Half-Life 2: Deathmatch: Complete Guide

Everything you need to get good at Valve's physics-driven arena shooter: weapons, the Gravity Gun, movement, the official maps, settings, and where to find games in 2026.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the August 24, 2026 Steam update (on top of the February 18, 2025 64-bit update). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• It's an arena shooter, not a military one. Instant respawns, weapons and items on the map, 100 health on spawn, and whoever controls the power weapons and chargers wins.
• The Gravity Gun is a weapon. Launching a toilet, radiator, or saw blade at someone is a kill. Learn to grab props on the move.
• Two modes. Deathmatch (free-for-all) and Team Deathmatch (Rebels vs Combine). The server decides which.
• Eight official maps: Lockdown, Overwatch, Steam Lab, Underpass, Resistance, Powerhouse, Run Off and Halls3.
• Pick up armor constantly. Suit batteries and HEV chargers are as important as guns; an armored player survives hits that would kill you.
• Sprint uses suit power. Hold sprint in short bursts; don't arrive at a fight with an empty aux bar.
• It's 64-bit now. The February 2025 update added 64-bit binaries (auto-launched on 64-bit systems), a borderless window option, UI scaling for high resolutions, native-resolution launch by default, and the HL2 20th Anniversary lighting (bicubic lightmaps, radial fog), so it runs cleanly on modern PCs.
• Easy friend games. The same update added Steam Networking, raised the default listen-server size from 2 to 24 players (hard cap 100), and improved client-side prediction for the SMG, AR2, Crossbow, Gravity Gun, and sprinting.
• No official bots. Your practice partner is the server browser (or a local server with a friend).

Game Modes and Teams

Mode | Rules | Notes

Deathmatch | Every player for themselves; highest frags at time/frag limit wins | Very common on public servers

Team Deathmatch | Rebels vs Combine; team frags count | Enabled by the server (mp_teamplay 1); team damage settings vary

Player models come straight from Half-Life 2 (Rebels and Combine soldiers/Metrocops). Model choice is cosmetic; hitboxes follow the model, so there's no competitive reason to agonize over it. The 20th Anniversary update (November 2024) fixed player model selection issues.

Weapons

Slot | Weapon | Primary / Secondary | How to use it

1 | Crowbar / Stunstick | Melee | Finish off weakened players; Stunstick is the Combine-side melee

1 | Gravity Gun (Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator) | Punt / pick up | Your most versatile weapon; see the next section

2 | 9mm Pistol | Semi-auto | Spam-click for decent close damage; last resort

2 | .357 Magnum | High-damage revolver | Six shots, huge damage, precise; the best pick-up for skilled aimers

3 | SMG | Auto fire / grenade launcher | Spray at close range; alt-fire lobs a contact grenade (limited ammo)

3 | Pulse Rifle (AR2 / OSIPR) | Auto fire / Combine energy ball | The energy ball bounces and kills almost anything it touches

4 | Shotgun | Single / double blast | Double blast at point blank is a near-guaranteed kill

4 | Crossbow | Scoped bolt | Very high damage, projectile with travel time; lead your target

5 | RPG | Laser-guided rocket | Steer with the laser; toggle the laser off to fire straight

5 | Frag Grenade | Throw / roll | Lob over cover; roll under doors and down stairs

5 | S.L.A.M. | Satchel / tripmine | Wall-mounted tripmines on doorways and pickups; satchel for remote traps

Priorities when you spawn: grab the nearest real gun (SMG or shotgun), then route through armor and a power weapon (Magnum, Crossbow, RPG, AR2).

The Gravity Gun

• Punt (primary) hits an object with a force blast. Used on props at close range it launches them hard. It also knocks players around and can deflect grenades.
• Pick up (secondary) holds an object in front of you. Press primary to launch it.
• Deadly props: saw blades, radiators, paint cans, barrels, toilets, filing cabinets, explosive barrels. Heavier, sharper objects do more damage.
• Carry a shield. Holding a large prop in front of you soaks bullets while you close distance.
• Throw grenades back. Catch a live frag and fling it back before it pops.
• Catch energy balls. A Combine ball from the AR2 can be grabbed and relaunched.
• Prop-dense areas are where the Gravity Gun dominates; learn where the respawning props sit on each map.

Movement

HL2DM movement rewards practice more than almost any other Source shooter.

Technique | How | Why

Sprint | Hold sprint (default Shift) | Faster rotation, drains suit power

Crouch-jump | Jump then crouch in the air | Reach higher ledges and windows

Strafe-jump / bunnyhop | Chain jumps while air-strafing with mouse + A/D | Keep and build speed; a big part of the competitive skill ceiling

Prop climbing | Use props and the Gravity Gun to reach off-limits spots | Surprise angles and item shortcuts

Ladders and water | Ladders slow you; water hides footsteps but slows movement | Plan escape routes around them

Standing still in HL2DM is the fastest way to die. Keep moving, and never walk in a straight line into an open room.

