Half-Life: A Place in the West
Released Sep 2016
In a devastated America, sinister commandos are kidnapping children and taking them to a hidden city with a mysterious cosmic tower at its heart – a tower that may prove to be humanity’s salvation, or its doom. Join three survivors in this fan-made comic as they attempt to unlock the city’s secrets.
87% positive · 757 reviews
Not yet
Released, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Not yet
Released, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
Half-Life: A Place in the West is a fan-made comic book series being released chapter-by-chapter as paid DLC on Steam. The developer has always been clear about the scope: the comic will run for 15 chapters total. As of the last DLC release — Chapter 8 (June 19, 2022) — eight chapters have been published, leaving seven more to go.
After a lengthy silence following Chapter 8, the developer posted an update on July 1, 2024, acknowledging the gap and explaining that both creators had been dealing with serious personal challenges that forced a temporary hiatus. Crucially, they reaffirmed their commitment: "A Place in the West — to the horror of some, we're sure — won't ever die. It's just a question of when we'll reach the end. We've published 8 chapters so far, and there's going to be 15 in total. We have every intention of concluding the story." They stated production on Chapter 9 would resume in autumn 2024 and teased a surprise announcement for October 2024.
However, as of June 27, 2026, no Chapter 9 release, no October surprise, and no further developer communications have appeared. The autumn 2024 target has passed without any update, which — combined with the already lengthy history of delays — raises genuine uncertainty about whether active production has resumed. The project's history shows it can persist through long gaps (over two years passed between Chapter 6 in June 2019 and Chapter 7 in May 2021, and another year between Chapter 7 and Chapter 8 in June 2022), but the developers have now missed a publicly stated return-to-production window and gone silent again.
The intent to complete the story is clearly stated, and the project has survived hiatuses before. But prospective readers should be aware that delivery timelines have been very unpredictable and the current status of production is unknown.
Evidence
Developer confirms the comic will run for 15 chapters total, with 8 released so far. States production on Chapter 9 will resume in autumn 2024 and teases a surprise for October 2024. Acknowledges a hiatus caused by personal challenges.
Chapter 8 is the most recent chapter released. Only 8 of the promised 15 chapters have DLC listings, meaning 7 chapters remain unannounced/unreleased.
Content
10 of 10 released · no outstanding content
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Michael Pelletier
Achievements
11
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
What is A Place in the West?
Half-Life: A Place in the West is a fan-made comic book set within Valve's acclaimed Half-Life universe. It can be read either by way of our specially built app, or as a PDF available in your Steam Directory.At a science complex in the New Mexico desert, a teleportation experiment goes very wrong, unleashing interdimensional chaos on an unsuspecting Earth. The aftershocks end with the arrival of a totalitarian order called The Combine, which forces a brutal police state on the last remnants of the occupied planet.
Now, some years later, a mysterious cosmic tower has materialised in a hidden city – a tower that may prove to be humanity’s salvation, or its doom. A team of military commandos soon emerge from the city, sweeping across the American wasteland kidnapping children for an unknown purpose.
In the wake of their devastation, a troubled father, an intrepid scientist, and an ancient alien warrior are each drawn to the strange city with the cosmic tower: New Franklin. Faced with warring clans, diabolical experiments, portentous dreamscapes, and the growing shadow of The Combine, they must unlock New Franklin’s mysteries before it’s too late – and the lives of everyone in the city hang in the balance.
A Place in the West weaves a compelling story with a complex cast of all-new characters, drawing on the rich mythology of the Half-Life universe to create an original adventure for the series.
The comic will run for a total of fifteen chapters, the first of which, Following Portents, is available for free to download and comes to a total of 32 pages. The remaining chapters will be released sequentially as paid-DLC, and will be 30 pages in length.
Do I need to be Familiar with Half-Life?
Nope! The first chapter features a ten-page prologue designed to bring new readers up to speed with the world of Half-Life. A Place in the West is also set in the interim between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, which means that you needn't be familiar with Valve's later games anyway. That isn't to say, however, that you won't find exciting things to enjoy if you are familiar with the series.The comic is also available in PDF form; simply purchase the comic, and a copy will be automatically downloaded into your Steam files. This will enable you to read A Place in the West in whatever format you see fit: be it via our app, or as a PDF on your mobile device.
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Last evaluated Jun 27, 2026
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