Most critically acclaimed virtual reality (VR) videogame

In 2020, Valve gave players the chance to return to the world of the much-vaunted Half-Life series, which hadn't seen a new entry since 2007's Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Half-Life: Alyx (Valve, 2020) is a virtual-reality FPS game prequel where players step into the role of Alyx Vance, previously seen as an ally to front man Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2 (Valve, 2004). Alyx fights alongside her dad, Eli, against the Combine empire that has conquered Earth and installed a vicious police state. Making the game a VR exclusive in a fledgling market was a risk for Valve, but it paid off: the game had a Metascore of 93 on review aggregation website Metacritic, as of 5 June 2025.

Half-Life: Alyx is set between the events of the first Half-Life (1998) and the second. It received praise in particular for its realistic bottles of liquid. The fluid inside appears to react with light, produce bubbles when shaken up and settles in the right direction when a bottle is tipped. Valve developer Matt Wilde tricked the player into thinking real liquid physics are in play by using shaders – essentially digital stickers on the outside of the bottle that make it look like there's liquid moving inside.