A fan-made Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection is set to launch on Steam, and reportedly comes with Valve's blessing. The Half-Life series is one of the most respected in gaming, and players have been hoping for more content since the release of Half-Life: Alyx, which launched in 2020.

Patient Half-Life fans have been waiting for a new numbered addition to the series for many years, with the idea of a Half-Life 3 now reaching meme status. While the series was thought to have been abandoned by its developer Valve, the success of Half-Life: Alyx sparked new hope for the franchise. The game was missed out on by many players due to being a VR-only title, but sales of Valve's Index VR headset rocketed after Half-Life: Alyx's announcement in 2019, showing a thirst for the franchise regardless of hardware. While fans are more hopeful than ever that Half-Life 3 could still happen, it looks like the next release under the Half-Life name will be a fan-made remaster of Half-Life 2.

Related: Half-Life: Alyx's Jurassic Park Fan Mod Demo Arrives On Steam

A listing for Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection has been spotted on Steam Database by industry insider Tyler McVicker (via WCCFTech). According to the leaker, the Remastered Collection is being developed by "the team that brought us Half-Life 2: Update," meaning the game is a fan-made project and not one directly from the developers at Valve. McVicker notes that the fans behind Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection will reportedly be working on a new update, as well as remastering the game and its subsequent Episodes. It's claimed the development is being done "with Valve's consent."

Read Tyler McVicker's tweet here.

While Valve has yet to confirm the existence of Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection, it seems the project is in safe hands if it really is coming from the Half-Life 2: Update developer, Filip Victor. Update is a community-developed free Half-Life mod first released in 2015, and aims to provide an improved Half-Life 2 experience. The mod fixes bugs, improves lighting, adds the Community Commentary Mode, and more, and has been praised by players since its launch. Many believe Update to be the best way to play Half-Life 2, and its popularity is a testament to those who worked on it.

The original Half-Life 2 first released back in 2004, meaning the game could really benefit from some technical improvements now possible with new advances in game development. While a remaster means the new release won't be built from the ground up, players can likely expect improved graphics, textures, and load times. Half-Life 2: Remastered Collection doesn't yet have a release date, but with the game already appearing on Steam Database it seems an official announcement from Valve could be imminent.

Next: Why Half-Life's Combine is the Most Brutal Dystopia in Gaming

Source: Steam DatabaseTyler McVicker/Twitter (via WCCFTech)