This page is for the original game. For the Source engine port, see Half-Life: Source. For the unofficial remake, see Black Mesa.
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.
General information
- Unofficial Half-Life Wiki
- 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. |
|
|
| Steam |
|
|
|
|
- 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 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 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 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
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
- Steam release has no intro videos.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
-
*.cfg files store the configuration.
- This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.
Save game data location
Video
In-game video settings (Steam version)
- For a list of console commands, see here.
- Assets are designed for 640x480, and UI may be too small at higher resolutions.
|
Increase font sizes[1][2]
|
- 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")
|
- FOV adjustment may be necessary at widescreen resolutions.
|
Field of view[3]
|
- 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.
|
OpenGL texture filtering
- By default the filtering is enabled (not in Software rendering mode).
|
Disable OpenGL texture filtering[6]
|
- 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.
|
OpenGL overbright lighting
- Overbright lighting increases the rendering dynamic range, resulting in a primitive "bloom" effect.
- Overbright lighting normally only works on the Direct3D and software renderers.[7]
|
Nvidia cards: Enable the GL extension limiter[8]
|
- 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 user levels and mods.
|
Input
In-game key map settings (Steam version)
In-game mouse/joystick settings (Steam version)
Audio
In-game audio settings (Steam version)
| Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
| Separate volume controls |
|
|
| Surround sound |
|
Lost with Linux update. |
| Subtitles |
|
Use Half-Life: Subtitles mod |
| Closed captions |
|
|
| Mute on focus lost |
|
|
| EAX support |
|
A3D 2.0[10][11] and EAX were supported.
Both have been removed during the transition to SteamPipe.[12]
See MetaAudio for Steam version. |
| Red Book CD audio |
|
Replaced with MP3 playback in the transition to SteamPipe. |
Localizations
| Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
| English |
|
|
|
|
| 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, or edit their registry.[13][14] |
| Italian |
|
|
|
|
| Korean |
|
|
|
|
| Spanish |
|
|
|
|
| Indonesian |
|
|
|
Fan translation by IGTC Team, 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
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). |
|
Install Half-Life-VR Mod[15]
|
- Install Half-Life VR Mod into game root.
- Add
-game vr -dev -env -insecure -nomouse -nojoy +sv_lan 1 +sv_maxspeed 125 to launch options.
- Set
opengl32.dll to Read-Only in the installation folder.
- Set game to windowed.
|
Issues fixed
Run the game at screen refresh rate
- The Direct3D version of the game defaults to 60 Hz in fullscreen mode.
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 the censored version regardless of your location.
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[17]
|
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[18]
|
- 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[19]
|
- Make sure you have updated Half-Life to v1.1.1.0 (see patch), adding MP3 playback support.
- 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)
|
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 |
|
|
[20] |
| macOS (OS X) | |
|
[21] |
| Linux | |
|
[21] |
Middleware
Mods
- Xash3D is a custom GoldSrc build made to overcome the limit of the GoldSrc engine, fixing compatibility issues for the original non-Steam versions too[23]
- It also includes quality of life options fit for modern systems, including HUD scaling.
- Alternative audio pipeline for GoldSrc. Re-implements 3D audio without replacing entire rendering pipeline. Combines A3D’s HRTF and Occlusion with EAX’s reverb.[24]
- Not compatible with software renderer.[25]
- Must use
-insecure. Do not use on VAC secured server.
Higher definition models
- The High Definition Pack replaces most weapon and player/enemy models with higher polygon versions. 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.
- 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.
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 |
|
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
| 32 MB Open GL or Direct3D compatible 3D accelerator |
| Sound (audio device) |
Windows-compatible sound card | |
| 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 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 Sound Card |
| Other |
Graphic Drivers: Nvidia 310, AMD 12.11 |
Notes
References
