Yes, we know what you’re thinking – haven’t we heard this one before? Half Life 3 confirmed! This news-gone-meme has been repeated and regurgitated ad nauseam. This time, however, there might actually be more substance to the noise. A new report from Valve insider Tyler McVicker has reignited the spark of hope that Half Life 3, or a related project – suspiciously codenamed HLX – could finally be revealed November 2025.
The rumour itself isn’t an actual reveal, rather the fact that Valve is working on a trailer for the long-lost sequel (HL: Alyx arguably doesn’t count), with a potential reveal window of this November.
The elephant in the room doesn’t need to be addressed though, because if this is the real deal or another instance of wishful thinking remains to be seen. With that said, let’s explore why this could be real and put it against the arguments of why it’s not, especially considering Half Life: Alyx wasn’t exactly the game fans wanted.
Half Life 3 Trailer Rumour
This new wave of pure excitement began after McVivcker’s latest episode of The HLX Files, which is a YouTube series that tracks, well – all things Valve, and that includes Half Life, of course.
The YouTuber has a solid track record with other Source Engine leaks, including back in 2020 when Half Life: Alyx was announced. So this marks the strongest argument for the truthfulness of a new Half Life trailer leak.
Another addendum would be the fact that Valve doesn’t really do the whole marketing spiel, meaning they don’t make trailers of games that are early in development – they let their hype speak for itself. When – or if – Valve announces something, the game in question is usually already playable at least. Our best bet is that if history should repeat itself, a full release could be by spring of 2026. That would be momentous, to say the least.
Is Half Life 3 Ever Coming Out?
Not to rain on everyone’s parade, but as we’ve indicated, we’ve all seen this exact thing play out precisely this way before. Someone digs through Source Engine 2 files, finds anything dubious with the number “3” attached to it, and immediately calls out Half Life 3 confirmed. Why this phrase has become a meme is self-explanatory at this point.
Fans even came close to a cancelled Arkane-led Half Life spin-off, based off a particular level in the sequel.
And while it’s true that Valve has always preferred quiet, yet confident reveals over months-long hype cycles, and the whole “announce today, release tomorrow” approach has worked in their favor before, we can’t help but feel a bit cynical when Half Life 3 is concerned. BUT: if we really do get a teaser in November, chances are, we’ll be playing whatever HLX is by early next year.
We’ll say it loudly and proudly, the timing feels suspiciously perfect. November marks the 27th anniversary month of the original Half-Life (god, we feel old), and Valve loves its darned symmetry. Also, it’s been five years since Half-Life: Alyx proved the series wasn’t entirely dead, and the fanbase has been waiting for a full-fledged Half Life 2 sequel ever since, since Alyx was a VR game after all.
Still, there’s no denying that the hype comes with a side of déjà vu. Every few years, a new insider or datamine sends the internet spiraling into another Half-Life 3 frenzy, only for Valve to say nothing. If anything, the silence has become part of the legend – and, yes – the meme. Wishful thinking doesn’t make it true guys, we hate to disappoint.
Valve’s Track Record of Silence and Secrecy
If there’s one thing we know about Valve, it’s that they’re nothing short of unpredictable at best. Look at HL: Alyx for example. Valve spent years making that game and then pretty casually announced it on social media.
There’s a big chance that these backend updates are literal tech improvements, or even just groundwork for something not even remotely related to Half Life.
Valve hasn’t confirmed anything yet, not even Project HLX, they haven’t even hinted at anything, at least not publicly. So every claim about a trailer or announcement, comes – yet again – from dataminers or secondhand reports. So until Valve itself comments on these leaks, all we can do is do some educated speculation.
Half Life is a franchise near and dear to our heart. It changed gaming forever, introduced a new way of storytelling in a first person shooter, and opened the gateway for other games to copy what Half Life 2 especially did so well. Having said that, hope and following the breadcrumbs of what Valve and other sources give us, is the only thing we got as of right now – and that’s hope, if nothing else.
Patience is called for yet again, since it’s entirely possible – if not plausible – that Half Life 3, HLX or whatever it’s called exists, but that doesn’t mean it really is Half Life 3. All of that information should, especially with hindsight in mind, be taken with a grain of salt, as much as the fanbase wants to just believe. If McVicker’s pattern holds true, however, the hints point at a trailer in November. But until Valve confirms Half Life 3 all we can do is patiently wait and refresh Steam’s front page every morning.