Maps

The eight official maps (console names): dm_lockdown, dm_overwatch, dm_steamlab, dm_underpass, dm_resistance, dm_powerhouse, dm_runoff and halls3. Lockdown is the most-played classic and the best one to learn first.

For every map, learn the same four things:

What | Why

Where the RPG, Crossbow, AR2 and Magnum spawn | Power weapons decide fights

Where the health/HEV chargers and batteries are | Armor control is half the game

Where the deadly props sit (saw blades, radiators, barrels) | Free Gravity Gun kills

High ground and long sightlines | Magnum/Crossbow territory; avoid crossing them in the open

The November 2024 20th Anniversary update added more spawn points to many maps, closed out-of-world exploits, fixed floating props and the blast-door rendering bug on dm_runoff, and moved the blue barrels in dm_resistance that could be pulled through the chainlink doors.

Community maps are everywhere on public servers. New maps download automatically when you connect.

Item Control

• Know the respawn loop. Guns, ammo, batteries and health kits respawn on timers. The best players rotate through the same pickups in a loop.
• Chargers: wall-mounted health and HEV (armor) chargers let you refill between fights. Deny them by camping nearby with a trap (SLAM on the wall).
• Power weapons: grab the RPG, Crossbow or AR2 when it spawns, even if it takes you out of a fight.
• Don't overpick. Taking ammo you don't need is fine in FFA (it denies others) but slow if a fight is waiting.

Settings for Modern PCs

• 64-bit and borderless: since February 2025, 64-bit binaries launch automatically and there's a borderless window option in video settings.
• FOV: set fov_desired 90 in console (the max) for better awareness.
• Raw input and no acceleration: turn on raw input and disable mouse acceleration in the mouse options if available.
• Net settings: most servers are fine on defaults; if hit registration feels off, try a lower-ping server before touching rates.
• Hosting your own server: the console variable hl2mp_allow_pickup (added February 2025) lets players pick up objects without the Gravity Gun, and mp_teamplay 1 switches to Team Deathmatch.
• Hitsounds and damage indicators are server-side mods on many community servers; toggle them in the server's menu if offered.

Finding Games in 2026

• Use the in-game server browser and sort by players. Community servers remain active, especially in the evening in Europe and North America.
• Try "Favorites" for servers you enjoy; regular communities are the best way to find consistent games.
• Servers vary widely: pure vanilla, 1v1 arenas, "killbox" maps, and heavily modded servers with extra weapons or physics rules.
• Friend lobbies: create a server from the main menu (Create Server), pick a map, and invite friends through Steam.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Ignoring armor. Armor effectively doubles your fight time; always route through batteries.
• Walking. You'll be picked off by the Magnum or Crossbow. Sprint between cover and keep strafing.
• Pointing RPGs with the laser on at close range. Toggle the laser off or switch weapons.
• Using the AR2 energy ball carelessly in tight spaces. It bounces; mind where it's going.
• Underestimating props. Watch for players holding objects with the Gravity Gun.
• Standing in doorways. Tripmines love doorways.

Advanced Tips

• Mix weapons fast. Magnum shot then crowbar, or shotgun then quick-switch to finish; quick-switching beats waiting on reloads.
• Deny the Gravity Gun. If an opponent relies on props, fight in open areas with nothing to throw.
• Use SLAMs as alarms. A tripmine on a flank tells you when someone's coming.
• Crossbow leading. Aim slightly ahead of moving targets; bolts are projectiles with travel time, not hitscan.
• Explosive barrels can be punted as projectiles; they're great finishers.
• Learn one map deeply before trying to climb scoreboards everywhere.

FAQ

Is Half-Life 2: Deathmatch still active in 2026? Yes, with community servers. Valve still ships updates: November 2024 (20th Anniversary map and Gravity Gun fixes), February 18, 2025 (64-bit, borderless window, Steam Networking, lighting improvements) and August 24, 2026 (security/stability fixes, a Linux custom-map asset fix, and a .357 view-snapping fix from the community).

Do I need Half-Life 2 to play? No. HL2DM is its own Steam app, and it's included with some Half-Life 2 bundles and purchases.

Are there bots? No official bots. Play on public servers or create a server for friends.

Can I play with mods and custom maps? Yes. Servers push custom maps and content automatically on connect.

Why do people fly around so fast? Bunnyhopping/strafe-jumping plus prop tricks. It's legitimate movement tech; practice on empty servers.

Does it support Linux or Steam Deck? There are Linux binaries; the August 2026 update specifically fixed custom-map asset loading on Linux.

Sources

• Half-Life 2: Deathmatch Steam news
• Steam news feed for HL2DM (API)
• Combine OverWiki: Half-Life 2: Deathmatch