ActionAdventure
Half-Life: Alyx
Hooks you almost right away
Gets good by 2h almost every game dips in hours 2–3
Fully opens up by 3h rated like by long-time players
Reach the ending 27% of players who started
Started playing 87% of owners
Steam reviews 98% positive of 105,903
What the data shows
- In the first 2 hours 1 in 15 reviews are negative (7%); after 10h it's 1 in 105 (1%).
- Fully opens up by hour 3.
- The opening is criticised less than in 95% of games we track.
- 27% of players who start reach the ending.
- The biggest drop-off is between “Zombie with a Shotgun” (Collect the shotgun) and “Xen Garden” (Enter the explosive Xen infestation): from 72% to 55% of starters.
- 87% of owners got the first achievement.
When it gets good
Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.
before it gets good opening up fully opened up
Based on all 106,717 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 257 reviews: 10.6h for positive, 7.1h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.
Where players quit
Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (86.6% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.
- Started playing 100%
- Hit and Run Break out of the Combine prisoner transport vehicle. 100%
- Quaranta Giorni Enter the Quarantine Zone. 88% −12
- Sustenance Receive a tasty treat. 75% −13
- Zombie with a Shotgun Collect the shotgun. 72% −3
- Xen Garden Enter the explosive Xen infestation. Most players quit here 55% −17
- Off the Rails Stop the prisoner transport train. 53% −2
- Checking In Reach the Northern Star. 48% −5
- Heart-Breaker Hotel Get creative turning the power back on. 46% −2
- Surface Tension Escape the underground pit. 44% −2
- Unbonded Collect the SMG. 42% −2
- Cord-Cutter Shut down the substation. 40% −2
- Blast From the Past Defuse a roomful of explosive barrels. 35% −5
- Sea Level Reach the aquatic exhibits. 30% −4
- Triple Bypass Solve the tanker yard's electrical puzzle and escape. 29% −2
- High Water March Start climbing the water tower. 28%
- Textbook Jinxing Wake the Strider. 28%
- Point Extraction Get to the superweapon. 27%
- Consequences Make your choice. 27%
story milestone ending biggest drop-off
Story milestones were labeled by AI from achievement names and descriptions; mistakes are possible.
All achievements (42)
story milestone ending side
- Hit and Run Break out of the Combine prisoner transport vehicle. 100%
- Gnome Alone Launch Half-Life: Alyx after Gabe Newell launched a garden gnome into space. 100%
- Dead Giveaway Loot a corpse. 95%
- Quaranta Giorni Enter the Quarantine Zone. 88%
- Smash and Grab Break open a supply crate with your hands. 78%
- Up in Arms Install your first pistol upgrade. 77%
- Sustenance Receive a tasty treat. 75%
- Zombie with a Shotgun Collect the shotgun. 72%
- Mag-Snagger Catch Russell's ammo magazine before it hits the ground. 66%
- Good Grub Feed the snark. 65%
- Xen Garden Enter the explosive Xen infestation. 55%
- Off the Rails Stop the prisoner transport train. 53%
- Checking In Reach the Northern Star. 48%
- Heart-Breaker Hotel Get creative turning the power back on. 46%
- Surface Tension Escape the underground pit. 44%
- Pro-Pain Kill a grunt by shooting their gas tank. 43%
- Unbonded Collect the SMG. 42%
- Cord-Cutter Shut down the substation. 40%
- Xen Lootism Snatch a Xen grenade from its resting place. 38%
- Safe Trip Use the multitool to hack a tripmine. 38%
- Blast From the Past Defuse a roomful of explosive barrels. 35%
- Sea Level Reach the aquatic exhibits. 30%
- Triple Bypass Solve the tanker yard's electrical puzzle and escape. 29%
- High Water March Start climbing the water tower. 28%
- Mazel Tov Pick up and smash 50 glass bottles. 28%
- Textbook Jinxing Wake the Strider. 28%
- Point Extraction Get to the superweapon. 27%
- Consequences Make your choice. 27%
- Flat Note Kill Jeff. 22%
- Little Slugger Represent yourself with a specific prop on Russell's map. 22%
- Hold Your Liquor Catch a bottle falling out of a cupboard before it breaks and alerts Jeff. 20%
- Combine Harvester Use the gravity gloves to loot an item off a living Combine soldier. 17%
- Indirect Approach Kill a Combine Heavy while their shield is up. 16%
- Sound Strategy Escape the distillery without killing Jeff. 13%
- Deadliest Catch Use the gravity gloves to intercept an incoming enemy grenade in mid-flight. 13%
- Near-Jeff Experience Stay close to Jeff for 10 seconds (but not too close). 11%
- Team Spirit Bring Russell a bottle of vodka. 9.6%
- Crustacean Frustration Kill the annoying headcrab before it breaks everything. 5.4%
- Freshly Squeezed Test your grip on a headcrab heart. 4.3%
- Eye of the Geiger Measure Russell with the Geiger counter. 4.2%
- On a Roll Interact with the playground somehow. 3.9%
- Gnome Vault of My Own Bring a garden gnome with you to the Vault. 2.0%
Steam page Updated: 2026-10-22.