Half-Life 3 Is Closer Than Ever Based on New Leak

More so than ever before, it looks like Half-Life 3 might actually end up seeing the light of day. In recent months, rumors tied to Half-Life 3 have been gaining a lot of steam. While it was previously thought that Valve had abandoned work on a new mainline Half-Life game over a decade ago, that seems to have shifted in recent years if leaks stemming from Valve are any indication. Now, yet another leak from Valve has come about has only further made clear that work on this Half-Life project is ongoing and it might be nearing its final stages.

Discovered in the metadata for a new DOTA 2 update, it was found that Valve has recently done new work on “HLX”, which is the codename for what is assumed to be Half-Life 3. While this might not seem like a huge deal, it is important because it shows that Valve has continued developing this new Half-Life game in 2025. Insider Tyler McVicker notes that members of Valve have historically abandoned projects at the start of a new year after returning from their holiday break. For what is presumably Half-Life 3 to have made it through the end of 2024 and now is still actively being worked on in 2025 suggests that Valve is very serious about this endeavor and doesn’t intend for it to fall apart.

As for the nature of the work being done on Half-Life 3, it is said to be tied to optimization. This process is one that takes place near the end of a development cycle which means that much of the story and design of Half-Life 3 seems to be complete. McVicker suggests that this could lead to a proper reveal of “HLX” at some point in 2025, although a release date is more likely bound for 2026.

While it might seem foolish to once again get excited about the prospect of Half-Life 3, one voice actor who previously starred in the Half-Life series teased at the start of 2025 that this year would bring some “unexpected surprises” with it. Assuming that this tease was indeed related to Half-Life, it suggests that Valve will indeed lift the veil on Half-Life 3 at some point in the months ahead.

Obviously, given how heartbreaking it has been in the past to get hopeful about the prospect of Half-Life 3, it’s worth stressing that you take all of these leaks and teases with a grain of salt. Until Valve formally announces a new Half-Life game, there shouldn’t be a presumption that one is going to come out. Still, in the nearly 18 years that it has been since the launch of Half-Life 2: Episode Two, this might be the closest we’ve ever been to Half-Life 3 becoming a reality.