Half-Life 2 All Cheats & Commands

With the release of the celebratory Half-Life 2 Update, many players are returning to this classic. If you've clicked on this article, you're probably wondering about the cheats and commands you can use. With the list below, you can spawn items, change the game world, and experiment with mechanics in the updated Half-Life 2! 

How to Enable the Developer Console in Half-Life 2

1. Go to Settings > Keyboard Options.
2. Check the box for Enable Developer Console.
3. Press the ~ key (US Keyboard) to bring up the console. If this doesn’t work, rebind the key to something else in Keyboard Options.

• Warning: Using sv_cheats 1 (the cheat-enabling command) will disable achievements for your current session. Achievements will re-enable once you restart the game.

Cheats & Commands List in Half-Life 2

Important Notes

1. Cheat Activation:
   Cheats require sv_cheats 1 to be enabled. Enter this in the console to activate cheats.

2. Achievements:
   Activating cheats disables achievements for that session. To re-enable them, restart the game after setting sv_cheats 0.

3. Console Access:
   To open the developer console:

   • Enable it in the game settings.
   • Press the ~ key (or the key you’ve bound to open the console).

The "Give" Command

The give command spawns weapons, items, or ammo.

Weapons:

• give weapon_ar2 – Spawns the Pulse Rifle.
• give weapon_shotgun – Spawns the shotgun.
• give weapon_crossbow – Spawns the crossbow.
• give weapon_crowbar – Spawns the crowbar.
• give weapon_physcannon – Spawns the Gravity Gun.

Items:

• give item_healthkit – Spawns a health kit.
• give item_battery – Spawns a suit battery.

Ammo:

• givecurrentammo – Fully reloads your current weapon.
• give item_box_buckshot – Spawns shotgun ammo.
• give item_ar2_grenade – Spawns an AR2 grenade.

Instant Equipment

• impulse 101 – Instantly gives you all weapons and full ammo.

 NPC Commands

Spawn and manipulate NPCs with the following commands:

Spawn NPCs:

• npc_create npc_alyx – Spawns Alyx Vance.
• npc_create npc_combine_s – Spawns a Combine Soldier.
• npc_create npc_zombie – Spawns a Zombie.
• npc_create npc_antlion – Spawns an Antlion.

Equip NPCs:

Use npc_create_equipment [weapon] before spawning an NPC to give them a weapon. Example:

• npc_create_equipment weapon_shotgun
• npc_create npc_citizen

AI Manipulation

• ai_disable – Disables all NPC AI (they won't move or attack).
• notarget – NPCs will ignore you completely.
• ai_resume – Resumes AI behavior if previously disabled.

Movement & Physics Commands

• noclip – Fly and move through walls.
• sv_gravity [value] – Changes the gravity (default: 600).

Examples:

• sv_gravity 200 – Reduces gravity.
• sv_gravity 1000 – Increases gravity.

View Commands

• thirdperson – Enables third-person view.
• firstperson – Switches back to first-person.
• fov [value] – Changes the field of view (default: 75).

Environment Commands

• mat_yuv 1 – Makes the screen black and white.
• mat_yuv 0 – Restores color.
• r_drawviewmodel 0 – Hides the weapon model.
• r_drawviewmodel 1 – Shows the weapon model.

Damage Modification

Modify player damage and resistance:

• sk_plr_dmg_crowbar [value] – Changes crowbar damage.
• sk_plr_dmg_ar2 [value] – Changes AR2 damage.

Example:

• sk_plr_dmg_pistol 100 – Makes the pistol do 100 damage per shot.

Timescale Commands

Change the game’s speed:

• host_timescale 1.0 – Normal speed.
• host_timescale 0.5 – Slow motion.
• host_timescale 2.0 – Double speed.

 Spawn Vehicles

• ch_createjeep – Spawns a Jeep.
• ch_createairboat – Spawns an Airboat.
• ent_fire prop_vehicle_airboat enablegun 1 – Equips the Airboat with a gun.

Unlock Chapters

Unlock chapters to skip ahead:

• sv_unlockedchapters [#]
  Replace # with a number between 1–15 to unlock up to that chapter.

Load Specific Maps

Load any map directly:

• map d1_trainstation_01 – Start at the train station.
• map d1_canals_01 – Spawn at the canals.
• map d1_town_01 – Begin in Ravenholm.
• map d3_citadel_01 – Teleport to the Citadel.

Miscellaneous Commands

• god – Enables God mode (invincibility).
• buddha – Take damage but never die.
• phys_timescale [value] – Changes the speed of physics.

Explosions & Effects

• explode – Causes your character to explode (fun for laughs).
• ent_create env_explosion – Spawns an explosion at your crosshair.

Experiment with these commands to unlock Half-Life 2’s full potential or simply wreak some chaos. Have fun! Some of the chats in this article have been taken from here.