Half-Life 2 can now be launched directly in a browser thanks to a project a high school student worked on for three months.
Developer slqnt noted that the browser version was created in three months. To launch Half-Life 2, simply open the website, wait for the files to load, and click "New Game." After that, the game starts in the browser.
slqnt's work is based on the Portal web port, created by enthusiast Weliveinhell. The project also runs in a browser, and its source code is available on GitHub. It is built on the 2018 TF2 leak, which is why the authors specifically note that it cannot be used for commercial purposes.
The Portal web port became the technical basis for launching Valve games in browsers and showed that such ports can be scaled to other projects.
The news spread across social networks — hundreds of users shared it, and thousands of players have already tried to launch the game. Because of this, there is a possibility that Valve may demand the project be removed, although there are no official statements yet.
Half-Life 2 also runs in mobile browsers with limited controls — a gamepad or keyboard and mouse are needed for normal gameplay. The author noted that the project runs surprisingly stably, despite rare graphical bugs and minor FPS drops.