Insider: Half-Life 3 is fully completed and will be released in 2025 - the end of a twenty-year wait?

What the insider shared

Blogger and insider Tyler McVicker reported that there are completed builds of Half-Life 3 inside Valve that can be played from start to finish. Now, according to him, the game is in the polishing stage: they are eliminating bugs and improving performance.

• Announcement is scheduled for summer 2025
• Release is expected closer to the end of the year
• The project will not be VR exclusive and will be a full-fledged continuation of the classic series

A brief excursion into the history of rumors

• 2004 — the release of Half-Life 2: Episode Two and a multi-year pause in the main line
• “HLX” is a code name that periodically popped up in engine and SDK leaks
• Half-Life: Alyx (2020) reminded us of the universe, but did not replace the classic format
• Regular code fragments and videos fueled hopes for a sequel

Why you should listen

1. Ready builds. The insider claims that the final versions of the game are available for testing.
2. Leaks of “HLX” code are regularly confirmed in Steam and SDK files.
3. The lack of new major announcements from Valve after Alyx suggests that the company could indeed focus on the main franchise.

However, Valve is known for its penchant for unexpected decisions, so an official confirmation is still ahead.

Expected dates

The game will most likely appear on PC and next-gen consoles, but details are still being clarified.

NakMo's opinion

If the rumors are true, fans will be in for the long-awaited return of Gordon Freeman and the Black Mesa universe. But after two decades of waiting, Valve will have to live up to the highest expectations: with innovations in gameplay, story, and technology. In the meantime, it’s worth preparing for a big summer reveal and keeping your finger on the pulse of the news — perhaps this year will be a truly historic one for Half-Life fans.