Half-Life 3 may be much closer to releasing than we had previously thought. Half-Life 3 is gaming’s white whale. While there are arguably more anticipated games like Grand Theft Auto VI, Half-Life 3 is a game that has been desired for much longer and was actually going to happen at different points. Half-Life is known for its incredibly innovative and sophisticated gameplay with detailed physics systems where just about anything can be used as a weapon. Valve is one of the best developers because of things like this, but they also just don’t really make big new games very often now.

Half-Life: Alyx was a big return for Valve, though it was through the lens of VR. However, it wasn’t just some tech demo, it’s quite possibly the best VR game out there thanks to its depth and it also perfectly sets the stage for Half-Life 3 with its ending. It was assumed that Valve wouldn’t dare do something like that if it wasn’t planning on following through on its promise, but five years later and Valve hasn’t uttered a peep. Nevertheless, prominent rumors persist that Half-Life 3 is happening and it has been in the works for a while. The game is reportedly codenamed HLX and many have spotted references to it while datamining other Valve games. Many have clung on to this recurring codename in various files as signs of life for Half-Life 3, particularly given the game has been canceled a number of times.