The most anticipated virtual reality (VR) title coming in 2020 has to be Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx, the next instalment in a highly venerated series stretching all the way back to the late 90s. While it might not be the sequel to Half-Life 2 fans have been yearning for, its pending arrival is no less exciting. In preparation for the launch in March Valve has decided to treat gamers with free access to the entire Half-Life series on Steam.
This is a great chance for those gamers who never got to play any of the franchise the first time around and have been hesitant to purchase a 20-year old videogame, introducing them to the deadly Combine which have infested planet Earth. It’s also a great chance for those who did originally play the series when it first came out to get reacquainted with the storyline.
Available to play free now until the arrival of Half-Life: Alyx:
- Half-Life
- Half-Life 2
- Half-Life 2: Episode One
- Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Half-Life: Opposing Force
- Half-Life: Blue Shift
- Team Fortress Classic
Another good reason to play through the first two titles is that Half-Life: Alyx’s story is set between them, where: “Alyx Vance and her father Eli secretly mount the resistance to the brutal occupation of Earth by a mysterious alien race known as The Combine.” You play as Vance, trying to save humanity by taking the fight to the invaders.
From the screenshots and details released so far Half-Life: Alyx looks to be an ambitious VR experience, playable on Valve Index, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Already available for pre-order with a 10% discount on Steam, as previously reported if you own the Valve Index headset of the controllers then Half-Life: Alyx will be free.
Additionally, the Half-Life: Alyx team will be taking part in a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) to connect with fans, taking place today at 9am PT (5pm GMT). Expect some (not all) questions to be answered revealing a few more secrets about the videogame.
VRFocus will be closely following the latest Half-Life: Alyx news, reporting back with the latest updates (whilst playing a little Half-Life).