The indie game that contributed to Portal 2 is now on Steam

Portal 2
(Image credit: Valve)

The indie game that inspired Portal 2 is now free to play on Steam.

As first reported by PCGamesN , Tag: The Power of Paint is now entirely free to play and keep over on Steam. For those unfamiliar with the game, it blends puzzling and platforming together with the power of paint, as you spray various colors around an environment to proceed through a level.

If you don't know the extensive history behind Valve's highly influential Portal games, both the original and the sequel have deep ties to indie games. In the case of Portal 2 though, Valve saw what the student team was up to on Tag: The Power of Paint after it was lauded with a bunch of awards, and actually hired the developers.

From there, the team was tasked with implementing mechanics and concepts from Tag: The Power of Paint into what would become Portal 2. This then ended up becoming the gel system for the brilliant sequel, and an idea that originated from a group of students ended up taking form in Valve's sequel.

Nowadays, you can actually play Portal 2 on the go, as it was the first game to become "Steam Deck Verified" for Valve's latest gaming device late last year. Elsewhere, you can check out Portal 2: Desolation, the fan-made sequel to Valve's sequel that you've probably been waiting an incredibly long time for.

Check out our list of the best games like Portal and Portal 2 if you're looking for some amazingly mind-bending levels to puzzle your way through. 

CATEGORIES
Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.

Read more
Best free Steam games - Doom Eternal image showing a large armored enemy with a gun for an arm
25 Best free Steam games you can play right now
Team Fortress 2 by Valve
Valve adds "all the Team Fortress 2 client and server game code" to its Source mod tools, letting modders "build completely new games based on TF2" and publish them on Steam
Awaria
The Helltaker creator has a new free game with ghost girls instead of demon girls, and after less than a month it's got over 9,000 Steam reviews at 96% positive
A thumnail crop of Splitgate 2 key art showing orange and blue portals and teams of shooters running between them
Splitgate 2 improves on the FPS' intoxicating blend of Halo and Portal: "You no longer have to get hung up on which button you meant to press"
Captain America from one of the best free games, Marvel Rivals
The 25 best free games you can play in 2025
The 25 best free PC games - Multiversus screenshot of Finn and Velma high fiving
25 Best free PC games to play today
Latest in Puzzle
Key art for in Is This Seat Taken? showing shapes waiting at a bus stop
This puzzle game almost made me want to talk to strangers after its chill Steam Next Fest demo got me hooked on organizing seating charts
Screenshot from Mindwave
This weird WarioWare-like's demo got thousands of positive Steam reviews, and now its Kickstarter's $40,000 goal has been smashed 11 times over
While Waiting screenshot showcasing the main character waiting for class to end with an Indie Spotlight tag in the corner
This puzzle game has done the impossible: waiting around for something to happen has never, ever been this fun
Wilmot Works It Out screenshot showing Wilmot who's a square with a face receiving a delivery of puzzle pieces at the front door
Wilmot Works It Out might be the perfect puzzle game if you hate Jigsaws as much as I do
Green symbols on a computer screen making up a skull and the words "Hacked by Hal"
In a huge win for niche games, this solo dev's 4-hour software adventure has racked up $1 million in revenue
Sutte Hakkun
The obscure SNES puzzler Nintendo originally distributed via satellite broadcast has just been released outside of Japan for the first time on Nintendo Switch Online
Latest in News
Snow falls as guards in armor and red highlights wait in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
Black Myth: Wukong empowered fellow soulslike devs to become China's first "elite" devs on par with Naughty Dog or Capcom: "The market has been validated"
Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
After 26 years, a secret Star Wars reference to George Lucas has been uncovered: "We got a new Phantom Menace Easter Egg before GTA 6"
Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori
This stunning open-world horse game smashed its $65,000 Kickstarter goal straight away, and it's bringing my favorite part of Red Dead Redemption 2 to 13th-century Mongolia
Robert Pattinson in Mickey 17
Parasite and Mickey 17 director Bong Joon Ho doesn't want to make a franchise film – unless it's an Alien musical
Four adventurers journey into a dim dungeon
Dark and Darker's legal battles are far from over as the popular extraction RPG has been pulled from the Epic Games Store again
Discord
Discord is reportedly "in early talks with banks" about going public, but the company won't comment on "rumours or speculation"