Summary
A new rumor has suggested that the long-awaitedHalf-Life 3could finally be announced in 2025. Fans have waited over two decades for any concrete news aboutHalf-Life 3, but Valve has remained tight-lipped over the years about the potential project.
Since the release of the 1998 original,Half-Lifehas always been at the forefront of innovation in the FPS genre. BothHalf-Lifeand its 2004 sequel are considered to be among thebest first-person shooter gamesof all time, setting new bars that future games in the genre would attempt to emulate. The most recent game in the series,Half-Life: Alyx, was considered to be one of the first killer apps for virtual reality, but its VR exclusivity meant that few players got their hands on it.
After two decades of rumors,Half-Life 3could be closer than gamers think. In a recent YouTube video by dataminer Tyler McVicker, it was revealed that more references to a mysterious project namedHLXhave been found in arecentDota 2update.HLXreferences have been appearing in Source 2 titles for a while now, and, based on what has been found so far, is believed to be the codename for a single-player FPS title set in theHalf-Lifeuniverse, most likelyHalf-Life 3. According to McVicker, Valve usually decides whether to abandon projects after the holiday season, so the fact that new references toHLXare appearing now is a good sign that progress is still being made at the moment.
Half-Life 3 Could Be Announced in 2025 According to Dataminer
Importantly, McVicker states that the strings found in theDota 2update indicate that Valve is “polishing and optimising,” which is usually one of the last stages of development. He claims that “we may be closer than even I originally thought, with an announcement possibly in 2025,” before clarifying that this doesn’t necessarily meanHalf-Life 3will be released this year. This all lines up perfectly with another rumor from last year, which hinted at a2025 announcement forHalf-Life 3, but gamers will have to wait and see what Valve has planned.
Source 2 datamining isn’t the only hint thatHalf-Life 3is coming. At the end of 2024, a cryptic post from theG-Man’s voice actor hinted at moreHalf-Lifein 2025, so it seems like the stars could finally be aligning. It’s pretty crazy to think about.Half-Life 3has been so highly requested by the gaming community that it’s pretty much become a massive meme, and many have given up hope that it will ever be released. If these rumors are to be believed, this could finally be the year gamers get some clarification from Valve.
