Released in 2004, Half-Life 2’s launch and initial success predates Steam’s player tracking data. To raise awareness of the classic title, the Half-Life 2 online community pulled together to record its highest concurrent player tally since records began.
While we’ll never know how many people played Half-Life 2 in 2004, until last weekend the highest concurrent player tally was 6,882. That has now been smashed, with the game hitting 16,101 concurrent players at 3.30pm UTC, with 8,630 people watching on Twitch.
The event – given the title “Raising the Bar” (reference to Gordon Freeman’s crowbar, of course) – consisted of various mini-events as various streamers competed. Arguably the most popular target was to see who could finish the game first. Check the video above to see how streamer DeSinc played Half-Life 2 during Raising the Bar.
(Stats from PC Gamer)
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
