The long-standing joke “Where is Half-Life 3?” reared its cheeky head once again this week as Valve marked the 20th anniversary of Half-Life 2. Spoiler alert: no, Half-Life 3 isn’t happening (at least not yet), and no, Half-Life: Alyx doesn’t count. But while the dream of a trilogy capstone remains in limbo, fans of the franchise were treated to something almost as exciting: the announcement of Half-Life 2 RTX.

This remaster breathes new life into the 2004 masterpiece with cutting-edge visuals, courtesy of Nvidia. Following in the footsteps of Portal RTX, this project leverages Nvidia’s RTX Remix platform, transforming the original’s graphics into a jaw-dropping showcase of modern technology. Think real-time ray tracing, advanced lighting, and ultra-detailed textures that make City 17 feel more dystopian than ever.

The remaster will be completely free for those who already own the original. That’s right—if you’re among the PC gamers who somehow don’t have Half-Life 2 in your library, this is your chance to correct that glaring oversight. I know the remastered version has been announced a few days ago, but the reason we’re posting this now is that today is the LAST DAY to get Half-Life 2 for free on STEAM. If you’re planning on getting Half-Life 2 RTX, you need to already “own” the regular version.

One big question remains unanswered: will the remaster include Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two? Valve hasn’t dropped any hints, but it’s hard to imagine revisiting the series without wrapping up those cliffhanger episodes.

For now, Half-Life 2 RTX will be the perfect excuse to dive back into one of gaming’s most beloved worlds when it comes out. As for Half-Life 3, well… maybe it’s stuck in another test chamber.

–Download Half-Life 2 for FREE Until Nov. 18th, 13:00 EST