Half-Life 2: Episode Two

2007 Valve Action

Windows 11Runs

MacNot sold

LinuxNative

Steam DeckVerified

Gamicality score

Metacritic 904

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 951

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today4.5/5

Design today5/5

Steam user reviews

Overwhelmingly Positive

97%

41,782 reviews1

Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Half-Life 2: Episode Two run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11Runs

Sold for Windows today, no problem on record.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not sold

No Mac version is sold.

LinuxNative

Native Linux version.1

Steam DeckVerified

Verified by Valve.1

Played Half-Life 2: Episode Two lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

Synopsis

The second follow-up episode to Half-Life 2 sends Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance out of City 17 into the forests and mountains beyond, racing to deliver vital data to a rebel base. You fight Combine soldiers, antlions and the new three-legged Hunters, solve physics puzzles and drive a stripped-down muscle car across open countryside.

Developer: Valve
Released: 2007
Genre: Action

Reception

Critics praised it highly at release, with a PC Metascore of 90; reviewers singled out the Hunters, the varied set pieces and the ambitious final battle. PC Gamer noted that a run takes a little under five hours, and length was the main complaint about the episodic format. Players still rate it Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam, with 97 percent of more than 41,000 reviews recommending it. Since the 2024 20th Anniversary Update it ships inside Half-Life 2 rather than as a separate purchase.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

4.5/5

Not sold or given away today by any official source
Runs on Windows 11 without fan patches
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The single-player campaign is complete and now ships as part of Half-Life 2 after the 20th Anniversary Update (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Native widescreen, ultrawide and 4K support, with HUD scaling fixed in the 20th Anniversary Update (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Full controller support with a gamepad interface, plus remappable keys (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists only fixed issues, such as cut-off pickup icons at some resolutions, and nothing that crashes or blocks progress (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

5/5

Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Mouse and keyboard controls are fully remappable, and full controller support with a gamepad interface has been native since the 2022 and 2024 updates, though the gamepad option may need to be switched on in the settings. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Menus, text and interface are clear on today's screens
The game supports widescreen, ultrawide and 4K, and since the 20th Anniversary Update the HUD and menus scale properly at high resolutions. Subtitles and closed captions are built in. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Quicksave works at any time with F6 alongside unlimited manual saves, and the game writes autosaves as you progress, so little is ever lost. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, pcgamingwiki.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
New tools and enemies are taught through level design rather than text tutorials: the opening train wreck lets players relearn movement safely, and Valve reworked scenes where playtesters got confused or missed a mechanic. Source: combineoverwiki.net.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
The short campaign alternates firefights, physics puzzles, driving and quiet story scenes, and Valve simplified maze-like tunnels after playtesters got lost, so there is little backtracking. Source: pcgamer.com, combineoverwiki.net.
Camera and movement never fight the player
It is a first-person game with a field of view slider from 75 to 110 degrees and responsive movement. Source: pcgamingwiki.com.