," which can be downloaded with SteamCMD.
Self-hosting		Only LAN, by default. Use sv_lan 0 in the main menu and, if you have port forwarding set up, others can connect with the connect "ip address" command.
Direct IP		Open the console (~) and use connect followed by the IP and port.

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
UDP	6003, 7002, 27010, 27015, 27025

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
vorpX		G3D User created game profile, (openGL) see vorpx forum profile introduction. Note The profile also works with Half Life Opposing Force, Half Life Blueshift, Half Life Counterstrike (taken from Half Life - Generations).

Headsets
SteamVR		See Half-Life: VR
Oculus VR (LibOVR)		See Half-Life: VR.
Windows Mixed Reality		See Half-Life: VR.
OSVR

Devices
Tracked motion controllers		Supports Razer Hydra. See Input for details.
Traditional controller		See Input for details.
Keyboard/Mouse
Novint Falcon		The official game-specific 3D Touch Add On is required.

Play area
Seated
Standing
Room-scale

Issues fixed

Run the game at screen refresh rate (Retail version)

The Direct3D version of the game defaults to 60 Hz in fullscreen mode.

Use the -freq <rate> command line argument
Example: -freq 120 forces a 120 Hz refresh rate.

Missing Blood & Gore on Steam version

There is an issue with the current Steam release of Half-Life, put short you can end up downloading a few of the censored content from the German version regardless of your location.

Download this file to restore the lost gore[citation needed]

Input Lag in Direct3D

On certain graphics cards, using the D3D renderer can result in severe input lag, even with disabled VSync.

Set gl_d3dflip 1 in the console

Missing Decals in Direct3D

Use gl_polyoffset -0.01 in the console[citation needed]

Color depth in the retail version

The retail version defaults to 16-bit color depth.

Run game with -32bpp argument[citation needed]

Fatal Error - Available memory less than 15MB

Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP[citation needed]

Windows 7/Vista Performance Fix

In Windows 7 or Vista, some users may experience extremely low frame rates during gameplay, even if their PC can run modern games perfectly.

Set HL.exe to high priority[citation needed]
Open Half-Life. Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Esc in order to open the Task Manager. Under the Processes tab, find HL.exe and right click it. Set its priority to high.

Missing Voice and Multiplayer Tabs under Options

Replace the liblist.gam file
Make sure Half-Life is not currently running. Download the replacement liblist.gam file from here (download starts immediately). Extract into the valve folder in the installation folder, replacing the existing file when prompted.

No music playback in the retail version

Switch from CD playback to MP3
Make sure you have updated Half-Life to v1.1.1.0 (see patch), adding MP3 playback support. (This action requires a Steam account and Steam platform installed to access the content) Put the MP3 soundtrack of Half-Life Steam version (see here) into <path-to-game>/valve/media. Add ID3v1 tags to the MP3 files (see instruction here)

Black screen on startup (Steam version)

Disable FBO rendering
Add -nofbo in the game's launch options.

Performance issues with dynamic lights on Intel graphics (OpenGL)

Dynamic light sources being present, such as the flashlight or flickering lights, causes significant frame rate drops and lag spikes on Intel graphics.

Use this GLIntercept config
Note As this method uses a custom OpenGL32.dll, it should not be used in VAC-protected servers. Doing this also fixes overbright lighting.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	7	Lost with Linux update.
OpenGL	2.1	3DFX MiniGL included in retail version.
Software renderer

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Miles Sound System
Input	SDL
Multiplayer	World Opponent Network, Steamworks	WON for retail, Steamworks for Steam. WON has been shut down on July 31, 2004; fans have since recreated the network as WON2.

Mods

Xash3D

Xash3D FWGS is a custom open-source Half-Life-compatible engine, made to overcome the limit of the GoldSrc engine, fixing compatibility issues for the original non-Steam versions too

It also includes quality of life options fit for modern systems, including HUD scaling.

MetaAudio

Alternative audio pipeline for GoldSrc. Re-implements 3D audio without replacing entire rendering pipeline. Combines A3D’s HRTF and Occlusion with EAX’s reverb.

Not compatible with software renderer.

Do not use on VAC secured server.

Higher definition models

Included in the Steam release.

The High Definition Pack replaces most weapon and player/enemy models with higher polygon versions that resemble the PS2 models. For other options follow this guide.

The option to enable the pack in-game is in the options menu, and the game must be restarted for it to take effect.

The effect changes the art style dramatically, and whether or not it's desirable is up to personal preference.

Restoring Original Menu

Half-Life's main menu was changed with the game's transition from the WON (World Opponent Network) system to Steam. This mod restores the look of the original menus and adds the PlayStation 2 version of the menu music. An alternate GameBanana download link can be found here.

Menus are 4:3 by default and cannot be stretched to fullscreen. In-game is untouched.

Crosshair

See Half-Life Crosshair Changer to customize the crosshairs.

HD Half-Life Crosshairs

Upscales crosshairs to make them more visible when using Full HD or 4K resolutions.

Optionally changes color of the crosshairs for Blue Shift to better match add-on aesthetics.

Enabling developer mode

Enabling developer mode will allow use of in-game cheats and various console commands.

Use the developer 1 in console[citation needed]
Notes The developer console can be opened by pressing ~. You may have to turn it on in the in-game settings first. You can use the console command sv_cheats 1 to allow the usage of console commands such as god and noclip. You might have to reload a save-game after enabling cheat-mode for certain commands to work.

Console commands

Games running on the GoldSrc engine can utilize GoldSrc Engine Console Commands for various tasks.

The console is enabled by default in GoldSrc games, press ~ to open it.

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Linux

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95	98, NT
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 133 MHz	Intel Pentium 166 MHz
System memory (RAM)	24 MB	32 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	400 MB
Video card (GPU)	SVGA, high color (16-bit) compatible display	OpenGL or Direct3D compatible 3D accelerator 32 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device)	Windows compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.6.3
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core 2 Duo
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	4 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8xxx series ATI Radeon X1600 Intel HD Graphics 3000

Linux
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	Ubuntu 12.04
Processor (CPU)	2.8 GHz Dual Core
System memory (RAM)	1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	4 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8600/9600 GT ATI/AMD Radeon HD 2600/3600 OpenGL 2.1 compatible
Sound (audio device)	OpenAL compatible
Other	Graphic Drivers: Nvidia 310, AMD 12.11