Games / Buying reference
What’s included in Half-Life 2 on Steam?
Find Episode One, Episode Two and Lost Coast, understand the older standalone apps, and check the right listing before buying.
← The guide libraryUNTANGLE THE VERSIONS
GAME FIELD GUIDE / SPOILER-SAFEHalf-Life 2.
Half-Life 2.
Know what you’re opening.
Included content, a returning player’s update reference, and the Steam history behind the game. Choose the question you came with.
START HERE
Buying—or coming back?
Games / Update reference
Half-Life 2’s 20th Anniversary Update, explained
A spoiler-safe reference to the November 2024 update: integrated episodes, commentary, Workshop, visual changes and legacy-build context.
One game name. Three different things.
The updated game, old standalone apps and steam_legacy are easy to mix up. Compare what each describes—and which detail matters for your next step.
THE PLATFORM CONNECTION
The longer story is already here.
The practical guides sit alongside our existing history. Follow the chapter for context, or use the timeline for a shorter route through the milestones.
What we checked—and what we haven’t
These guides draw on Valve’s anniversary documentation, checked on . They explain documented content and changes, not hands-on performance. Review dates are not release dates.
We have not tested Deck/controller fixes, built a mod-compatibility list, or completed a source-checked story guide. Those pages are not offered here as placeholders. The existing Deck Verified guide provides general context, not a Half-Life 2 test result.
A reason to return, when something changes
Meaningful additions and corrections belong in our editorial record. Once published, new guides and substantive revisions can appear in the publication’s RSS feed. There is no automatic news-rewriting or monitoring service behind this hub.