Half-Life 3 hopes revived as experts suggest announcement still imminent

Some experts claim that Half-Life 3, codenamed HLX, is still about to be announced and released by Valve.

- 0-20%: Impossible - Lack of reliable sources

- 21-40%: Breakfast: Some concerns remain.

- 41-60%: High - Clear evidence

- 61-80%: Likely - Strong Evidence

- 81-100%: Very likely - multiple reliable sources

Valve fans are having a domain day with the announcement of the Steam Frame, Steam Engine and Steam Controller, with the notable exception of those peering for Half-Life 3.

Valve will still miss the mythological third (and supposedly final) part of the sci-fi shooter franchise, but that doesn't mean it won't come.In fact, some insiders doubled down once again, repeating that a specific game announcement came in relatively short order.

Where they disagree is the timing of the news.According to Counter-Strike 2 content creator Gabe Follower, who correctly leaked information about Deadlock (the studio's other multiplayer shooter/MOBA game in early development), Half-Life 3, codenamed HLX, will still be released before the end of the year.Another Valve insider, Tyler McVicker, who revealed some details about the Halflife: Alyx stream on Twitch, said he expects the news to drop in the next two to three weeks.

But in the latest episode of Insider Gaming Weekly, Residents shared a different opinion based on their sources.Mike Straw, who previously mentioned that hardware announcements weren't all that Valve had to reveal, said that this particular news won't be official at Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards 2025 event next month.

Tom Henderson, founder and noted leakster Insider Vialing, added that he heard that a big game (currently unannounced) is coming in March.Since the Steam Machine / Frame / Controller is scheduled to launch in early 2026, it makes sense that Half-Life 3 will be a launch title.

After all, Valve has publicly stated that they believe that having more games will be the key to the success of the Steam Machine compared to its previous iteration.Although they mostly referred to the vast library of Steam, the launches of new gaming platforms have used the so-called killer app in the industry since time immemorial.If Half-Life 3 was only available on Steam platforms, that would mean that the only console platform it could play on would be Steam.The Machine would therefore undoubtedly increase its initial sales.

Do you think we can finally finish Gordon Freeman's story?Vote in the poll and leave a comment below.

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