Now that the dust has settled around The Game Awards 2025 show, we can sit back and really dive into all the biggest winners and reveals. Before we can do that, though, you might want to check on the Half-Life fan in your life. They are not okay.

Last night’s big show saw some seriously unexpected games announced. Larian is back with a new Divinity! Casey Hudson is working on a brand-new Star Wars RPG set at the end of the Old Republic era! Capcom has revived Mega Man after all this time! So, where was Half-Life 3?

Was Half-Life 3 At The Game Awards?

Better luck next time

Custom Image by Diana Acuña

Despite there being some very strong rumors suggesting otherwise, Half-Life 3 did not make an appearance at The Game Awards this year. You can, in fact, pinpoint the moment the fans fully gave up and gave into madness: it was the exact moment the new Mega Man game was revealed.

A mysterious trailer that could feasibly have been a new Half-Life for about 10 seconds soon revealed itself to be the return of the Blue Bomber. A welcome surprise for millions of gamers, I don’t doubt. But for those who thought The Game Awards’ big surprise was to be Half-Life 3? Not so much.

“HAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHA,” one fan who clearly snapped wrote in a post on the Half-Life subreddit. That post now has 12k likes.

“I can’t believe Valve didn’t match the expectations I invented in my head,” another user wrote.

A third added: “YOU REALLY THOUGHT! YOU FELL FOR IT AGAIN!”

“I just smashed my TV in front of 30 guests at my party because of this,” one fan joked (I hope). “My wife just took our crying kids and said they’re all spending the week at a hotel. This company has ruined my life and my party. I can’t handle this anymore. Goodbye Valve. I am no longer a fan.”

Is Half-Life 3 Still Out There, Somewhere?

We just don’t know

Could Half-Life 3 actually be out there somewhere for real? I honestly think it is, but I’m basing that on nothing more than vibes right now. Rumors suggest Valve plans to launch its new Steam Machine console/PC hybrid with a new Half-Life game, which would certainly be one way to shift a ton of units. But that really is nothing more than a rumor at this point.

If Half-Life 3 really is in development somewhere under lock and key at Valve HQ, I really don’t think The Game Awards is the kind of place we’d see it. Valve very much likes to do its own thing, after all, so we’ll just have to wait and see.