Every Halo game in order: Chronological & release date list
The Halo franchise has a long and storied history spanning multiple generations of Xbox consoles. With the release of Halo Infinite right around the corner, now feels like a good time to list every single Halo game in chronological order by release date.
Halo Infinite’s long-awaited release date is not too far away, and die-hard fans are chomping at the bit to see the latest chapter of Master Chief’s story.
While the next installment will push the franchise into the future with new maps and weapons, there are also plenty of favorites from Halo history making a return.
With this in mind, we’ve listed every Halo game so far in chronological order with its release date.
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
First released on the original Xbox on November 15, 2001, Combat Evolved is the game that launched the Halo series, and its protagonist Master Chief, into the realms of gaming royalty.
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Not only did it kick off one of the most successful franchises in video game history – it redefined the FPS genre in the process.
Halo 2 (2004)
After the incredible success of Combat Evolved, Bungie were given the seemingly impossible task of following up on one of the best games of all time when it released the sequel on November 9, 2004 release.
Shockingly, Halo 2 delivered on continuing the epic story of the original, while also helping shift online multiplayer into the matchmaking-based system we see today.
Halo 3 (2007)
The first in the series to release on the Xbox 360, Halo 3 was hotly-anticipated before it dropped on September 25, 2007.
It went on to smash all expectations, releasing to critical acclaim and solidifying itself as one of the best multiplayer experiences on the market thanks to Forge and Custom Games.
Halo Wars (2009)
Releasing on February 26, 2009, Halo Wars was the first to take the series into a completely new genre.
Halo Wars pitted the UNSC against the Covenant in a real-time strategy battle. It would go on to be the best-selling RTS game in the history of console gaming.
Halo 3: ODST (2009)
On September 22, 2009, Bungie treated long-time to fans to Halo 3: ODST, which aimed to flesh out events of the Halo 2 campaign.
While often forgotten about due to it not being a fully-fledged Halo follow-up, it still racked up impressive review scores and remains a valuable part of series lore.
Halo: Reach (2010)
With Master Chief’s story wrapped up (for the time being) after Halo 3, Halo Reach also filled in some of the blanks in the series long canon when it landed on September 14, 2010.
Halo Reach followed an elite supersoldier squad named Noble Six during the events before Combat Evolved.
It struck the perfect balance of new and familiar and is still regarded as one of the Halo series’ best games to date.
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
To celebrate 10-years since the original dropped, on November 15, 2011, 343 Industries remade the classic shooter with updated Xbox 360 visuals.
This was a chance for both old and new fans to experience Combat Evolved on new hardware.
It even featured the ingenious option for players to switch between the old and new graphics at will, to see just how far we had come.
Halo 4 (2012)
On November 6, 2012, as series creators Bungie moved away from the series, 343 Industries took the reins and decided to pick up the story of Master Chief from where it left off in 2007.
The new developers released Halo 4 and it was once again hailed as another stellar game in the Halo catalog.
Fans were partially happy with how 343 handled the new plot and expanded the relationship between Chief and Cortana.
Halo: Spartan Assault (2013)
In another move to adapt the Halo franchise into a different genre, Halo: Spartan Assault was released on mobile platforms on July 18, 2013.
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This top-down twin-stick shooter filled in some gaps between Halo 3 and Halo 4, and made use of the touch controls on mobile phones.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014)
On November 11, 2014, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 were released in one package on Xbox One.
Fans had been calling for a collection of all of Master Chief’s outings for many years – and this delivered it.
Each game was given revamped visuals for the new generation of consoles and was backed up by its multiplayer modes.
Halo: Spartan Strike (2015)
A follow-up to 2013′ Spartan Assualt, this second twin-stick shooter dropped on April 16, 2015, for mobile devices.
It was widely regarded as an improvement over its predecessor but ultimately failed to make much of a splash among the Halo fandom.
Halo 5: Guardians (2015)
The fifth mainline installment in the Halo franchise, Halo 5: Guardians landed on Xbox One on October 27, 2015.
While its campaign was arguably the first in the series to receive mixed feedback, its multiplayer was still a smash-hit.
It soon became the best-selling Xbox exclusive on the console, before it was surpassed by Forza Horizon 4.
Halo Wars 2 (2017)
Following years of calls from fans, 343 finally dropped a Halo Wars sequel on February 21, 2017.
With Halo Wars 2, devs wanted the game to feel more integral to the overall universe, so it was set shortly after the events of Halo 5: Guardians.
Although it didn’t go down as well with players as the original, it’s yet another piece of the story for the most dedicated of fans to dissect.
Halo Recruit (2017)
Halo has been at the cutting edge of gaming, and nowhere was this clearer than on October 17, 2017, with Halo Recruit.
A virtual reality experience released on PC, Recruit let fans take control of a UNSC soldier in a totally new way.
While this is more of a quirky experience than a full game, it’s one of the series ‘ most interesting moves.
Halo Infinite
After a six-year wait, 343 is set to drop the next installment in the Halo saga on Xbox Series X/S and Game Pass on December 8, 2021.
From what we’ve seen so far, the sequel will shake up the formula with a less linear approach to its campaign, while adopting a Battle Pass in its multiplayer.
It remains to be seen how Infinite is received among fans, but it’s safe to say it will be one of the biggest games of 2021.
That was every game in the Halo series listed in chronological order ahead of the release of Halo Infinite.
For more on Halo Infinite, check out the latest news on the game’s anti-cheat, as well as the best PC settings to make the most of it.
Image credits: Microsoft / Bungie / 343 Industries