Half-Life 3 rumors reach a fever pitch as announcement expected this week

Michael Hassall Published November 17, 2025

Half-Life 2 celebrated its 21st anniversary on Sunday (Nov. 16), but all the attention was on the potential release of a sequel, as Half-Life 3 rumors went into overdrive.

With a Nov. 18 date being teased, and the Steam Hardware still fresh in people’s minds, what could Valve be cooking?

Could Half-Life 3 be announced this week?

Half-Life 3 has been slated for a 2025 announcement for months, with insiders hinting at a release as far back as February this year. Internal leaks, mentioned by insider GabeFollower said that Valve is “aiming for a 2025 announcement.”

Other insiders have hinted that the next Half-Life is being worked on under the working title or codename of Half-Life X. Many believe this is a reference to Xen, the alien dimension that appeared only in the original Half-Life and its expansions.

Valve reportedly was always disappointed with those levels, and some have stated that Half-Life X could be their chance to remedy that disappointment.

Image Credit: Valve

However, long-time industry reporter Jason Schreier has confirmed he has “no idea” whether it’s being announced this year. This alludes to his predictions earlier in 2025. In those, he predicted that Hollow Knight: Silksong would be released this year, GTA VI would be delayed, AI would have an ‘Icarus moment,’ and that Half-Life 3 would be announced. Those first three predictions all came true.

We reported the Nov. 18 date for a big announcement last week. And now we’re on the eve of that deadline. Optimistically, we trust Valve to keep surprising us. That could mean another big announcement, or more waiting. Either way, it’s typical of Valve, a company that could give us a revolutionary Dota 2 update, or absolutely nothing, depending on the day.

Find more gaming coverage and the latest Half-Life 3 news at Jaxon.gg.

Featured Image Credit: Valve