A recent update from a reputable Valve insider has cast some doubt surrounding the prospect of a Half-Life 3 announcement in the short term. Rumors surrounding Half-Life 3 have accelerated in recent months, suggesting that the highly-anticipated threequel could finally break cover this year, albeit Valve's lips remain tightly-sealed on the matter.
As the once-sequel to 2004's Half-Life 2 - one of the greatest first-person shooters ever made - Half-Life 3 has lingered in gamers' collective hopes and dreams ever since Valve abandoned the project over a decade ago. All hope for Half-Life 3 seemed lost, but fans were given a glimmer of hope with 2020's Half-Life: Alyx VR spin-off, signaling Valve's continued interest in the franchise. In recent months, datamined info and rumors have pointed to a new Valve project under the codename HLX, which is widely assumed to be Half-Life 3.
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PostsOne dataminer even claimed that Half-Life 3's announcement could take place "any day" now, since HLX is purportedly in the polishing and playtesting phase of its development. However, notable Valve insider Gabe Follower recently discovered that the original 1999-registered domain name for Half-Life 3 has officially expired as of today, June 28, 2025 - and Valve has not renewed it. While this doesn't necessarily confirm the worst, it casts doubt on the mounting rumors of Half-Life 3's debut potentially being on the horizon.
Valve Lets 26-Year-Old Half-Life 3 Domain Expire, But It's Not All Doom and Gloom Yet
It's worth noting, though, that the Half-Life 3 domain has now lapsed into a grace period, which means Valve still has time to reclaim it. But it's the timing of this domain expiration that has alarmed fans, who wonder why a company allegedly nearing such a major announcement would let such an important piece of its digital identity slip. As of now, Valve has provided no official comment on the matter, but fans remain vigilant on any activity surrounding Half-Life 3. On the flip side, Valve could end up not using a dedicated domain for Half-Life 3 at all, and instead fold the game into the collective Half-Life website.
CloseTherefore, Valve fans shouldn't lose all hope based on the Half-Life 3 domain expiration, especially after so many insiders have corroborated reports of the game's existence. Whether HLX is indeed the full-fledged Half-Life 3 that continues the franchise's story in a major way, or another spin-off in the same vein as Alyx, remains up in the air for now. Either way, the coming year or so is shaping up to be an exciting time for Half-Life fans.
