You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here
Half-Life 3 announcement rumors are heating up, and Insider Gaming’s Mike Straw claims they have been told it will be announced “this year”. The senior editor cannot disclose the date they were told, but they believe it will not happen at The Game Awards.
On X, Mike Straw says, “One person I’ve spoken to gave me a date, but I haven’t been able to verify it with other sources”. There is a belief that Valve may have set a canary trap similar to Half-Life Alyx, and this is partly why Mike Straw is not reporting “anything in an official capacity”.
More than just Mike Straw is suggesting a Half-Life 3 announcement is inbound. According to reporter Rebs_Gaming, insider GabeFollower also states, “according to their info, Valve is aiming to announce HL3 this year.” Dataminer Tyler McVicker also expects an announcement, speculating it “will happen in 2-3 weeks”. In addition, while Half-Life 3 isn’t explicitly named, the SteamDB creator has “found a suspicious Source 2 (Valve engine) app ID that’s private”.
Remember, this is just rumors rather than anything official. Half-Life 3 isn’t confirmed, but Deadlock artist Evgeniy Evstratiy says they have “seen the room where Half-Life 3 is made”. Back in March, there were also reports of Half-Life 3 playtests at Valve, following GabeFollower’s datamining of codes referring to “HLX”.
Half-Life 3 announcement likely not at The Game Awards
While Mike Straw isn’t giving a specific date, they believe the announcement will not happen at The Game Awards “unless Geoff managed to get [Valve] to agree to something”. Mike Straw has said in the past he was “told it’s not supposed to be [at The Game Awards],” so he’s seemingly not heard anything different.
The Game Awards is set for December 11. Announcing Half-Life 3 would be a massive coup for Geoff Keighley, but even without Valve, the event will still be amazing. There are always huge surprises and reveals, and it will celebrate all of the fantastic releases during 2025. Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has overtaken The Last of Us 2 with the most nominations in Game Awards’ history, and it is the favorite to win Game of the Year.
You will be able to watch The Game Awards live on YouTube, Twitch, or Amazon Prime for the first time. We would absolutely explode at the announcement for Half-Life 3, but we’re simply hoping it happens as soon as possible.
With the Steam machine releasing in early 2026, Half-Life 3 would be the perfect launch title. At the same time, it would be a punch to the gut for all the games coming out early next year, thinking they avoided the crushing hype of GTA 6.
About the Author
