Fan Made Half-Life 2 VR Mod Finally Getting Beta Release This Fall

by Lane Babuder — Wednesday, August 10, 2022, 01:31 PM EDT

If you have ever wished to walk in Gordon Freeman's shoes, soon you can. Half-Life 2: VR is a fan made VR implementation of the now 18-year-old game. This release is designated as a mod and will require players to own a copy of the original Half-Life 2 as a base. Created by the Source VR Mod team, this mod looks to implement head tracking, and motion controller tracking to provide an immersive VR experience in the award-winning games title that, at its initial announcement, people called the "worst kept secret in gaming."

The mod concept was originally greenlit on Steam in 2017, but development was a struggle and the project was nearly abandoned. The team recruited some fresh talent in 2021 and the project picked back up. The mod has recently been undergoing closed testing.

YouTube of Half-Life 2: VR Public Beta Trailer

There is good news for VR Gamers, though, because the mod's beta is slated to be released in September of this year. The development team points out that all portions of Half-Life 2 are playable from beginning to end. As with any game's development, they are certain there are bugs they haven't been able to catch themselves, so they hope a public beta will find them. The development team has also pointed out that Half-Life 2 Episodes are not currently supported, mainly because the engine build of the episodes is a different version of the Source Engine. This means that, for the time being, only the original story will be playable with your favorite headset.

Screenshot of Half-Life 2: VR With Pistol

The team behind Half-Life 2: VR, the Source VR Mod Team, has stated that for the time being Half-Life 2 itself will not be getting a "remaster" but they do intend to provide some general visual improvements in the future. They are also aware that a few items, like stairs, are not particularly smooth and this can create a jarring experience for VR players, so they are actively working on it. There is a ton more information on the project at their website, as well as YouTube videos of private beta impressions. For the time being it does not look like this mod will get a Steam release at launch as it requires additional approval from Valve which they may not have in time. Never say never though, as many mods often get Steam releases well after their initial release.

Tags: Valve, VR, half-life 2

Fan Made Half-Life 2 VR Mod Finally Getting Beta Release This Fall

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