Half-Life 3 is still on course to be announced before the end of 2025, a known industry insider has said. The claim, offered alongside some other purported details about the game’s rumored reveal, comes as hype for Half-Life 3 reaches a 17-year high, based on publicly available data.
The ongoing wave of Half-Life 3 rumors started in August 2024, when well-known dataminer GabeFollower discovered references to the long-anticipated, frequently rebooted project in the codebases of other Valve games. In the following months, multiple industry sources supported the existence of yet another Half-Life 3 iteration, with some suggesting this version progressed further than any previous attempt at a third mainline Half-Life title. Among them is Insider Gaming Senior Editor Mike Straw, who repeatedly claimed that Valve would make at least one more major announcement shortly following the mid-November reveal of the new Steam Machine. He later clarified he was referring to Half-Life 3 in a November 20 tweet.
All Half-Life 3 Rumors and Leaks So Far
Rumors and leaks about Half-Life 3 have hit new heights, as the long-awaited next chapter in the FPS franchise feels more possible than ever.
Insider Doubles Down on Half-Life 3 Announcement Timing Claim
Straw has doubled down on his Half-Life 3 announcement timing claim during the latest episode of the Insider Gaming Weekly podcast. He discussed the project beginning around the 30-minute mark of the November 21 episode, reiterating his belief that Half-Life 3 will be announced in a matter of weeks, i.e., before the end of 2025. Straw said he is currently working to verify the exact announcement date and shared some insight into why that has been challenging.
Valve Is Reportedly Trying to Weed Out Half-Life 3 Leakers
The reporter said he was given one potential announcement date by a single source but has been unable to verify it independently. This lack of confirmation is why he is currently unwilling to report it. He also suspects that Valve may have shared different dates with multiple individuals in an attempt to identify leakers. This tactic for weeding out information leaks, commonly known as a canary trap, was likely used by Valve in the past, as suggested by a surge of inaccurate Half-Life: Alyx leaks that appeared online shortly before the VR game’s November 2019 announcement.
Half-Life 3 Most Likely Won’t Be Announced at The Game Awards 2025
While Straw still expects Half-Life 3 to be announced before the end of the year, he does not believe that will happen at The Game Awards, the largest remaining gaming event of 2025. He raised the possibility of Valve showcasing the game at TGA 2025, but only if it had already been revealed prior to the December 11 event. Such a move would align with typical industry conventions, as a high-profile reveal like Half-Life 3 could overshadow the rest of the show—potentially frustrating other publishers who pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to have their trailers featured at the Geoff Keighley-hosted event.
Half-Life 3 Hype Is at a 17-Year High
According to Google Trends data, the volume of global searches for the “Half-Life 3” query is at its highest level in 17 years—since August 2008, when the since-canceled Half-Life 2: Episode Three was rumored to be revealed at the following month’s E3, which ultimately did not happen. Wikipedia pages related to Valve’s iconic franchise have also seen a significant traffic surge since mid-November 2025, according to the platform’s official Pageviews Analysis tool.
