THE CRUNCH
A Valve developer appears to have let slip the codename for the next Half-Life game during a convention panel. Speaking at GameSoundCon 2026 in Burbank, California, music designer Mike Morasky was discussing how the company implements audio when he referred to 'HLX', the alleged codename for the next Half-Life entry. "In fact, Deadlock has its own version of HDR, HLX has its own version, and so on and so forth," he said, according to Video Games Chronicle.
HLX is not a new name. It has been flagged by insiders and spotted in Valve game files in recent years, but a direct mention from a Valve employee on stage is a notable step up. The slip does not confirm a Half-Life 3 announcement, and Valve has said nothing officially.
Insider reporting suggests the game, if real, is well advanced. Tyler McVicker, who has a track record of reporting on Valve projects, claimed last year that Half-Life 3 is not a VR title like 2020's Half-Life: Alyx, and that it is playable from start to end. "The game is playable end-to-end, period," he claimed, adding that the studio was optimising and polishing, and was probably content-locked or mechanic-locked.
Valve's last Half-Life activity was the series' 25th anniversary in 2023, which brought a substantial update to the original game, new multiplayer maps, restored content and full Steam Deck compatibility, alongside an hour-long documentary about the first game's development.