Valve Corporation’s rumored next entry in the Half-Life series, Half-Life 3, is allegedly set for release alongside the Steam Machine.
During the latest episode of the Insider Gaming Weekly podcast, co-host Mike Shaw claimed that Half-Life 3 is still planned for release as a launch title for the Steam Machine, with a current target window of Spring 2026. He addressed community speculation that the game could appear at The Game Awards 2025 following a teased image shared by Geoff Keighley, saying that expectations were misplaced from the start.
Shaw explained that while journalists had previously been told a specific date regarding the Half-Life 3 announcement, he chose not to report it because the information lacked confidence. “Every single date that they were told has passed,” he said, suggesting Valve may have deliberately circulated different dates internally to identify potential leakers. As a result, no single date was solid enough to share as a formal report. Despite the uncertainty, he stressed that his sources remain consistent on one key point. “Everything I have, everybody I’ve talked to are still adamant [Half-Life 3\ will be a launch title with the Steam Machine.”
However, hardware pricing appears to be the major roadblock. Shaw pointed to skyrocketing RAM and storage costs as a critical factor slowing down Valve’s announcement plans. He noted that memory prices are “up 200, 300 to 500% of what they were in October,” adding that it has reached a point where “you can buy a graphics card for cheaper than you can buy 64 gigs of memory.” This uncertainty has reportedly made Valve hesitant to lock in a final price for the Steam Machine. The window Shaw says he was told remains Spring 2026, but he acknowledged that delays are possible. “If they delay it, there’s no point announcing Half-Life 3 if it’s attached to it in any way,” he explained.
While Shaw was careful not to frame the information as confirmed, he expressed confidence in his sources, noting that they have previously provided accurate details on projects such as Madden and an upcoming Lord of the Rings game. As he put it, “[The game is] real. It’s just a when and not if at this point.”
