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The Half-Life Series in Order
A complete guide to playing the Half-Life saga in order, covering both the order games released and the in-universe timeline that weaves in the Portal games and the VR prequel Alyx.
The Half-Life Series in Order — complete list
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Why this order?
Half-Life is one of the few franchises where "release order" and "chronological order" genuinely diverge, because Valve has built the story out of sequence. For most of the series' life, playing in release order also kept you in story order — until Half-Life: Alyx arrived in 2020 as a prequel slotted between the original game and Half-Life 2. So the simplest path for a newcomer is still release order: start with Half-Life (1998) or its modern remake Black Mesa, branch into the Gordon's-eye expansions, then run straight through Half-Life 2 and its two Episodes.
The chronological order rearranges things to follow in-universe time. Half-Life and its two standalone expansions, Opposing Force and Blue Shift, all depict the same Black Mesa Incident from three different characters' perspectives, so they sit together at the front. Half-Life: Alyx then moves to before Half-Life 2 (it's set roughly five years after the original disaster), even though it was the last mainline entry released. The Half-Life 2 trilogy — the base game, Episode One and Episode Two — closes out Gordon and Alyx's arc.
The Portal games complicate things because Valve placed Aperture Science and Black Mesa in the same universe. Portal and Portal 2 are technically part of the Half-Life timeline, but their placement is deliberately loose: GLaDOS's takeover of Aperture overlaps the Black Mesa era, while Portal 2 jumps far into the future, long after the Half-Life 2 events, since Chell sleeps in stasis for an unspecified (clearly very long) stretch. We interleave Portal near the original Half-Life and push Portal 2 to the end of the chronology to reflect that.
A few practical notes on the list: Black Mesa is the Crowbar Collective remake of Half-Life 1, so it occupies the same story slot as the original — pick one. Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is a short technology-demo level rather than a full chapter, included here for completeness. And Valve has never published a single authoritative canonical timeline, so the chronological column reflects the community-consensus reading rather than an official decree.
Timeline 1998–2020
Every entry plotted by release year — see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
- Steam (PC) — the entire mainline series, the expansions, both Portal games and Black Mesa are all available, and the original Half-Life games are frequently bundled cheaply
- Half-Life: Alyx requires a PC VR headset (SteamVR), available on Steam
- Portal and Portal 2 are also on consoles (originally Xbox 360/PS3, later re-released; Portal: Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch)
- Black Mesa is a separate paid purchase on Steam (it remakes Half-Life 1, not included with the originals)
Affiliate links (Bookshop.org for books, store links for games/films) slot in here.
Frequently asked questions
How many Half-Life games are there?
There are five mainline Half-Life releases — Half-Life, Half-Life 2, its two Episodes (One and Two), and the VR prequel Half-Life: Alyx — plus the standalone expansions Opposing Force and Blue Shift, the Lost Coast tech demo, and the fan-made remake Black Mesa. Counting the closely tied Portal and Portal 2, this list covers 11 entries.
What order should I play the Half-Life games in?
For a first playthrough, release order works best and keeps the story coherent: start with Half-Life (or the Black Mesa remake), then Half-Life 2, Episode One and Episode Two. Add Opposing Force and Blue Shift if you want extra perspectives, and play Half-Life: Alyx before Half-Life 2 if you're chasing the in-universe timeline.
Where does Half-Life: Alyx fit in the timeline?
Half-Life: Alyx is a prequel set between the original Half-Life and Half-Life 2, roughly five years after the Black Mesa Incident, following a younger Alyx Vance in Combine-occupied City 17. It released last (2020) but sits earlier in the chronology.
Are Portal and Portal 2 part of Half-Life?
Yes — Valve placed Aperture Science and the Portal games in the same universe as Half-Life. Portal overlaps the early Half-Life era, while Portal 2 jumps far into the future, making it the latest point on the shared timeline. They're optional but reward players who want the full picture.
Is Black Mesa the same as Half-Life?
Black Mesa is a from-scratch remake of the original Half-Life (1998) built by Crowbar Collective in Valve's Source engine. It tells the same story with modern visuals, so it occupies the same slot as Half-Life 1 — play one or the other, not both, unless you want to see the comparison.
Last verified · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, half-life.fandom.com, combineoverwiki.net
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