Valve is a company that does a lot of different things. They own Steam, the platform where gamers can purchase games, Steam Deck, aportable handheldPC that can play Steam games, and they also develop a bunch of good video games that try to innovate in ways no other game did.
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Here are the ten best games Valve has released over the years, both single-player and multiplayer, that deserve player’s attention.
The League of Legends Competitor
What started as a Warcraft III mod became one of Valve’s most successful and competitive games of all time.Dota 2didn’t just refine the mechanics of the mod, which was called Defense of the Ancients, but went as far as to help shape the modern MOBA genre alongside League of Legends. With over 120 heroes, each bringing unique abilities that interact in ways that can turn an entire match on its head, Dota 2 is as much about strategy as it is about mechanical skill.
But what really sets Dota 2 apart is its role in esports. The International, Valve’s annual Dota 2 tournament, boasts some of the highest prize pools in gaming history, often exceeding $40 million. This level of investment in competitive gaming cemented Dota 2 as not just one of Valve’s most popular games, but as a cultural phenomenon. Despite Valve’s reputation for letting some of its franchises stagnate (cough-Half-Life-cough), Dota 2 has remained a priority, receiving constant balance updates and new content. While the learning curve is steep, those who push through will find one of Valve’s greatest games, one that rewards dedication with an unparalleled depth of gameplay.
9Aperture: Desk Job
A Short But Sweet Nod to Portal
Few games have ever been as upfront about their purpose as Aperture Desk Job. It’s not Portal 3, not even close. Instead, it’s a free tech demo designed to showcase the Steam Deck’s capabilities, built in the Portal series’ iconic world. Players take on the role of a lowly Aperture Science employee tasked with performing mundane office work; that is until the AI-driven chaos begins.
While its runtime barely scratches the thirty-minute mark, the game is packed with Valve’s signature humor, tight first-person interactions and some of the best physics-based gameplay seen in any tech demo. It’s a love letter to Valve’s critically-acclaimed games, even if it’s more of a playful experiment than a full-fledged title.
8Counter-Strike Global Offensive
The End of an Era
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
From its origins as a Half-Life mod to becoming the most-played FPS on Steam, Counter-Strike has come a long way.Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, or simply CS GO, took what made the franchise great and refined it into one of the most precise and skill-based shooters ever created. It ditched the over-the-top movement of modern shooters and instead focused on crisp gunplay, tactical positioning and lightning-fast reaction times.
While CS GO remained a juggernaut in competitive gaming for over a decade, its later years weren’t without controversy. The skin economy, tied to gambling sites, sparked a wave of legal and ethical debates, and Valve’s slow updates frustrated long-time players. But despite these issues, CS GO was one of Valve’s best-selling games, keeping the Counter-Strike series at the pinnacle of eSports until its successor, Counter-Strike 2, took over.
The Gold Standard of Co-Op Zombie Mayhem
Left 4 Dead 2
While the firstLeft 4 Deadintroduced the world to Valve’s fast-paced, AI-driven zombie action, Left 4 Dead 2 perfected it. Adding melee weapons, new special infected and a robust set of campaigns, the sequel quickly became a must-play for co-op fans. Its biggest strength was the AI Director, an algorithm that adjusts enemy spawns, item placements and difficulty based on player performance, making no two runs exactly alike.
Even over a decade later, Left 4 Dead 2 remains one of Valve’s mostpopular games, with an active modding community keeping it fresh. Fans have been begging for Left 4 Dead 3, but considering Valve’s track record with third installments, that dream remains as dead as the hordes that players mow down in every session.
The Cake is a Lie, but the Game is Legendary
There is hardly any game out there that blends humor, puzzle-solving, and storytelling as effortlessly as Portal does. What began as a student project at DigiPen became one of Valve’s greatest games, featuring some of the most memorable game mechanics ever conceived. The Portal Gun allowed players to think with portals, solving increasingly complex puzzles in a sterile yet sinister test facility run by one of themost iconic antagonists in a video game, Glados.
Its minimalist approach was a gamble, but it paid off. Players were drawn in by its perfect pacing, dark humor and gradual descent into something much more sinister than a simple puzzle game. Bundled in The Orange Box, Portal became a phenomenon, proving that an innovative concept, even in a short game, could become an iconic Valve title.
5Counter-Strike: Source
The Game That Bridged Eras
Counter-Strike: Source
By the time Counter-Strike: Source launched in 2004, the Counter-Strike series had already cemented itself as one of Valve’s most popular games. But Source wasn’t just a graphical upgrade. Running on the then-cutting-edge Source engine, it introduced ragdoll physics, improved hit detection and reworked maps, giving classic locations like de_dust2 a more detailed and immersive look.
Despite these advancements, Counter-Strike: Source split the community in half. Purists of the original 1.6 version dismissed it as floaty and inconsistent, while others embraced its updated mechanics. This divide would persist until Counter-Strike: Global Offensive eventually united both camps years later. Even so, Source remains an iconic Valve title, a bridge between old-school tactical shooters and the modern FPS era.
4Team Fortress 2
Where Hat Collecting Became a Lifestyle
Team Fortress 2
At launch,Team Fortress 2was a well-designed class-based shooter with a unique cartoonish art style. But over time, it evolved into something much bigger. Valve’s introduction of hats, weapon skins and the now-infamous Mann Co. Store made it one of the first major live-service games, setting the stage for modern cosmetic economies.
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Despite Valve’s hands-off approach in recent years, TF2 still maintains a dedicated player base, proving that a well-designed game can outlive its creators’ interest. It may not be as cutting-edge as it once was, but there’s no denying its legacy as one of Valve’s best-selling games.
3Half-Life 2
A Revolution in FPS Storytelling
Half-Life 2
The impact ofHalf-Life 2cannot be overstated. Its seamless storytelling, physics-based gameplay and the introduction of the Gravity Gun changed what players expected from a first-person shooter. City 17, the Combine, and the mysterious G-Man remain some of the most-iconic elements in gaming.
While it was bundled in The Orange Box, Half-Life 2 had already secured its place as one of Valve’s greatest games years earlier. The only downside? It ended on a cliffhanger that fans waited over a decade to see resolved.
2Half-Life: Alyx
Not Half-Life 3
Half-Life: Alyx
After years of radio silence, Valve finally returned to the Half-Life series, but not with the long-awaitedHalf-Life 3. Instead, Half-Life: Alyx became the first VR game to truly feel like a full-scale, high-budget experience. Built from the ground up for virtual reality, it introduced a new level of immersion with its gravity gloves, environmental interactions, and precise shooting mechanics.
While not the sequel fans were hoping for, it proved that Valve’s critically acclaimed games could still push boundaries.
Perfection, One Portal at a Time
It’s rare for a sequel to outshine a beloved original, but Portal 2 did just that. Expanding on its predecessor’s mind-bending mechanics, the game introduced new puzzle elements, a fleshed-out story and a surprisingly heartfeltco-op mode. Wheatley, Cave Johnson and Glados made it one of the funniest games ever written, but beneath the humor was an expertly-crafted experience that remains unparalleled.
As one of Valve’s most popular games, Portal 2 set a benchmark for puzzle design, storytelling and game development as a whole.
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