Where to Start · Halo
Where to Start with Halo
Halo is Microsoft's sci-fi FPS franchise running since 2001 — the series that established Xbox as a platform, defined console first-person shooters, and produced one of gaming's most beloved protagonists in Master Chief. The franchise spans the original trilogy (Combat Evolved through Halo 3), the Bungie-era expansions (ODST and Reach), and the 343 Industries era (Halo 4, 5, and Infinite). The story builds continuously across games — the Covenant, the Flood, the Forerunners, and the fate of the galaxy are threads that run through every entry.
Play in release order for the full experience.
If you only play one Halo game
Play Halo: Combat Evolved. The original is where it all began — the ring-shaped Halo installation, the Covenant, the Flood emerging in the Library, and the ending that recontextualises the entire game. Combat Evolved's campaign is 10 hours of masterclass FPS design with a story that earns its finale. The Master Chief Collection on Xbox and PC includes all Halo games up to Halo 4 remastered — Combat Evolved Anniversary is the version to play.
The original trilogy
Halo: Combat Evolved → Halo 2 → Halo 3 is the essential Halo experience. CE introduces the world. Halo 2 expands it with the Arbiter's perspective and the political complexity of the Covenant. Halo 3 concludes the Covenant War in a finale that lands hardest if you've played the first two. All three are in the Master Chief Collection with remastered graphics (toggle between original and remastered at any point). The MCC is the definitive way to play the classic trilogy.
ODST and Reach
Halo 3: ODST (2009) is a quieter, noir-inflected side story following Orbital Drop Shock Troopers rather than Master Chief — you are weaker, more vulnerable, and the tone is deliberately different. Excellent and underrated. Halo: Reach (2010) is Bungie's farewell — a prequel following Noble Team during the fall of the planet Reach. It is the most emotionally resonant game in the franchise and among the best. Play it after Halo 3 for the full impact. Both are in the Master Chief Collection.
The 343 era
Halo 4 (2012) begins a new trilogy with Master Chief and Cortana's relationship as the emotional core. It is the most story-focused Halo and the best 343 entry. Halo 5: Guardians (2015) is the weakest mainline entry — fragmented storytelling and a focus on multiplayer over campaign. Halo Infinite (2021) course-corrected with an open world Zeta Halo and a return to Combat Evolved's tone — the campaign is excellent even if the live service elements had a difficult launch.
What platforms you need
Halo: The Master Chief Collection — Xbox One/Series/PC. Includes CE, 2, 3, ODST, Reach, and 4. All remastered. Available on Xbox Game Pass. Halo 5 — Xbox One/Series only, not on PC or MCC. Halo Infinite — Xbox One/Series/PC, on Game Pass.
Recommended order
Combat Evolved → Halo 2 → Halo 3 → ODST → Reach → Halo 4 → Halo Infinite. Skip Halo 5 or play it between 4 and Infinite for story continuity — the campaign is the weakest in the series but provides context for Infinite's opening.