Rumours had been circulating online for a long time that Half-Life 3 would be unveiled at The Game Awards 2025, but Valve unexpectedly changed course and announced Highguard instead, much to the disappointment of fans of the series.
However, this does not mean that the project has been cancelled. Despite Valve's silence, reliable insider Gabe Follower claims that Half-Life 3 is in an advanced stage of development. According to him, the game already features realistic ballistics, NPC mood systems, crowd optimisation, dynamic gravity and other key mechanics.
HLX is reportedly the working code name for Half-Life 3, similar to the Half-Life 2 episodes. Earlier, insider and journalist Tyler McVicker also noted that the announcement of the game in 2026 looks quite realistic, while confirming that there were definitely no plans to show it at TGA 2025.
Recent rumours about the release of Half-Life 3 alongside the launch of Steam Machine in March this year seem unlikely and are more reminiscent of speculation than Valve's actual plans.