Best Valve Video Game Franchises, Ranked

Valve is a video game company that many gamers worship as the gods of PC gaming, letting players enjoy some stellar video games while letting players use a digital platform that is consumer-friendly and lets players enjoy quality gaming experiences at reasonable rates.

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While Valve’s video games have been few and far between, the focus on promoting quality experiences ensures that every game they make blossoms into a valuable IP that players can’t get enough of. The company is notorious for hating third entries to beloved franchises, but players will still have a great time with these popular video game series despite the lack of entries one can sink their teeth into.

6

Dota

A MOBA Series That Played A Huge Role In Making The Genre More Popular Than Ever

• Notable Entries: Defense of the Ancients (DotA), Dota 2

Valve made a reputation for itself by licensing certain popular mods for their video games and transforming them into fully-fledged gaming experiences. One such mod for Warcraft 3 sowed the seeds for the MOBA genre that the company would reap with an official sequel.

Dota 2 is one of the most popular games in the genre that fans adore. The tactical gameplay can be hard to get into, but players who get past the steep learning curve will love maining certain characters and helping their team achieve victory at all costs.

5

Team Fortress

A Fun Multiplayer FPS Franchise With Iconic Characters

• Notable Entries: Team Fortress Classic, Team Fortress 2

A popular mod made for Quake was Team Fortress, a light-hearted multiplayer shooter with a ton of heart and unique character classes that players could embody. Valve saw a lot of promise here and remade this mod from the ground up to create Team Fortress Classic, but they didn’t stop there.

They eventually released Team Fortress 2, a game that took over the multiplayer landscape by storm, letting players play as one of several character classes as they used their abilities to help their teams attain victory at all costs. Team Fortress 2 continues to be a popular multiplayer shooter that fans love putting some hours in, with the characters embodying its classes becoming iconic in their own right.

4

Left 4 Dead

A Group Of Survivors Must Fight Against The Odds To Fight Off The Many Zombies Coming Their Way

• Notable Entries: Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2

Only Valve could make a first-person shooter set in the zombie apocalypse and turn it into one of the most unique and engaging video games players can get their hands on. Players control one of four survivors in a group where they must battle waves of zombies, fend off special Infected, and try to complete a level by the skin of their teeth.

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Left 4 Dead 2 enhances the game’s action and lets players enjoy some fast-paced gameplay where a lack of cooperation can lead to their deaths in no time. It’s a shame that more entries haven’t been released in the series since, but players have accepted the reality and are quite content clocking in a ton of hours in Left 4 Dead and its sequel.

3

Counter-Strike

A Tactical Multiplayer Shooter Series That Is Full Of Great Games

• Notable Entries: Counter-Strike: Source, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Counter-Strike 2

The tactical shooting gameplay of Counter-Strike turned it into the preferred game for LAN parties where teamwork was critical to succeed. Terrorists and Anti-Terrorists had to fulfill their goals by any means necessary, which was easier said than done.

The tense shooting gameplay in each title is a joy to experience as players must coordinate with their team and try to take out their foes by any means necessary. Investing in effective equipment and racking up victories across fast-paced multiplayer sessions is a huge part of what makes every game such a blast to play through.

2

Portal

The Fun Puzzles And Amazing Humor In This Franchise Made It A Fan Favorite In No Time

• Notable Entries: Portal, Portal 2

The Orange Box was a source of great surprise for players. Not only did it let players enjoy two of the best video games Valve has ever developed, but it also arrived with a whole new game that let players enjoy a fun puzzle game with hilarious dialogue.

GLaDOS quickly became one of the most iconic video game antagonists of all time, and it was clear that Valve had to realize the promise of this game with a sequel that moved things in a bigger and bolder direction. It’s a shame that Portal 2 has been the final entry in the series for quite some time since fans would jump at the opportunity to control Chell and face off against GLaDOS or another robotic antagonist once again.

1

Half-Life

A Legendary FPS Series That Needs No Introduction

• Notable Entries: Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Half-Life: Alyx

Half-Life is one of the most important PC games ever made, letting players enjoy one of the most immersive FPS games ever made. The sequel was just as groundbreaking, with its state-of-the-art physics engine adding to the game’s novelty.

Episodes 1 and 2 continue the story of Half-Life 2, while Half-Life: Alyx lets players enjoy one of the best VR games of all time. The series has been Valve’s golden goose, with fan demands for Half-Life 3 turning into a downright meme because of how stubborn Valve has been about not developing another entry in the series.

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