Half-Life 3 Announcement Still Expected Before 2025 Ends, Insider Claims

 Excitement around Half-Life 3 is reaching heights not seen in nearly two decades, and a well-known industry insider is once again insisting that Valve is preparing to finally reveal the long-awaited sequel before the end of 2025. Amid record-breaking search traffic and renewed speculation, the pieces may be aligning for the most anticipated announcement in PC gaming history.

A New Wave of Half-Life 3 Rumors Gains Momentum

The latest surge in rumors began in August 2024, when prominent dataminer GabeFollower uncovered references to Half-Life 3 within the code of other Valve games. Since then, multiple insiders have echoed claims that a new iteration of the project exists—and that this version has advanced further than any previous attempt.

Among the most vocal sources is Mike Straw, Senior Editor at Insider Gaming, who previously teased that Valve would make another major announcement shortly after unveiling its new Steam Machine in mid-November. On November 20, he confirmed that he had been referring to Half-Life 3.

Insider Reaffirms Belief in a 2025 Announcement

During the November 21 episode of the Insider Gaming Weekly podcast, Straw doubled down on his prediction, stating that he still expects Half-Life 3 to be revealed within weeks, and crucially, before the end of 2025. He noted that he is working to verify the specific announcement date but emphasized that this has been difficult—potentially by design.

 

Valve May Be Running a Canary Trap to Catch Leakers

Straw revealed that he received one possible announcement date, but from only a single source. Without corroboration, he isn’t comfortable publishing it. He also suggested that Valve may be deliberately giving different dates to different people to identify leakers.

This tactic—known as a canary trap—may have been used by Valve in the past. Leading up to the reveal of Half-Life: Alyx in late 2019, numerous conflicting leaks appeared online, many of which later proved to be false.

Don’t Expect the Reveal at The Game Awards 2025

Despite expecting the announcement this year, Straw believes it won’t happen at The Game Awards 2025, the biggest remaining event of the year.

He didn’t rule out the possibility of Valve showing more of Half-Life 3 at the December 11 event, but only on the condition that the game had already been revealed beforehand.

A first-time reveal at TGA would break from common industry practice—such a monumental announcement could overshadow the entire showcase and frustrate publishers who pay heavily for trailer slots.

Half-Life 3 Hype Reaches a 17-Year Peak

Interest in Half-Life 3 is now the highest it has been since 2008.

• Google Trends shows global searches for “Half-Life 3” at their strongest point since August 2008, when rumors swirled around a potential Episode Three reveal that never materialized.

• Wikipedia page traffic for Half-Life–related topics has also surged dramatically since mid-November 2025, signaling renewed widespread interest in the franchise.

With industry insiders doubling down, data showing record-level hype, and Valve tightening its security around leaks, all signs suggest that the long-mythologized reveal of Half-Life 3 may truly be closer than it has ever been.