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Speculation that Half-Life 3 or new Steam hardware will be revealed next week grows

Michael Hassall

Dota 2 and Gaming Editor

Publish Date: November 11, 2025

Something is brewing on Steam, and observers think it could be Half-Life 3. After a series of changes to the Steam store, event timeline, and other hints, a projected release or reveal date for the long-awaited sequel is looking likely.

With no events on the calendar for Steam between Nov. 17 and Dec. 8, it seems likely some kind of big release will hit the Steam Store in that window. So is Half-Life 3 coming? Is the Steam Frame controller getting its release? Or something even crazier (Deadlock 1.0?). Here’s what we know.

Is Half-Life 3 coming next week? The signs explained

This year, Valve moved the dates of the Autumn Sale for the first time in years. Normally, the sale runs between late November and early December, as was the case in 2024 when it ran from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4.

In the middle of 2025, these dates were changed, with Valve unveiling a Sep. 29 to Oct. 6 time frame. This left a larger than usual gap between Nov. 17 (the end of Animal Fest) and Dec. 8 (The start of Sports Fest) which would usually have been filled by the Autumn sale.

It may not seem like it, but Valve rarely goes more than about 10 days between smaller events in its store.

Half-Life was originally released in 1998, and the sequel in 2004. Image Credit: Valve

Hype was similarly raised when noted parody account and occasional oracle @portal2urmom, or “gordon freeman from black mesa,” posted on Nov. 10.

“Everyone, clear up like, 61.67GB on your storage!”

– gordon freeman from black mesa via X.

While the account’s next tweets, predicting the release of Half-Life 3 today (Nov. 11) haven’t come true, other observers have pointed to the release of Half-Life Alyx in 2019 (on Nov. 18) and the official Half-Life anniversary (Nov. 19) being next week.

When Half-Life Alyx released in 2019, Valve had a whole store takeover with the large banner at the top, usually reserved for Steam Sales, taken up with Alyx promotional art. Currently, that banner space is taken up by the newly unveiled Dota 2 x Monster Hunter reveal, but that could change anytime.

As a result, fans are keenly paying attention to the week commencing Nov. 17. It could be a big one for Half-Life fans.

Half-Life was originally released in 1998, and drew critical acclaim for its in-engine scripted sequences, and physics engine, which were seen as incredibly innovative for the time. A sequel, Half-Life 2, was released in 2004, again attracting rave reviews for its incredible physics and unique gameplay.

Half-Life: Alyx was released in 2019 and was the first continuation of the story in almost 15 years. Image Credit: Valve

After two story expansions (Episode One and Episode Two), many expected a Half-Life 3 to be around the corner. Instead, Half-Life became the genesis of the often cited ‘Valve can’t count to three’ joke. In 2019, Half-Life Alyx, a sequel and spin-off to the Half-Life series set up the prospect of a Half-Life 3.

Now, almost exactly six years later, we could be on the precipice of a continuation to a story whose telling has spanned 26 years. Or, perhaps, more disappointment and waiting. Valve has other projects in the works, including its upcoming Steam Frame VR headset and controller, and Deadlock, which could similarly take over the Steam store.

Featured Image Credit: Valve