At just over $20, Half-Life: Alyx is essential playing for VR headset owners

Now, Alyx is quite a unique game and experience. For starters, when it came out in 2020, it was the first time Valve returned to the world of Half-Life (the 26-year-old series that put it on the map) since 2007. It’s a prequel to Half-Life 2, starring supporting-character-turned-protagonist Alyx Vance. And, notably, you take control of her through her own eyes since Half-Life: Alyx is solely designed around VR and requires you to own a compatible headset. Much like previous Half-Life installments, it’s received near-universal praise for its excellent gameplay and exquisite setting.

It really is an absolute must-buy and must-play if you own a VR headset and have the means, as Valve really put thought and care into how you explore this world in virtual reality (no, it’s not a glorified tech demo only for Valve to boost Index headset sales). Also, for any of you PlayStation VR2 headset owners looking forward to Sony’s PC adapter that’s due out August 7th, you might want to pocket Half-Life: Alyx at this excellent price for safekeeping until then. The game is used as the poster child for the PSVR 2 adapter for a reason, and it only gets this cheap a few times a year.