The specter of Half-Life 3 has loomed over gamers for more than two decades, a legend that has fascinated and tormented its devoted fan base. A fresh update today regarding its online status has added another element of disbelief to the latest speculations regarding its forthcoming release. It is on June 28, 2025, that the news was finally dropped by one of the key Valve insiders, Gabe Follower on Twitter, that the Half-Life 3 domain name, which was initially registered by Valve all the way back in 1999, has finally expired.
The expiration, in what appears to be a humdrum move, is hugely important for fans who have been watching the game’s oh-so-elusive development. The timing is also cryptic, with the recent spike in rumor of a looming announcement. Why would a company such as Valve, known for its workhazardous attitude and forward thinking, let a genre so symbolic and utilitarian in nature enter grace period if a great big reveal was actually in the works? It immediately calls into question the validity of the rumors that have been circulating, suggesting an irregularity from the anticipated path of a major title reveal.
Though the expiration of the domain doesn’t actually ship Half-Life 3 to the great beyond—Valve does retain the possibility of reclaiming it through this grace period—it certainly puts a pall over the near-term landscape. Valve could choose not to use an independent domain for the hypothetical sequel, perhaps folding it into the larger Half-Life virtual universe. But the experience serves as a bitter reminder of the long, circuitous path that Half-Life 3 has undertaken.
In spite of this recent setback, hope for the fan community is not lost entirely. Prolonged rumors from several sources have continued in support of a project’s existence, said to be codenamed “HLX,” to leave fans speculating if this signals the full-fledged sequel or different highly innovative spin-off in the style of Half-Life: Alyx. Either way, next year shall be the year of make-or-break for the oft-stagnant franchise of Half-Life.
