Here’s a quick rundown before we throw ourselves headfirst into the Citadel Core and enter a singularity of copium; reporter Tyler McVicker claimed in October that Valve was rumoured to be producing a Half-Life 3 trailer, possibly for November, though he urged fans not to get their hopes up. Fans got their hopes up, other reporters chimed in, Valve unveiled a bunch of new hardware, and all kinds of theories cropped up that today is the day! It never was.
2025 isn’t over yet, though, and not one reporter has leaked a date. In fact, journalists like Insider Gaming senior editor Mike Straw have flat-out refused to share what they’ve heard until it can be corroborated, because it’s clear Valve is feeding a bunch of fake dates to catch out leakers.
Even with all the theories failing to pan out, the excitement among the community as we all wait for the needle to drop has been infectious. It really feels like 2019 again in the best way possible. But for some, the wild goose chase is losing its lustre, and with every theory falling flat, they’re giving up hope. On the other end of the spectrum, however, you have those who have fallen into a deep chasm of copium, trying to suss out meaning from everything.
Cue u/RicksonGM, who dug into a Valve employee’s Half-Life 2 playtime to try and find clues to the Half-Life 3 announcement date; spoilers, this all means nothing, and brings us no closer to the truth.
18 Minutes… November 18 Reveal Confirmed!? Wait…
“Longtime Valve employee seen playing HL2 today on Steam,” they said like an avid trainspotter, holding up their binoculars as they caught wind of a rare class 37 locomotive. “Guy’s been at Valve since 2008 and decided to play 18 minutes of HL2 today, of all days. I can’t be going crazy, this has to mean something right?”
Ehhhh.
I’m trying to imagine the marketing conversation behind the scenes if this were a tease: “You, play 18 minutes of Half-Life 2 and hope that a fan, by chance, stumbles on your profile, sees your playtime, and connects the dots.” What dots? Gaben only knows. Maybe it’ll be announced on December 18! Or, maybe we’re looking in the wrong place, and it’s the achievement counter we should be paying attention to: 32 out of 69. Half-Life 3 confirmed… November 32nd, 2069?
It’s all nonsense, and I hope it’s a joke, but then again, look at the 198 conspiracy (yes, I bought into that too, but still). A few fans even called out u/RicksonGM for ‘stalking’ Valve employees and taking everything a little bit too far, erring into a creepy territory that should be boarded up like the path to Ravenholm. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but please don’t stalk or harass Valve devs for info on Half-Life 3; just be patient. We’ve waited 20 years, what’s another month?
But they held firm on their little treasure hunt, claiming that they accidentally stumbled on the profile when looking at Valve’s website, which links various employees’ Steam accounts directly. Regardless of their intent or how easily accessible the profiles are, this isn’t going to clue you into the truth, and they’re not public figures like Mike Shapiro, who at least got some free promo for his music out of the ‘ARG’ – go listen to it, it’s pretty good.
All the datamines and leaks suggest Half-Life 3 will be announced imminently, and likely launch alongside the Steam Machine, unless it gets delayed internally. So, it’s only a matter of time, and we even have a copium calendar to help us count down the days, courtesy of u/Litevex.
- Released
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November 16, 2004
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence
- Engine
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source, havok
