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.
This page is for the original game. For the Source remake, see Half-Life: Source. For the unofficial Source engine mod, see Black Mesa.
Key points
- Runs extremely well on low-end hardware.
General information
- Unofficial Half-Life Wiki
- GitHub Issue Tracker for Half-Life and other GoldSrc-based games
- Steam Community Discussions
- Steam Users' Forums
Availability
- All non-Steam releases can be redeemed on Steam.
- Soundtrack is available for free here.
- Steam Edition has been updated to have full OpenGL support with texture filtering and smooth dynamic lighting.
Demos
The official public demo for the game, it includes an exclusive chapter (and a training level) with content not found in the full release.
It can be downloaded here.
Note that the demo uses an older version of GoldSrc and may have compatibility issues with modern systems. For full compatibility, the SteamLink 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 and may have compatibility issues with modern systems.
Version differences
Half-Life: Game of the Year Edition
- Half-Life: Game of the Year Edition comes with both the base game and Team Fortress Classic
Half-Life: Dreamcast
An unreleased port of Half-Life to the Sega Dreamcast, it includes various major and minor 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
Skip intro videos
Higher definition models
You have multiple options to gain access to higher definition models. One is using the official version of them. For other options follow this guide.
Enabling developer mode
- Enabling developer mode will allow you to use in-game cheats and various console commands.
Modifications
They Hunger
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
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*.cfg
store the configuration.
- This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.
Save game data location
Video settings
Template:Video settings
OpenGL texture filtering
Input settings
In-game key map settings.
In-game mouse/joystick settings.
Template:Input settings
Audio settings
Template:Audio settings
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
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French |
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German |
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Italian |
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Korean |
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Spanish |
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Simplified Chinese |
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Traditional Chinese |
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Russian |
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Network
In-game multiplayer settings.
- For more information, see the "Half-Life Dedicated Server" section of our GoldSrc article.
- Steam Edition actively supported via Steamworks.
- Small, but dedicated community.
Multiplayer types
Connection types
Type |
Native |
Notes |
Matchmaking |
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Peer-to-peer |
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Dedicated |
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Servers are hosted using a separate "hlds.exe," which can be downloaded with SteamCMD. |
Self-hosting |
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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 |
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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
Issues fixed
Fatal Error - Available memory less than 15MB
Windows 7/Vista Performance Fix
In Windows 7 or Vista some users may experience extremely low frame rate during gameplay even if their PC can run other more modern games perfectly.
Follow these instructions to the problem:
Missing Voice and Multiplayer Tabs under Options
Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
Direct3D |
7 |
Lost with Linux update.[1] |
OpenGL |
2.1 |
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Software renderer |
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Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
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macOS (OS X) | |
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Linux | |
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Middleware
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 |
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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) | |
Sound (audio device) |
Windows-compatible sound card | |
macOS (OS X) |
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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 3000 |
Linux |
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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 Sound Card |
Other |
Graphic Drivers: Nvidia 310, AMD 12.11 |
References