Half-Life 2 Remastered, which is expected to upscale, revive, and relaunch Valve’s classic FPS game using the more modern CSGO Source engine, is being tested on Steam, potentially pointing to a release in the near future. From the same creators as Half-Life 2 Update, Remastered is not a full remake in the vein of Black Mesa, but rather an enhanced and visually overhauled version of the original Half-Life 2, though it seemingly has the go-ahead and blessing from Valve itself. Maybe this is what we need while we wait on Half-Life 3.
Reportedly in development by Filip Victor, who previously co-created Half-Life 2 Update in 2015, Half-Life 2 Remastered moves the sci-fi shooter over to a more advanced version of Valve’s Source engine, specifically, the one that powers CSGO. Victor is allegedly a licensed creator, meaning that they have been granted access and use of Valve’s engine and files by the company itself. Indeed, Half-Life 2 Update, like the HL1 remake Black Mesa, was released on Steam.
Now, it seems that Half-Life 2 Remastered is getting the same treatment, while also undergoing a public test. A recent update in the Steam backend reveals that several new ‘depots’ – which refer to groupings of files and executables – have been added to Half-Life 2 Remastered. These depots are labeled as ‘public’ and attached to variously sized downloadables, one of which is 9.52 GB, while the other is 20.31 GB. You can see the updates, as they appear on SteamDB, below:
Potentially, this means a new demo version of Half-Life 2 Remastered is being made available, and could soon roll out either to a select group of players or the entire Steam market. Alternatively, this could be the first backend update in preparation for the game’s full release. Either way, it looks like Half-Life 2 Remastered is still very much in the works, and hopefully arriving sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, check out some of the best old games, to feed your Half-Life nostalgia. You might also want to hear about the “brutal” meeting one Left 4 Dead creator had at Valve, or the mysterious new Valve project teased by Team Fortress 2 actor John Lowrie. Alternatively, try some of the other best single-player games on PC.