The 25th Anniversary update for Half-Life introduces new content, polished visuals, gameplay tweaks, and, most importantly, mods! From slight alterations to complete conversions, here are the best mods for Half-Life that made me fall in love again with this legendary shooter.
Top 10 Half-Life mods (25th Anniversary)
If you encounter compatibility issues, your best bet is to use the older ''steam_legacy'' version as the base version for installing these Half-Life mods. Valve considers the 25th Anniversary edition of Half-Life to be the game's definitive edition, which also implies increasing mod support.
1. Afraid of Monsters: Director's Cut mod
Half-Life was known for its creepy and powerful atmosphere, and the Afraid of Monsters: Director's Cut mod uses it to its full advantage. The mod puts you in the shoes of David Leatherhoff, a man who wakes up in a seemingly empty hospital at night and makes his way through its pitch-black corridors, armed with a kitchen knife and a strong will to survive. You can run, but you can't hide.
2. Poke646: Anniversary Edition mod
Set 13 months after the events of the original campaign, the Poke646 mod brings back the aliens from Borderworld, with some of their friends coming along for the ride. An all-new brutal soundtrack accompanies the mod's five-hour campaign, and the Anniversary Edition includes the Poke646: Vendetta sequel with even more aliens and exciting shootouts.
3. Brutal Half-Life mod
If you feel like the vanilla Half-Life game didn't convey the atrocities of an interdimensional war, this mod is for you. Brutal Half-Life adds deadlier weapons and new multiplayer maps, but the highlights of this mod are the added bodily fluids and painful grunts that enrich the already intense gunfights. Lovely!
4. Heart of Evil mod
Taking inspiration from the visuals of Apocalypse Now, the Heart of Evil mod aims to recapture the atrocities of the Vietnam War, with some hordes of the undead thrown in for good measure. The mod follows a soldier tasked with eliminating a US lieutenant gone rogue, but between him and you lies an army of Viet Cong rebels and US marines that won't give up without a fight. Best of luck, soldier.
5. Cat-Life mod
Don't have a PC powerful enough to run Stray? I've got you covered! Witness the Black Mesa incident through the eyes of a feline named Newton, equipped with nothing but an HEV suit and its natural predatorial instinct. In Cat-Life, you must use your claws and fangs to take out headcrabs and make your way through the facility unscathed.
6. Hazardous-Course 2 mod
Taking inspiration from the training course at the beginning of the game, the Hazardous-Course 2 mod turns Half-Life into a first-person adventure platformer that will challenge your reflexes and wits. Weapons and gunfights are reserved for specific target ranges in this mod, as you'll spend most of the time looking for shortcuts, solving puzzles, and tackling platforming sections.
7. Half-Life: Year of the Dragon
On his search quest to find Gnasty Gnorc, Spyro accidentally ended up in Black Mesa, New Mexico—it could happen to anyone. In Half-Life: Year of the Dragon, you go through the facility jumping, gliding, and collecting gems as Spyro while fighting an occasional houndeye or an HEC unit. This mod gave me a nostalgia trip in a way I never expected, and I can't recommend it enough.
8. eXperiment mod
You're in a science facility crawling with monsters and aliens out to get you, and your task is to find your way out as soon as possible. The eXperiment mod takes inspiration from sci-fi horror games like Dead Space and System Shock, and its intense atmosphere combined with high-quality textures makes for an immersive experience.
9. Half-Payne
Max Payne's detective work goes far beyond the New York precinct. Combining Max Payne's weapons snappy bullet-time mechanics with Half-Life's Black Mesa setting, Half-Payne offers a different take on the original campaign that seamlessly blends the best of both worlds.
10. Point of View
Time for a change of perspective. In Point of View, you play as Xonxt, an alien slave that ended up in Black Mesa due to the resonance cascade, and now it's up to you to traverse the facility's corridors in search of an exit. You must avoid humans and the Xen aliens, or you won't make it far.
If you love Half-Life's multiplayer, check out All Half-Life Multiplayer Maps Listed (25th Anniversary) on Pro Game Guides.
