Half-Life: Alyx has 42 Achievements, listed here in chronological order.
Achievements
| Image | Achievement | Official description | Chapter | How-to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gnome Alone | If you are reading this achievement, Gabe Newell has successfully launched Gnome Chompski into space. If you did not also receive the achievement 'Manufacturing Ascent', Newell has abandoned his plans to shoot Noam Chomsky into space. | N/A | This achievement is awarded to any player who launches the game at any time after November 20, 2020. It is a reference to the real-world event in which Valve president Gabe Newell collaborated with the space launch service provider Rocket Lab to launch a replica of the Garden Gnome into space. The event itself was a homage to the Half-Life 2: Episode Two achievement "Little Rocket Man", which is obtained by leaving the gnome in the space-bound White Forest satellite so that it will be launched into space, as well as the Half-Life: Alyx achievement "Gnome Vault of My Own", in which the player must carry the gnome (or a gnome magnet) all the way from Russell's Lab to the Vault. |
| Good Grub | Feed the snark. | Entanglement | Alyx must shake the pet food over her Snark's jar. The term "grub" refers to both food and a juvenile insect, i.e. the Snark itself. |
| Hit and Run | Break out of the Combine prisoner transport vehicle. | Entanglement | Story-related. "Hit and Run" refers the criminal act of leaving after committing a motor crime. |
| On a Roll | Interact with the playground somehow. | Entanglement | Alyx must roll an object from the very top of the playground slide down to the ground. The phrase "on a roll" means having consecutive fortunateness. |
| Eye of the Geiger | Measure Russell with the Geiger counter. | Entanglement | Self-explanatory. A pun on the song Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. |
| Little Slugger | Represent yourself with a specific prop on Russell's map. | Entanglement | Alyx can use the Scout porcelain figure when Russell asks her for an item to be placed on the holographic map. The term "slugger" is a baseball term meaning "a player who hits for power", reflecting the Scout's role and signature weapon of the baseball bat in Team Fortress 2. |
| Mag-Snagger | Catch Russell's ammo magazine before it hits the ground. | Entanglement | Self-explanatory. |
| Mazel Tov | Pick up and smash 50 glass bottles. | Entanglement and after. | Self-explanatory. A reference to the Jewish tradition of the groom breaking a glass at his wedding while the guests yell "Mazel tov", a phrase used for congratulations. |
| Gnome Vault of My Own | Bring a garden gnome with you to the Vault. | Entanglement through Point Extraction | Alyx must bring either the garden gnome or Russell's gnome fridge-magnet from the beginning to the end of the game. Reference to an infamous achievement from Episode Two. |
| Quaranta Giorni | Enter the Quarantine Zone. | The Quarantine Zone | Story related. "Quaranta Giorni" is Italian for "forty days", the term which the word "quarantine" is from, based on the ships having to wait 40 days before being allowed to disembark during the Black Death plague pandemic in 14th century Venice, Italy. This actual fact is explained by Russell to Alyx as she enters the Quarantine Zone. |
| Sustenance | Receive a tasty treat. | The Quarantine Zone | Story-related. |
| Dead Giveaway | Loot a corpse. | The Quarantine Zone and after. | Self-explanatory. A pun on the phrase "dead giveaway", which means evidence that shows the truth clearly. |
| Smash and Grab | Break open a supply crate with your hands. | The Quarantine Zone and after. | Self-explanatory. In law, smash and grab refers to the crime of smashing a store window and robbing the goods within. |
| Up in Arms | Install your first pistol upgrade. | The Quarantine Zone and after. | Self-explanatory. |
| Freshly Squeezed | Test your grip on a headcrab heart. | The Quarantine Zone and after. | Alyx must squeeze one of the severed hearts in Gary's kitchen. |
| Zombie with a Shotgun | Collect the shotgun. | Is Or Will Be | Story-related. A reference to the eponymous comic, film and web series. |
| Xen Garden | Enter the explosive Xen infestation. | Is Or Will Be | Story-related. A pun on the word "Zen Garden (禅の庭)", also called "Dry Landscape Garden (枯山水)", a form of Japanese horticultural architecture. |
