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leonidakarlach edited this page Jan 31, 2025 · 10 revisions

Get the files

  1. Buy original Half-Life 2 (you don't need to download the original version unless you want to play the episodes, as HL2 Update is standalone)
  2. Download and Install Half-Life 2: Update from Steam
  3. Download the latest reUpdate patch (includes Installer/Manual Install)

Currently as of 20th anniversary, Half-Life 2 is currently free until Nov 18, 2024, so go get it before it's too late.

Installation / Update (Windows)

  1. IMPORTANT: Uninstall the previous version of reUpdate (if you upgrade from 1.x.x.x to 2.0.0.0), then verify your game before installing. For 2.0.0.0 version, you can update directly (even to latest Beta) without uninstalling.
  2. Extract the downloaded zip, then choose your install method:

Installer method

  1. Run the installer, then click "Agree".
  2. Select the game install folder, example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life 2 Update (different on most systems)
  3. Install (make sure the game is closed)
  4. Launch it, you are basically done!

Non-Installer/Extract method

  1. Open "HL2 reUpdate Setup 2.0.0.0 - Non-Installer" folder
  2. Find the game install folder, example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Half-Life 2 Update (different on most systems)
  3. Install it by drag & drop and overwrite it (make sure game is closed)
  4. Launch it on Steam, see if its work, if it was, you are basically done!

NOTE: Beta or newer version may have different installation method so make sure to check that one aswell.

Installation / Update (Mac, 32-bit only)

  1. IMPORTANT: Uninstall the previous version of reUpdate, then verify your game before installing.
  2. Go to these following folders (depends on Steam installations) ~/Library/Application Support/Steam/SteamApps/Half-Life 2 Update (can't confirm cuz I don't have a Mac) or alternatively, go to Steam Library > Half-Life 2 Update > Properties > Local Files > Browse...
  3. Open "1. Mac Binaries" folder, copy everything then paste on "Half-Life 2 Update" folder, overwrite everything.
  4. Open "2. Assets" folder, copy everything & paste on "Half-Life 2 Update" folder
  5. (Required on x64 Intel/Apple silicon) - To play on modern Macs and to fix all the bugs introduced since 2019, Open "3. nillerusr patch" folder and see the README and the AppleGamingWiki link for building the 64-bit version. For legal reasons (because the methods involving building executable from TF2 leaked source code from 2018), the x64 executable won't be included on this zip.
  6. Launch it on Steam, see if its work, if it was, you are basically done!

NOTE: Mac version are untested, so I'm not sure if it's working or not since I never have a Mac. NOTE 2: nillerusr port only support pre-20th anniversary version (basically reUpdate 1.x, but I will plan to make it available on Mac, allowing users to play 20th anniversary version of the map, but without 20th anniversary features like classic particles and smoother lightmap because Valve has dropped support for Mac back in 2024, and because nillerusr port is based on pre-20th anniversary SDK).

Installation / Update (Linux)

  1. IMPORTANT: Uninstall the previous version of reUpdate, then verify your game before installing.
  2. Go to these following folders (depends on Steam installations) Normal: ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Half-Life 2 Update Flatpak: ~/.var/app/com.valvesoftware.Steam/steamapps/common/Half-Life 2 Update or alternatively, go to Steam Library > Half-Life 2 Update > Properties > Local Files > Browse...
  3. Open "1. Linux Binaries (untested)" folder, copy everything then paste on "Half-Life 2 Update" folder, overwrite everything.
  4. Open "2. Assets" folder, copy everything & paste on "Half-Life 2 Update" folder
  5. Launch it on Steam, see if its work, if it was, you are basically done!

NOTE: Linux version are currently based off the Nov 17, 2023 patch. And users are reporting issues with it (even through it worked fine on my systems after fixing a mistake). LATEST BETA is not available on Linux yet.

Optional (all platforms)

(Optional) If you want to install the custom Orange-themed Gamepad UI with Verdana & Trebuchet MS font (inspired by the X360/PS3 Orange Box menu UI), put the VPK file into hl2\custom folder (if it doesn't exist, create it).

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