Half-Life 3 release date may have been revealed by dedicated fans
And we won't have too long to wait
Fans think they may have worked out when Half-Life 3 will be announced
According to a theory from one Reddit user, it could be November 18
Valve has a large gap in its schedule for a prominent homepage banner ad that is usually reserved for big announcements such as games, hardware and sales
Valve also moved its Autumn sale from November to September, and in its announcement of the sale, stated the move was “intentional”
Half-Life 3 may be announced very soon, according to the work of some diligent fans.
Posting on the r/HalfLife subreddit, Reddit user sameseksure uncovered November 18, 2025, as the potentially fateful day of the most long-awaited sequel in modern history, barring GTA 6, perhaps.
Their reasoning centers around the top banner on the front page of the Steam Store, which is traditionally used when Valve wants to promote a sale, event, or a new product. Of course, whatever ends up on the front page gets a lot of exposure.
Valve has set a precedent for this in the past, using the top banner to promote Half-Life: Alyx immediately after the game was announced in 2019, and also used it for the Valve Index VR headset.
As a result, it is highly unlikely Valve would announce the impending Half-Life 3 while another big Steam event or release was occurring as it would essentially mean they cannibalize themselves.
Reddit user BeeBeeTheDev drew up a table to explain the fact that between November 18 and December 8, there is an unusually long gap where Valve would normally have the Autumn Sale banner.
Further to this, Valve moved the 2025 Steam Autumn Sale up by two months to September, writing in the announcement:
“Is Steam crazy? They’re two months ahead of schedule!”
Yes, we are crazy, and yes we are earlier than usual, but also that’s intentional.” (The emphasis here is from the Reddit post.)
It is also plausible that Valve could keep the November 18 slot free to announce its long-awaited Valve Deckard/Steam Frame headset, and potentially announce Half-Life 3 alongside it.
While the fact Half-Life 3 is potentially coming hasn’t been officially confirmed by Valve, we’ve had a few rumors and thoughts from insiders that the game is coming.
For instance, Valve insider Tyler McViker had claimed that the game could release before the end of 2025, while everything from purported data-mined assets and a leak from an actor who was likely involved in the project has come to light in recent times.
Up next: Steam Controller 2 seemingly revealed, with an announcement ‘extremely close’
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.