The story of 'Half Life 3 confirmed' is one of the most famous tales on the internet, leaving constant speculation about a Half Life 3 release date. The way that Valve left all of these unanswered questions after the end of the second game would have fans frothing at the mouth. This is because it’s been almost two whole decades since G-Man abducted Alyx and Gordon, with no answers about what happened since then.
This begs the question as to why Half Life 3 was never released. The answer could be as simple as the team at Valve losing confidence in their ideas, or wanting to start new projects. It wasn't as if Half Life 2 was received poorly; fans and critics alike loved it. When Half Life: Alyx was released, fans were ecstatic. This has only raised speculation about the future announcement of details surrounding Half Life 3.
For more release hubs like this, check out our look at The Last of Us 3 news and Bloodborne 2 news. We've also got a list of the best free shooting games you can play right now.
Half Life 3 latest news
There has yet to be any current news about the Half Life 3 release date. Valve has been notoriously quiet about this game, and there’s no hard proof that the game is in development. It is unlikely that we will hear anything for a while, but we can keep our hopes up all the same.
Five things we want to see in Half Life 3
Give us answers and wrap up the story
Fans have been waiting for years to find out what happened at the end of Half Life 2. There is still so much that we don’t know. For example, we know nothing about G-Man. He has played such an influential role in gaming, even outside of Half Life, yet any details about his life still elude us.
The demand for answers is so high that when the supposed script for Half Life 3 was released a few years ago, fans rushed to read it. It was a brave move by Marc Laidlaw, the lead writer of the Half Life series, as the impact of his work wouldn’t be felt nearly as much through a script as it would through a game. Nonetheless, many fans praised him and thanked him for the closure that he brought them. If that story is ever made into a Half Life 3 game, then audiences will be in for an incredible time. The ideas for the third entry were truly mind-blowing and lived up to the Half Life series hype.
Not VR exclusive
When Half Life: Alyx was released, it was a VR exclusive. This meant you had to own either an Oculus, Steam VR, or some other kind of headset to play it. Not only this, but you needed a PC that was powerful enough in order to run it.
Understandably, this excluded quite a lot of players. Half Life is an old game that can run on even the most basic of systems now. Many were shocked to see that such an anticipated game from a long-standing series would only accommodate such a small percentage of the audience.
For fans to receive Half Life 3 well, it needs to respect the audience. This means that it needs to be accessible for most of them to play so they can experience the story that they’ve waited so long for. With the kind of resources that Valve has, it would be possible to make a separate VR port for Half Life 3 for those who want it. This way, their audience can enjoy the story either way.
Interesting puzzles
The Half Life series has always defined itself by blending great storytelling with a little bit of action and some well thought-out puzzles. They aren’t always as simple as they appear, which is unsurprising when you consider they come from the same developers who made the Portal series.
With the developments in technology, especially with physics engines, developers can do more with puzzles than ever. Half Life 3 wouldn’t feel complete without some challenging areas and environmental clues to help you along the way.
A unique style
Half Life 3 shouldn’t be what every other game already is. The series has always been distinct and should remain recognisable from others in its genre. The last thing the Half Life developers should do is make the game a generic mix of other successful titles. Fans don’t want competitive multiplayer from a Half Life game, nor do they want branching dialogue options. They want to feel like they’re in the Half Life universe, one that’s full of quirks and dry humour.
It can be difficult to replicate the spirit of something, especially when so much time has passed. This is all the more challenging when the people who made the first couple of games have since moved on. However, the release of Half Life: Alyx proved to fans that whoever is driving the Half Life IP at Valve still knows what they’re doing. If Half Life 3 can continue the atmosphere of that game, then it will no doubt be a success.
Co-op capabilities
The Half Life series is a story-driven first-person shooter and action game. Historically, these games have been very linear and made specifically for a single-player experience. The cutscenes and puzzles were constructed to cater to only one player, and even the themes of the story reflect this.
However, this hasn’t stopped the modding community from coming together and making co-op mods so that people can play Half Life with friends. The most popular one is Sven Co-op. This mod allows up to four people at once to fight enemies and solve puzzles. This has proven to be very popular within the community, with many people re-living their childhood game with their friends.
Of course, it might be better to create a slightly separate campaign for co-op, similar to how Portal 2 handled it. This would ensure that the developers can focus on the story and overall experience, without trying to ensure that it also works with multiple players.
For more Half Life news, check out our article on how Valve is updating its classics library for the Steam Deck. We also have the latest news on Half Life being ported to console, as well as the best VR games out now.