Half-Life 3 May Be Nearing Completion, New Leak Suggests

The long-rumored Half-Life 3 may finally be coming together, as an unannounced Valve project believed to be the latest mainline entry in the series has reportedly entered optimization. In leaks from Dota 2 and Counter-Strike 2 updates, for example, we learnt that the game — now known as “HLX” — even exists, and this week we found even more details in a Gabe Follower video.

Half-Life 3 Could Be Approaching Completion as New Evidence Points to Optimization Phase

The accounts, which the report noted were for different internal groups, such as “hlx,” “hlxaudio,” and “hlxartists,” were located in Valve’s internal systems. New console commands have emerged for controlling NPC behavior, dynamic navigation meshes, deformable props, and even an improved dynamic hair system. These tech upgrades indicate that HLX is ambitious and could even be the long-anticipated Half-Life 3.

It’s best to keep expectations in check despite the accumulating evidence. Valve has long denied that it’s working on Half-Life 3, so it remains possible that HLX doesn’t directly follow fans’ desire for a sequel. Instead, it might be another spin-off, like Half-Life: Alyx, which debuted as a VR-only title in 2020 and later became playable without VR via mods. Whether HLX will actually continue Gordon Freeman’s story or somehow send the franchise in a different direction is not clear, given Valve’s history of reveling in secrecy.

With that said, excitement for the Half-Life series has been revitalized, if not by official confirmation. This week saw the release of the Half-Life 2 RTX demo, using the latest ray-tracing technology from NVIDIA to enhance an all-time classic visually. But even though it’s not a new game itself, it’s a reminder of the franchise’s legacy and also relevance in gaming. With HLX now in its optimization phase, speculation is at an all-time high. Whether it turns out to be Half-Life 3 or another experimental project, one thing is certain—Valve is working on something significant, and Half-Life fans have reason to be excited.

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