Half-Life and its sequel are considered to be some of the best games of the first-person shooter genre. They star protagonist Gordon Freeman and combine a mix of gunplay and puzzle solving wrapped up in an engaging story that has left gamers wanting more for over 12 years. It seems as if Valve has an unnatural fear of the number three since it appears that Half-Life as well as Portal and Left 4 Dead will be forever stuck at level two. It remains to be seen if we will ever see a proper sequel, but Valve has decided to revisit the Half-Life universe with the upcoming PC VR game, Half-Life: Alyx coming in March. Until then you can download and play both main Half-Life games and all of their expansions for free.

Whether you are a longtime fan or are brand new to the series, this is a great opportunity. Please remember that this is a two-month trial and you will not get to keep the games forever so don’t procrastinate. All of the Half-Life games run on Windows, Linux, and macOS, however, macOS 10.15 Catalina is not compatible since the games are 32-bit apps.

During the two-month test period you will have access to the game that started it all, Half-Life, with all of its expansions Half-Life: Blue Shift and Half-Life: Opposing Force. It should be noted that this is the Source version of the game with added physics to make gameplay feel more modern but doesn’t include the excellent fan-made Black Mesa. You will also be able to try out Half-Life 2, additional level Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and it’s two episodic expansions. Further proving Valve hates three, the episodic expansions were initially to be a trilogy but the third episode never happened.

Half-Life: Alyx takes place before the events of Half-Life 2 and will feature Alyx Vance as the playable hero. Alyx made her debut in Half-Life 2 as a non-playable character that helps Gordon Freeman and was a groundbreaking achievement in that she was one of the first NPCs that made NPCs matter. Her depth and useful presence made her almost as beloved as Freeman himself.