Valve has been one of the industry’s most influential and innovative game developers since 1996. From Half-Life to Portal, from Counter-Strike to DOTA 2, Valve has blessed the gaming community worldwide with some of the most memorable and impressive titles of all time. In this article, we count our blessings as we rank 8 of Valve Software’s best games from number ten to number one.
A little about our list before we start: we scoured the internet for all sorts of reviews, gameplay reactions, and ratings we could get our hands on and then carefully compared them to bring you our top 8 Best Valve games.
8. Half-Life
Half-Life is a groundbreaking first-person shooter that follows the story of Gordon Freeman, a theoretical physicist who must fight his way around a secret research facility after a physics experiment goes wrong and opens a portal to another planet, Xen, then destroys the portal itself.
Half-Life is widely praised for its immersive, innovative gameplay mechanics, and engaging narrative. It revolutionized and streamlined the FPS genre by incorporating an amazing story and removing the level-like progression practiced back in the day.
It uses impressive artificial intelligence to add a natural feel and another layer of difficulty to the game. The internet is filled with nothing but love for this game. It has inspired countless other games and developers and left a lasting legacy in the history of gaming.
7. Left 4 Dead
Second up on our list is the classic co-op first-person shooter Left 4 Dead. Your objective is to fight hordes of zombies and make your way to safety. The typical Valve twist comes with the co-op feature.
Playing with friends makes the experience a hundred times better. You always have someone guarding your back, and players are often put in tough spots that will test their comradeship. Left 4 Dead keeps the gameplay intense by constantly tweaking the difficulty using its AI.
One of the key reasons this title is on our list is because it ensures you never get bored of playing the levels repeatedly. Each iteration is a different experience. Left 4 Dead is a sensation to this day thanks to its addictive game modes and the nostalgic feeling you get on each run.
6. Left 4 Dead 2
Despite getting the same Metascore as its prequel, Left 4 Dead 2 improves on the original game in many ways, such as adding new weapons, melee weapons, uncommon infected, campaigns, modes, and features.
Left 4 Dead 2 allows you to choose your zombie destroyer from more than 20 different weapons, each with pros and cons, so you better make the right decision. In addition, the new and improved AI Director brings itself to the spotlight, providing players countless hours of entertaining and unrepeated gameplay.
Valve nailed the co-op element once again with this title, and what’s more impressive is it was released only one year after the release of Left 4 Dead. So if you haven’t played it yet, for the love of all that is gaming, play it right now!
5. Team Fortress 2
In 5th place, we have the popular team-based first-person shooter game, Team Fortress 2. Unlike the other titles, this one doesn’t rely on a story to reel you in. Instead, the light-hearted atmosphere, faced-paced gameplay, and variety of classes attract players to its online lobbies to this day.
Team Fortress 2 allows several different playing styles and tactics with nine distinct playable classes. The different abilities unique to each class, coupled with the fast-paced gameplay, make the game a blast to play. If you haven’t already played it, you’re in for hours of endless fun.
The comedic flair added by the characters, dialogue, and visual design blends all the wackiness and chaos. Above all, the game still gets love from the Valve team through constant updates, new maps, and bug fixes.
4. Portal
This 2007’s release was perhaps the most innovative of its time about game physics and mechanics. You aim to find your way out of the facility by solving a bunch of puzzles with the help of a portal gun while an evil AI, GLaDOS, tries to murder you with neurotoxins or killer jokes.
Portal has forever been praised for its use of portals to solve puzzles, be it gaining momentum to fly all over the place or destroying turrets. The level design varies from easy to hard to looks really hard but is, in fact, very easy and vice versa.
The game banks on its insanely funny dialogues delivered at the perfect time to cover up a somewhat simple get-out-of-here story. But we really can’t complain. Portal wouldn’t be half of what it is without its witty and dark humor. Overall, Portal was a revolutionary title that (Spoiler!) only gets better in its sequel, making it an easy addition to our list of the best Valve games of all time.
3. Half-Life Alyx
With a Metascore of 93, Half-Life: Alyx is known as one of the best VR games ever. The rich story and the elaborate gameplay show just how much effort Valve put into this title. Set 5 years before the events of Half-Life 2, walk through the stunning streets of City 17 in VR as Alyx and break into a prison to unleash a powerful weapon to fight off the Combine.
Valve shows off what VR is capable of by giving an incredible amount of detail and depth to Half-Life: Alyx, which is seldom found in other VR titles. It changes the whole feel of the game. For example, when you run for cover, you don’t just press a few buttons on your keyboards. You’re REALLY trying to get to cover.
The game features some surprising twists and revelations that connect it to the past game and set the stage for the next one. The dialogues are incredibly well-written and make the gameplay very engaging. Half-Life: Alyx stays true to its essence and delivers the familiar Half-Life experience while adding the wonderful VR element.
2. Portal 2
The idea of running around with a portal gun (once again) looks ever so enticing after Portal. Portal 2 offers a more complex design overall and exudes a weirdly friendly aura compared to its predecessor.
Wake up once again as Chell and attempt to escape the Aperture Science facility with your robot friend. Portal 2 builds onto the mechanics of Portal by adding gels, laser, ariel faith pates, and other fun elements, adding an additional layer to the puzzle solving. The game goes one step further and tells a compelling story by integrating the puzzles into the story and environment.
The pièce de résistance of this title is undoubtedly the humor. In this facility where you are the only human, Portal 2 tunes down the loneliness by adding a human touch to the robots and incorporates perfectly timed roasts and witty jokes to cut the tension. Portal 2, without a doubt, deserves the runner-up position with its eerie charm, hilarious character dialogues, and challenging puzzles.
1. Half-Life 2
Concluding our list of the best Valve games of all time, it is now time to address the magnum opus of Valve Software. Half-Life 2 has won over our hearts for a long time and refuses to let go. Valve made masterful use of the limited graphics available back in 2004 to create the impeccable dystopian aesthetic in this first-person shooter.
Half-Life 2’s mysterious storytelling keeps the kitty-curious in you hooked and relentlessly moving forward. In addition, the arsenal of weapons available to the player is carefully curated, omitting any unnecessary weapons and as a result, giving each weapon a unique feel. And to top it all off, the variety of gameplay and environments, like walking through sewers, operating an airboat, and breaking into the Nove Prospekt, keep things entertaining.
From graphics deemed amazing for their time and music that pulls you into a game progression that doesn’t let you get bored and a storyline that’s so immersive you need a minute to take everything in at the end. Half-Life 2 has truly earned the first position.
Got Your Valve Fix?
Valve has established itself as a leading developer and publisher of innovative and high-quality games. From the classic Half-Life series to the mind-bending Portal titles, Valve has given us the most memorable protagonists, side characters, and villains, along with all sorts of gaming experiences. We hope you liked our list of the 8 best Valve games. Maybe you revisited some old classics or found a new favorite.
