Valve confirms Half-Life: Alyx release date alongside new screens

Half-Life: Alyx will release on March 23, 2020, developer Valve has confirmed.

Valve had previously confirmed a March window for the VR sequel, but it confirmed an exact date on Thursday alongside a selection of new screenshots.

Powered by SteamVR on Valve’s Source 2 engine, Half-Life: Alyx will be compatible with multiple PC-based VR headsets.

The game, which Valve insists is not a spin-off but “the next part” of the story, can be pre-purchased for $59.99 and is free for owners of the Valve Index VR headset or Index controllers.

Set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2, the game sees protagonist Alyx Vance and her father Eli secretly mount a resistance to the occupation of Earth by a mysterious alien race known as The Combine.

Valve says Half-Life: Alyx was “designed from the ground up” for Virtual Reality and “features all of the hallmarks of a classic Half-Life game,” including “world exploration, puzzle solving, visceral combat, and an intricately woven story that connects it all with the characters iconic to the Half-Life universe.”

Valve is offering the first two Half-Life games and their expansions free of charge in the run-up to Alyx’s release.