Considered one of the most important video games of modern times, Half-Life 2 was launched way back in 2004, and I still remember having the DVD shipped to me in Spain. But it was also the first time I had experienced digital game downloading because the DVD contained only part of the game, thus requiring us to set up an account with Valve’s gaming platform, Steam. Half-Life 2 still looks great today, and with the release of Episodes 1 and 2 in 2006 and 2007, the question of Half-Life 3 (or Episode 3) has been hanging in the air ever since. For the past nearly 20 years, rumours have circulated like wildfire, millions of memes created, fake in-game Half-Life 3 videos, fake release dates, but never a single word from Half-Life developers, Valve, so the big question now is, does Half-Life 3 even exist?
Valve’s Steam Machine
Valve is going all out on its gaming hardware. Steam Deck is already available, and in early 2026, Steam Controller, Steam Frame, and Steam Machine will be released, all running Steam OS, a Linux-based operating system. The big question currently doing the rounds is, will Valve release the now mythical Half-Life 3 with the Steam Machine? Will it be bundled with the machine, and if so, why? I have no doubt that the Steam Machine will be a huge success, much like the Steam Deck, a handheld, which has sold around 8 million units to date. Frankly, I don’t see the business logic in bundling a game with a machine that will sell by the bucketload on its own merits. And, by the same token, should Valve ever release Half-Life 3, it wouldn’t need any fanfare or promotion because the internet would simply implode in an event akin to the second coming for veteran gamers.
“Half-Life 3 Confirmed?”
From the number three appearing in the Steam Store or uttered by Valve CEO Gabe Newell, the tenuous links to HL3 have been doing the rounds for nearly two decades, but I remain a sceptic until I see Gordon Freeman wielding that crowbar once more in City 17.
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