Portal 2 Update Removes File Size Limit On User-Made Levels

A new Portal 2 update--coming about a decade after the game's release--has removed a file size limit for user-created Steam Workshop maps. This change could have a huge impact on the game's future, with much more complicated and expansive map designs possible.

Previously, Steam Workshop designs for Portal 2 were limited to 100MB or less. With the new update, this limit is gone. Presumably, there may still be some limit for what the game can handle before it explodes, but it appears that user-created levels can be a lot bigger and it could inject life into Valve's masterpiece. After all, we still don't have a Portal 3, with some DLC and spin-offs like Bridge Constructor Portal being basically all fans have received. A prequel that had been in early development was canceled.

Other changes in the update include fixes for lighting issues on custom maps, as well as issues with text corruption, demo playback, and the model viewer and face poser not opening.

Though it's largely viewed as a separate series, Portal is actually part of the Half-Life franchise, with some references between the two series acknowledging the other. Aperture Science and Black Mesa, for instance, both compete for the same government contracts, resulting in a rivalry.

Though we've seen little indication that Valve has any new Portal games in the works, it did release Half-Life: Alyx last year. The VR-exclusive game is set before the events of Half-Life 2 and is one of the most impressive virtual reality games we've ever played. It ended up taking home GameSpot's Game of the Year award for 2020, beating out games like Hades and The Last of Us: Part II.