Action · June 1, 2001
Half-Life: Blue Shift (2001)
Made by Gearbox Software and originally released in 2001 as an add-on to Half-Life, Blue Shift is a return to the Black Mesa Research Facility in which you play as Barney Calhoun, the security guard sidekick who helped Gordon out of so many sticky situations.
Position in Action
| Metric | This title | Genre position |
|---|---|---|
| Review volume | 18.8k Steam reviews | Top 26% in Action |
| Positive rating | 92% positive | Genre average: 83% — this title sits in top 28% |
| Metacritic | 71/100 | Genre average 77 — top 80% of Action titles |
| Engagement hours | 28 h average | Top 17% for session depth among Action |
Community Tag Signals
Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.
- FPS · 495
- Action · 309
- Sci-fi · 240
- Singleplayer · 218
- Shooter · 196
- Aliens · 180
- Classic · 168
- First-Person · 162
- Zombies · 113
- Adventure · 107
- 1990's · 101
- Short · 92
- Atmospheric · 89
- Silent Protagonist · 74
- Story Rich · 64
Peer Action titles
Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.
Reception Metrics
Steam community
92%Very Positive · 18.8k reviews
17.3k positive · 1.5k negative
Metacritic
71/100 critic aggregate
Metacritic user score
8.1/10
Curator recommendations
17.3k
More from Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software has 8 titles indexed — top 6 by review volume below.
Features & Capabilities
Accessibility
- Adjustable Difficulty
- Playable without Timed Input
Input & Comfort
- Custom Volume Controls
Other
- Single-player
- Save Anytime
- Family Sharing
Release & Availability
| Release date | Jun 1, 2001 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Gearbox Software |
| Publisher | Valve |
| Base price | $1.24 -75% |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Estimated owners | 1M–10M |
| External links | Metacritic page · Support |
Engagement Profile
All-time avg
28h
moderate (15–40 hours)
Median
2h
Typical completion time
2-week avg
0h
Current engagement
Content Notes
Half-Life: Blue Shift includes violence throughout the game.
Localization Coverage
Interface / Subtitles (3)
- English
- French
- German
Editions & Packages
Buy Half-Life: Blue Shift