Half-Life — System Requirements, FPS Estimate & Refund Help
1998 · Shooter, Action · Valve Software · ESRB Mature · Metacritic 96

Official PC requirements
Publisher-published Minimum / Recommended values via RAWG, retrieved 2026-08-21. Real-world performance varies with drivers, resolution and your full build.
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Minimum: 500 mhz processor, 96mb ram, 16mb video card, Windows XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection | — |
| Processor | Recommended: 800 mhz processor, 128mb ram, 32mb+ video card, Windows XP, Mouse, Keyboard, Internet Connection | — |
| Memory | — | — |
| Graphics | — | — |
Multi-GPU FPS estimate
Estimated average FPS by GPU at 1080p / 1440p / 4K, derived from Half-Life's demand tier (tier 1, Very light (runs on integrated graphics)) and published TechPowerUp-style relative-performance indices (RTX 4090 = 100), retrieved 2026-08-29. Planning estimates, not benchmarks.
| GPU | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
|---|---|---|---|
| RTX 4090 | 480 | 380 | 219 |
| RTX 4080 Super | 480 | 341 | 196 |
| RTX 4080 | 480 | 327 | 188 |
| RX 7900 XTX | 480 | 363 | 209 |
| RX 7900 XT | 480 | 341 | 196 |
| RTX 4070 Ti Super | 440 | 291 | 167 |
| RX 7800 XT | 440 | 291 | 167 |
| RTX 4070 Super | 414 | 274 | 157 |
| RTX 4070 | 388 | 256 | 148 |
| RX 7700 XT | 399 | 263 | 152 |
| RTX 3070 | 362 | 239 | 138 |
| RX 6800 XT | 435 | 287 | 165 |
| RTX 4060 Ti | 319 | 211 | 121 |
| RX 6700 XT | 388 | 256 | 148 |
| RTX 3060 | 292 | 193 | 111 |
| RX 6600 XT | 330 | 218 | 125 |
| RTX 2060 | 264 | 174 | 100 |
| GTX 1660 Super | 218 | 144 | 83 |
| RX 580 | 253 | 167 | 96 |
| GTX 1060 6GB | 207 | 136 | 79 |
| GTX 1650 | 165 | 109 | 63 |
| Intel Arc A770 | 335 | 221 | 127 |
| UHD 770 (integrated) | 67 | 44 | 26 |
Method: a game's demand tier maps to a “GPU index needed for ~60 FPS at 1080p”; each GPU's relative index produces an estimate via a diminishing-returns curve, then scaled for resolution. Source: TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), 2026-08-29.
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Fix & refund help →Optimize Half-Life & build your refund case
Pick your GPU class and symptom for an ordered fix plan, then open the refund appeal generator for your platform. The fix plan and the appeal letter share one goal: get Half-Life running — or get your money back.
Refund eligibility & appeal
Informational consumer reference — not legal advice.
My appeal package — Half-Life
Refund window: under 2 hours played and within 14 days of purchase — no questions asked.
Appeal letter draft
Subject: Refund request — Half-Life (Crashes / won’t start) Dear Steam Support, I am requesting a refund for Half-Life, purchased on [purchase date]. The game is game crashes at launch or during play, which makes it unusable for me. Purchase details: - Game: Half-Life - Platform: Steam - Purchase date: [date] - Playtime: 1 hour(s) - Issue: game crashes at launch or during play This is a genuine technical issue rather than a change of preference. I have included my system information and steps already tried. Please process a refund or offer an alternative resolution. Thank you, [Your name] [Account/order number]
Evidence checklist
- Receipt / order confirmation with date
- Screenshot or clip of the issue (error code, crash, FPS counter)
- System specs (CPU, GPU, RAM, OS, driver version)
- Steps already tried (driver update, file verify, reinstall)
- Server-status screenshot if the issue is online/matchmaking
Generated at GameFixPro · 2026-09-10
Release & version notes
Official release date: 1998-11-19. Ongoing patches and version history are published by the developer — for the latest patch notes, see the official store or support page. GameFixPro summarizes the official release only and does not invent patch dates.
About Half-Life
Half-Life is the original game in the series. Being a revolutionary at the time, we follow the story of Gordon Freeman - a silent scientist at the facility called Black Mesa. Arriving late at work and hastily doing his routine he runs into the experiment field. However, the experiment goes completely wrong and opens a portal to a completely different dimension called Xen. The laboratory is destroyed as well as the facility itself, as unknown creatures like Vortigaunts are now everywhere in the facility. Gordon must battle his way to the surface and find a way to close the portal. One of the main features of Half-Life was story-telling through scripted sequences within the actual gameplay. Without having cutscenes, the game was able to tell the full story of the game by showing scripted deaths, dialogues, character appearance while the gameplay was moving one. By not ripping off the player from the process, the game feels much more smooth as it continues. Despite his science nature, Gordon is masterfully using his weapons and destroys any enemy at his path with rifles, grenades, shotguns and much more.
For the complete specification sheet and an expanded multi-GPU FPS comparison, explore Full specs & performance data on GameFigs.
Sources & attribution
- Game metadata (release year, genres, platforms, system requirements, description, cover art) via RAWG.io, retrieved 2026-08-21.
- GPU relative-performance indices via TechPowerUp GPU database (relative performance), retrieved 2026-08-29.
- FPS estimates on this page are GameFixPro planning estimates from the demand-tier + GPU-index model — not benchmark results.
- Pre-launch intelligence (release windows, settings, editions, pricing, beta dates) is compiled from each title's official publisher / studio announcements and is source-linked per item with its retrieval date (2026-09-09). Where a detail is from reporting rather than a primary source, the item's source line states so. This is preview material, not an official specification.
- Refund verdicts summarize each platform's published policy (Steam, Epic, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo) and are not a guarantee of outcome.
How the Half-Life FPS estimate and refund verdict are computed
Each game is scored on a 0–9 demand tier from its published PC requirements (and a year/genre fallback when requirements are absent). The FPS estimate compares your selected GPU's relative-performance index against the tier's required index using a diminishing-returns curve, then scales for resolution. The refund verdict compares your playtime and purchase date against the platform's published window (14 days / 2 hours on Steam and Epic; discretionary on PlayStation; 14-day capped on Xbox; no-refund policy on Nintendo eShop for downloaded software) and weighs technical defects more favourably than preference changes. All outputs are planning guides — verify in-game with the built-in benchmark when available, and confirm policy with the platform before acting.