The 1998 Half-Life multiplayer that Counter-Strike grew out of. No install, no Steam, no hunting for builds: the gauss gun, the crowbar and crossfire in a single tab.
Bookmark Play-CS.com and next time the game is one click away.
Playing Half-Life Deathmatch online usually means downloading the game, sorting out versions and patches, and then finding a server where anyone still plays. Here it's simpler:
| Downloaded Half-Life | Half-Life Deathmatch on Play-CS.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Install | Download, install, update | None — open the page and play |
| Safety | Unofficial builds risk adware and malware | Nothing runs on your computer |
| Servers | You hunt for a live server by hand | Quick Play or the Half-Life filter in the server list |
| Progress | Only the current map's scoreboard | Your own ranking, Skill and HL Cash on your account |
| Where you play | Only where the game is installed | Any computer with a browser |
No teams, no rounds, no buy menu: everyone against everyone, weapons lie on the map and the score is counted in frags. Die, and a second later you're back in. The winner isn't whoever holds an angle best — it's whoever knows where the gauss gun is and when the armor respawns.
The pace is faster than CS 1.6, movement matters more than aim, and bunny hopping isn't a trick here, it's a basic skill. It runs on the same browser engine as our CS 1.6 — nothing to install.
Crowbar and pistol at spawn, shotgun, MP5 with grenade launcher, crossbow, magnum, grenades and tripmines.
The tau cannon punches through walls on a charged shot, the gluon gun takes someone apart in a second, hornets home in on targets, and snarks get thrown into the crowd.
Your own ranking: kills, deaths, favorite weapon and Skill. Every kill earns HL Cash that stays on your account.
Everyone starts as Gordon Freeman. HL Cash unlocks Barney, Gina, the G-Man, a scientist, HECU soldiers and more.
A reserved slot on full servers, a yellow nickname with a glow in the scoreboard, and sprays on walls.
Any rented server switches to Half-Life with one button — and back to CS with one click.
No sign-up required — you can join as a guest.
It picks an open Half-Life Deathmatch server for you.
And remember: a charging gauss gun can be heard across the whole map.
Cramped crossfire with its bunker and airstrike, vertical stalkyard, the datacore lab, the jump pads of bounce — and eight more maps from the original game.
hl_crossfire
hl_stalkyard
hl_datacore
hl_bounce
hl_boot_camp
hl_frenzy
hl_gasworks
hl_lambda_bunker
hl_rapidcore
hl_snark_pit
hl_subtransit
hl_undertowWe don't hand out Half-Life or link to pirated copies. Builds from unknown sites are a common way to spread adware and malware.
The official Half-Life is sold by Valve on Steam — if you want the original game with its story campaign, buy it there.
But if you just want to run around in Deathmatch with real people — right now, for free, with nothing to install — that's what Play-CS.com is for.
Half-Life on Steam| Disk space | 0 MB — nothing gets installed |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS |
| Browser | Up-to-date Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Opera |
| Graphics | Anything with WebGL support |
| Internet | A stable connection; cable or good Wi-Fi gives the best ping |
No. Everything loads in the browser, just like CS 1.6. You don't need to buy or download the game.
Yes. You can play for free with no limits. HL Cash models and premium are optional.
No, it's pure Deathmatch: every player for themselves.
No, Half-Life has its own table and its own Skill. Stats are recorded when at least four people are on the server; bots don't count.
Half-Life Deathmatch servers are servers rented by players. If Quick Play finds nothing, check the server list with the "Half-Life Deathmatch" filter or rent your own — it switches to Half-Life with one button.
No — and you don't need to: the whole game runs in your browser. Just bookmark Play-CS.com and it's always one click away. We don't distribute builds or pirated clients. The official Half-Life is sold on Steam.
Half-Life Deathmatch runs in your browser — all that's left is one click.
