Draft:Half-Life 3
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| Half-Life 3 | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Valve Corporation |
| Series | Half-Life |
| Engine | Source 2 |
| Genre | First-person shooter |
Half-Life 3 is a suspected upcoming first-person shooter game developed by Valve. It was first in development from 2013 to 2014, before being cancelled. Source 2 datamines showcase a project codenamed HLX, which is widely believed to be a Half-Life project—industry insiders initially reported that the game would be announced in 2025, with delays now claimed.
Development and promotion
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Early development
[edit]Half-Life 3 was in development between 2013 and 2014. Valve planned to use procedurally generated levels alongside a "crafted experience", similar to the Left 4 Dead series; the game would generate different routes through environments each time it was played. The team took new scans of the face of Frank Sheldon, whose likeness was used for the G-Man character in Half-Life 2. The Source 2 engine was still unfinished and the project was canceled early in development.[1]
Datamines and teases
[edit]Following the release of Half-Life: Alyx (2020), dataminers examining updates to the Source 2 engine discovered that Valve was developing a non-VR Half-Life game codenamed HLX. According to them, the game has been in development since 2021. After releasing Alyx, Valve also hinted that they would like to develop more Half-Life games in the future.[2]
On December 31, 2024, Mike Shapiro, the voice actor for the G-Man, posted a cryptic message on X, formerly known as Twitter, suggesting "unexpected surprises" in the new year, while also adding the hashtags #Valve, #Halflife, #GMan, and #2025.[3] In April 2025, it was reported that HLX was "playable, end-to-end", being playtested and would be a sequel to Half-Life 2: Episode Two.[4] Several gaming industry insiders, dataminers, and leakers later reported that Valve was planning a 2025 announcement for Half-Life 3.[2][5][6] One of the reliable insiders, Insider Gaming senior editor Mike Straw, claimed in December 2025 that the announcement was delayed, citing the reason being that it would be a launch title for the Steam Machine, a piece of hardware allegedly facing pricing issues due to high RAM prices.[7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ Skrebels, Joe (9 July 2020). "Details of multiple cancelled Valve projects revealed, including Half-Life 3". IGN. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b Valentine, Rebekah (19 November 2025). "Why Is Everyone Posting About a Half-Life 3 Announcement Soon?". IGN. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (2 January 2025). "Half-Life 3 Rumors Ramp Up After G-Man Voice Actor Issues Cryptic Tweet — His First in Years". IGN. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Blake, Vikki (4 May 2025). "Half-Life 3 is not just in development, it's now "playable, end-to-end", leaker suggests". Eurogamer. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Lewis, Claire (12 November 2025). "Half-Life 3 rumors swirl in the wake of Valve's Steam Machine announcement". Polygon. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Haider, Ali (19 November 2025). "Insiders Say Half-Life 3 Rumors Intensify as Valve Reveal Remains Uncertain". TwistedVoxel. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Chester, Edward (15 December 2025). "Half-Life 3 Steam Machine rumors just won't go away, with high RAM prices now somehow connected". PCGamesN. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ Koepp, Brent (15 December 2025). "Half-Life 3 Reportedly Delayed Due to Steam Machine Price, Leak Claims". Vice. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
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