Is Half-Life 2 co-op?

Not natively. Half-Life 2 ships single-player; the community mod Synergy adds co-op — Free on Steam; Half-Life 2 and episodes in co-op.

Does Half-Life 2 have PvP?

Only with the Synergy mod, which is co-op only.

How many people play Half-Life 2?

About 1,555 players were in-game when this page was built (2026-09-08).

Ready Up — what game do we play?Compare two Steam libraries →

Multiplayer games › Shooter › Sci-fi shooter

Is Half-Life 2 multiplayer? Yes — with Synergy

Not out of the box — but the Synergy mod makes it co-op. Half-Life 2 is a sci-fi shooter game released in 2004, 98% positive on Steam (245,627 reviews), with 1,555 playing right now. $9.99 on Steam.

Co-opLocal / split-screenSingle-player tooMultiplayer via mod: SynergyShooter · Sci-fi shooter

How to play Half-Life 2 with a friend: Synergy

Free on Steam; Half-Life 2 and episodes in co-op. Steam lists Half-Life 2 as single-player, so it won't show up in Steam's own "games we both own" view as something you can play together — Ready Up counts it anyway, marked "Via mod", and you can hide mod-only games with one filter if that's not your thing.

Get Synergy

Reawakened from stasis in the occupied metropolis of City 17, Gordon Freeman is joined by Alyx Vance as he leads a desperate human resistance. Experience the…

Steam tags: FPS, Action, Sci-fi, Classic, Singleplayer, Story Rich, Shooter, First-Person

Do you and a friend both own Half-Life 2?

Ready Up compares two Steam libraries and shows every multiplayer game you both have — including whether Half-Life 2 is one of them — then helps you pick tonight's game with a weighted roll or a bracket.

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Games like Half-Life 2 you can play together

STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ II

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection

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Halo Infinite

Sci-fi shooter · 70% positive on Steam (177,041 reviews) · 2,275 playing right now

Black Mesa

Sci-fi shooter · 95% positive on Steam (127,693 reviews) · 907 playing right now

Half-Life

Sci-fi shooter · 97% positive on Steam (148,221 reviews) · 634 playing right now

STAR WARS™ Battlefront II (Classic, 2005)

Sci-fi shooter · 95% positive on Steam (53,287 reviews) · 323 playing right now

Tired of Half-Life 2? The Swap tab finds the closest unowned games of the same type that are newer or rated higher.

Quick answers

Is Half-Life 2 co-op?: Not natively. Half-Life 2 ships single-player; the community mod Synergy adds co-op — Free on Steam; Half-Life 2 and episodes in co-op.
Does Half-Life 2 have PvP?: Only with the Synergy mod, which is co-op only.
How many people play Half-Life 2?: About 1,555 players were in-game when this page was built (2026-09-08).

Ready Up is a free tool: enter two Steam usernames and it lists the multiplayer games you both own, runs a bracket to pick one, and suggests new co-op games that fit how you both play. Ratings, tags and player counts from Steam and SteamSpy; updated 2026-09-08. Powered by Steam — not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation.