Half-Life 2
Video Game3 list appearances
Released November 16, 2004, *Half-Life 2* combined Source engine facial animation, Havok physics puzzles (exemplified by the Gravity Gun), and seamless environmental storytelling. Its launch established Steam as the dominant PC distribution platform. Development (1999–2004): Five-year, $40 million development cycle led by Gabe Newell, developing the Source engine concurrently with the game. 2003 Delay & Leak: Announced at E3 2003 for September 2003, *Half-Life 2* missed its target and suffered an October 2003 unfinished build/source-code leak. 20th Anniversary Revival (Nov 2024): On November 16, 2024, Valve released a major 20th-anniversary update bundling *Episode One* and *Episode Two*, a two-hour documentary with unreleased *Episode Three* footage, and made the game temporarily free on Steam (Shacknews (https://www.shacknews.com/article/142259/half-life-2-20th-anniversary-update-record); PC Games Insider (https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/74815/half-life-2-its-record-64k-concurrent-players)).
1-Tap Primary Ranking Ballot
Overview#1 Full List
Does Half-Life 2 deserve the #1 spot on “Top 10 Best FPS Games of All Time”?
#1 Half-Life 2?
Verified Entity DossierRanked #1 in Top 10 Best FPS Games of All Time
Best Rank
#1
top 3 in 1 list
Avg Position
#4.7
across 3 lists
Community
Divisive Pick
ranked #1 to #8
Most divisive on “Top 10 Most Influential Video Games of All Time” — ranked #8 thereStrongest in Gaming — avg #3 across 2 lists
Community Weigh-In & Debate
Should Half-Life 2 rank Top 3 in FPS Games of All Time?
Ranked #1 on "Top 10 Best FPS Games of All Time". Cast your vote to back or challenge this spot.
Be the first to vote on this ranking.
Most Argued About
“Top 10 Most Influential Video Games of All Time”
Ranks as high as #1 on some lists — but only #8 here. Fans are divided.
See the debate →The Internet's Surprise Pick
“Top 10 Best FPS Games of All Time”
Climbed to #1 — a narrowly contested win.
See the full ranking →Also ranked in
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Half-Life 2's highest community ranking?⌄
Half-Life 2 is ranked #1 on "Top 10 Best FPS Games of All Time" — its best placement across 3 lists on top10grid.com.
How many top-10 lists feature Half-Life 2?⌄
Half-Life 2 appears in 3 lists on top10grid.com, spanning categories including GAMING, TECHNOLOGY.
Is Half-Life 2 a controversial ranking?⌄
Yes — community opinion on Half-Life 2 varies widely. It ranks as high as #1 on some lists and as low as #8 on others, a spread of 7 positions, making it one of the more debated picks on top10grid.com.
What category is Half-Life 2 most known for on top10grid.com?⌄
Half-Life 2 appears most frequently in the GAMING category, most notably in "Top 10 Best FPS Games of All Time".
What the internet says
Structured Facts & Specifications
Verified highlightsCore Milestone
Released November 16, 2004, *Half-Life 2* combined Source engine facial animation, Havok physics puzzles (exemplified by the Gravity Gun), and seamless environmental storytelling. Its launch established Steam as the dominant PC distribution
steamdb.infoOfficial steamdb.info ↗
Official Tracker Url
Half-Life 2 — SteamDB (https://steamdb.info/app/220/charts)
steamdb.infoOfficial steamdb.info ↗
Key Benchmark
64,085 all-time peak concurrent players on Steam on November 17, 2024 (SteamDB (https://steamdb.info/app/220/charts)); 12M+ copies sold by 2011
steamdb.infoOfficial steamdb.info ↗
Institutional Significance
2003 Delay & Leak: Announced at E3 2003 for September 2003, *Half-Life 2* missed its target and suffered an October 2003 unfinished build/source-code leak.
steamdb.infoOfficial steamdb.info ↗
Historical Benchmark
Development (1999–2004): Five-year, $40 million development cycle led by Gabe Newell, developing the Source engine concurrently with the game.
steamdb.infoOfficial steamdb.info ↗
Category
First Person Shooter
Official Website
