Rumor: Half-Life 3 Could Be Close to Completion

‎Gabe Follower is a well-known individual in the Half-Life community, dead set on uncovering all the possible details about Valve's games. In his new video, he collected recent facts, leaks, and rumors to bring players closer to the truth: is Half-Life 3 near completion? 

You know the drill: it's all speculation that has to be taken with a dose of skepticism. Long story short, files and code found in Valve's documents suggest the studio's HLX project, which is believed to be Half-Life 3, is at the point where it introduces upscaling and optimizations in the form of LOD parameters, so the game might feature locations with crowds boasting behaviors complicated enough that they need optimization.

Hidden groups called "hlx," "hlxaudio," and "hlxartists" have been found in Valve's internal system along with a zombie gorilla mentioned in Half-Life Alyx, appearing in the Source 2 files. Its purpose is unclear, but the connection to HL is there.

There is also allegedly work being done on material impact and improvements to the dynamic hair system. Moreover, Gabe Follower said that Valve had started internal testing for HLX among staff and family members.

All of this, especially the testing and optimization phases, made fans believe Half-Life 3 is close to completion and we will see the game soon – a sentiment shared by YouTuber Tyler McVicker, who thinks Valve will announce HLX in 2025. However, Gabe Follower doesn't agree, pointing out that both these stages can be done much earlier than at the end of production. 

Finally, Gabe Follower said that Half-Life 3 would be Gordon's final adventure, with a proper ending and no cliffhanger. Spin-offs might be possible, but considering how long the world has been waiting for HL3, I'd rein my excitement in.

Watch the basis for these conclusions in the full video and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.