Half-Life 2 is getting Nvidia’s RTX treatment with DLSS 3

By Tomas Franzese Published August 22, 2023

Nvidia announced Half-Life 2 RTX at Gamescom, which means one of the best games of all time will get a community-made remaster with ray-tracing, DLSS 3, and more, similar to what happened with Portal.

Half-Life 2 RTX is the latest in a long stream of fan-made remasters for classic PC games that demonstrate the power of Nvidia’s latest technology. Last year, Valve Software’s Portal got this treatment, and Digital Trends called it the most demanding PC game we’ve ever tested. It’s not surprising that Nvidia would move on to what is probably Valve’s other most influential game, Half-Life 2. This game, which was originally released in 2004, set a new bar for first-person shooters and has a vibrant modding community. Now, some of those modders have come together to form Orbifold Studios and are working with Nvidia to release Half-Life 2 RTX.

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So far, Nvidia has confirmed that Half-Life 2 RTX will support DLSS 3, RTX IO, and other “modernized assets.” It’s likely the closest we’re getting to a full-on Black Mesa-style remake for Half-Life 2. If it’s anything like Portal with RTX, though, Half-Life 2 RTX will be a demanding game that will only run on some of the most powerful PCs. Nvidia released lots of screenshots to give us a taste of what Half-Life 2 RTX will look like, and it shows off some impressive visual improvements.

A room in Half-Life 2 RTX.

Servers in Half-Life 2 RTX.

A headcrab in Half-Life 2 RTX

RTX On for Gordon Freeman's Half-Life 2 RTX suit.

Half-Life 2 RTX screenshot showing the generator and VATS.

Half-Life 2 RTX does not have a release date, as Nvidia claims development on it has “just begun.” In the same presentation where Half-Life 2 RTX got announced, Nvidia also stated that over 80 games are getting what it’s now calling the “RTX Remix” treatment.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A former Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese now reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

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