| Off the Rails | Stop the prisoner transport train. | Is Or Will Be | Story-related. Its name is also similar to the title of Half-Life's eighth chapter, On A Rail. |
| Pro-Pain | Kill a grunt by shooting their gas tank. | Is Or Will Be and after. | Self-explanatory. A play on the word "propane", a highly combustible gas. |
| Combine Harvester | Use the gravity gloves to loot an item off a living Combine soldier. | Is Or Will Be and after. | Self-explanatory. Can be done during a fight. A pun on the name of the real-life combine harvester, a farming machine. Also used as the title for an unused track from the Half-Life 2 soundtrack. |
| Deadliest Catch | Use the gravity gloves to intercept an incoming enemy grenade in mid-flight. | Is Or Will Be and after. | Self-explanatory. "Deadliest Catch" is the title of a Discovery Channel reality series about crab fishermen. |
| Checking In | Reach the Northern Star. | Superweapon | Story-related. |
| Indirect Approach | Kill a Combine Heavy while their shield is up. | Superweapon and after. | Self-explanatory. |
| Heart-Breaker Hotel | Get creative turning the power back on. | The Northern Star | Story-related. A pun on the song Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley. |
| Surface Tension | Escape the underground pit. | The Northern Star | Story-related. "Surface tension" refers to an attractive force pulling the surface molecules of a liquid bulk and making it assume the shape having the least surface area. It is also the title of Half-Life's twelfth chapter. |
| Unbonded | Collect the SMG. | The Northern Star | Story-related. |
| Cord-Cutter | Shut down the substation. | The Northern Star | Story-related. Reference to the act of cancelling television subscription services such as cable or satellite in favor of alternate Internet or wireless-based services. |
| Xen Lootism | Snatch a Xen grenade from its resting place. | The Northern Star and after. | To obtain a Xen Grenade, Alyx is unable to use her Gravity Gloves, and instead must either quickly snatch it from its plant or "tickle" the plant's stem in order to have it relinquish the grenade. |
| Safe Trip | Use the multitool to hack a tripmine. | The Northern Star and after. | Self-explanatory. A pun referring both to the blessing "have a safe trip" and tripmines. |
| Blast From the Past | Defuse a roomful of explosive barrels. | Arms Race | Story-related. Alyx must hack and defuse the tripmines, a setting similar to the trapped storage building in Black Mesa's Topside Motorpool in Half-Life's twelfth chapter. There is an achievement of the same name in Half-Life 2 related to a classical HEV charger panel. |
| Near-Jeff Experience | Stay close to Jeff for 10 seconds (but not too close). | Jeff | Alyx must stand near Jeff without making any noise for ten seconds. A pun on the term "near-death experience". |
| Crustacean Frustration | Kill the annoying headcrab before it breaks everything. | Jeff | The Headcrab that knocks over objects must be killed before it alerts Jeff. |
| Hold Your Liquor | Catch a bottle falling out of a cupboard before it breaks and alerts Jeff. | Jeff | Self-explanatory. "Hold one's liquor" means the ability to drink alcoholic beverages without becoming too drunk. |
| Flat Note | Kill Jeff. | Jeff | After trapping Jeff in the trash compactor, Alyx must press the button to crush and kill him. A "flat note" is a note that sounds a semitone lower than natural notes. |
| Sound Strategy | Escape the distillery without killing Jeff. | Jeff | Alyx must simply leave Jeff while he’s trapped in the trash compactor. |
| Team Spirit | Bring Russell a bottle of vodka. | Jeff through Captivity | Alyx can store bottles of vodka from the distillery to her inventory, which must be brought to the next chapter. |
| Sea Level | Reach the aquatic exhibits. | Captivity | Story-related. |
| Triple Bypass | Solve the tanker yard's electrical puzzle and escape. | Captivity | Story-related. A "Triple Bypass" is a method of cardiovascular surgery. |
| High Water March | Start climbing the water tower. | Revelations | Story-related. A play on the phrase "high water mark", which means the highest point. |
| Textbook Jinxing | Wake the Strider. | Breaking and Entering | Story-related. |
| Point Extraction | Get to the superweapon. | Point Extraction | Story-related. A reference to Half-Life 2's opening chapter, Point Insertion. |
| Consequences | Make your choice. | Point Extraction | Story-related. |
