Valve is reportedly working on an unannounced puzzle game, and fans think it could be Portal 3

News
By published

According to a LinkedIn profile, it's been in development since 2021 and will feature “ambitious, never-before seen gameplay”

Portal 2
(Image credit: Valve)

A mysterious new game is seemingly in the works at Valve, and fans think it could be Portal 3.

Earlier this month, Valve delighted fans with the news that Counter-Strike 2, the next major instalment in its iconic FPS series and follow-up to the incredibly popular CS:GO, is officially on the way. And that might not be all the surprises it's got up its sleeve.

As spotted by Twitter user Faizan Shaikh, the LinkedIn profiles of two Valve employees suggest that the company is currently working on an unannounced game, one that's seemingly been in development since 2021 and features puzzles and "ambitious, never-before-seen gameplay".

The profiles are that of Michael Anderson, a former level designer at Valve and Boyang Zhu, who has worked as an artist for the company since 2014. According to Anderson's profile, in 2021, he "created a variety of prototypes with my team focused on ambitious, never-before-seen gameplay for an unannounced project." He also says that he "developed AI, player mechanics, and puzzles from scratch." Zhu's profile is a lot lighter on detail, but he does list an "unannounced title" that he's been working on since January 2022, which may or may not be the same game mentioned Anderson. 

That's all the info we've got so far, but the talk of puzzle mechanics and "ambitious" gameplay has given fans hope that it could be Portal 3. "Portal 1+1+1 confirmed," says meltingpotato over on the PC Gaming subreddit. Equally sold on the idea, Belmonkey says, "'puzzles' has Portal written all over it." User oxslashxo admits that the details we've got to go on are "pretty ambiguous, to say the least" but still thinks that Portal 3 could be "the next big title for Valve". They write "it's the most accessible game in Valve's lineup, has widespread appeal to all gamers, and has the greatest potential for innovation". 

On a separate post discussing the topic, user xSanderCohen says, "I'd be so genuinely happy for a new Portal". An equally excited Portal fan by the name of MaxTennyson88 is quite literally praying for another entry in the beloved puzzle-platform series, they write "For the love of God, let it be Portal, please God". 

Last year, Valve revealed it's got "multiple games" in development and "pretty exciting ones" at that, but whether or not this includes Portal 3 remains to be seen.

If you're in the mood for mind-bending puzzles, check out our guide to games like Portal.

TOPICS
Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.