Halo is an online gaming franchise of American origin from Xbox game studios; it is a sci-fi military media franchise. It is formed and operated by 343 Industries. Halo was initially created by Bungie.
The franchise mainly revolves around the characters Master Chief John-117 and his companion Cortana and a supersoldiers group named Spartan. Halo games are centered around the fight between humanity and a set of interstellar aliens known as the Covenant.
This franchise is a complicated one to keep a trace of, as it comprises dozens of magazines, comics, and films that complement the game. Halo first released its game in 2001, which included many gameplay and themes common to the whole trilogy.
Setting all Halo games in the sequence is the only way of making certain that one does not skip a single track. Therefore, It’s also worth remarking that with the awaited announcement of Halo Infinite, one might want to dust up their Halo skills. Below are the details of the halo games in order.
Halo Games In Order To Play
1. Halo Combat Evolved ( 2001)
Halo Combat Evolved is an FPS (first-person shooter) game, published by Microsoft’s Xbox video game on November 15, 2001. It is the first among the halo games in order. In this game, the players can experience gameplay in a 3D environment.
The game’s content and quality are astounding enough for the players to play such a set of games for years to come. The convenience of a split-screen had set the sport much more ahead than other games and made it the go-to game when engaging with friends.
This game considerably upgraded Xbox console sales. It was designed as a real-time strategy game.
2. Halo 2 ( 2004)
Halo2 was created in 2004 and is the franchise’s second series. Initially made for Xbox, the game evolved for Windows in a short period of time. After the success of the Halo Combat Evolved 2001, the hype girdling the second sequel was immense.
Hence it led to record-breaking sales. Halo 2 highlighted an ambitious multiplayer style and an improbable storyline that kept players adhered to the game. It held the same stories as the 1st series.
In this edition, the fight against the Covenant is carried out by the Master chief and the elite of the Covenant. The multi-viewpoint of the game adds a new prospect to the game.
Most gamers love the Halo 2004 sequence and tend to play until the servers could allow them. It is the second among the halo games in order.
3. Halo 3 ( 2007)
After the success of Halo Combat Evolved and Halo 2, the release of Halo 3 is the next available Halo games in order of release. Halo 3 was a deliberately anticipated progress for the publishers to release Xbox 360 for their gamers.
In a short time, it became the all-time highest earner for Xbox 360. Halo 3 set immense focus on the game’s most coveted feature, the multiplayer feature. It scored a ranking system and refreshed the map packs.
This feature attracted more gamers to take part in the game and buy an Xbox 360. The game was first made for Xbox 360, but later Xbox one and windows also released the game.
The game strategy is the same as the first two Halo with an added twist of the Flood. In this game, the gamers are required to hinder the ark development and activation of the ring.
It overthrew earning records set by Halo2 and raked more than $170 mil the opening day of sale. It also supported the single-player option with the best tweaks. Initially released for Xbox360, it later promulgated to Xbox One and windows within the collection of Master chief.
4. Halo Wars ( 2009)
After the success of Halo 3, the Halo wars 2009 sequel was an experimental release as the story of this game entirely deviates from the first three series.
Instead, the story of the game is set two decades before Halo: Combat Evolved, incorporating some of the initial rendezvous humanity owned with the Covenant.
In addition, this time the game was not a first-person shooter game; instead, it was an RTS or real-time strategy game. Here the players could not only control the Master chief, but they were able to control the entire army, which made the game more interesting.
After the game had a huge success on Xbox 360, Halo Wars was also released on Xbox One and Windows as Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
5. September Halo 3: ODST (2009)
After the publication of Halo Wars, Halo 3: ODST was designed the same as fps, but here the main characters are the human beings known as ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers).
The game uses a health point on the heads-up display and also has a stamina score instead of the shield system. In multiplayer mode, 3 players can play the game.
In addition, the game has added more armaments, such as spiker, spike weapon, and inflammatory grenade with sentinel beam. Finally, a new Firefight mode is added where players can play solo or cooperatively to endure several enemies within the time limit.
In addition, the game also has an improved version in its resonance and sound, and the graphics are way better than the previous Halo games. The game’s only drawback was the high cost, but it was still titled the third-best Xbox game among the previous halo games in order.
6. Halo Reach (2010)
Halo Reach is the 6th in the series of halo games in order and is perceived as the masterpiece in the Halo series. It was initially developed for Xbox 360 in the year 2010 for the Bungie games.
For Halo fans, it was an emotional goodbye for Bungie and the dread of what comes next. Halo Reach is the spin-off of the first Halo games trilogy and starts in 2552.
After the release of the game, nearly 3 million games were sold within a span of three months, making it a big player in the franchise. The game is mainly in the first-person mode, but it turns into a third-person mode due to the use of some weapons.
It can support both the multiplayer and the single-player mode while in the campaign-style of the initial games. In addition, the game has a new weapon named DMR, which is similar to a sniper rifle and a target locator that can target its enemy and attack them from space.
After its release, it collected many accolades, such as the best multiplayer games, the game of the year, among others.
7. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011)
After 10 years of the first release, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary was announced in November 2011. The game was a revised genre of the first Halo: Combat Evolved. It has the same game plot, but the excellent graphics bring out a new adventure.
In the previous version, the Halo graphics were colorless, but the new one was charged with plasma, which gives a real vibe to the game. The 343 Industries are the new developers of the Halo 2011: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
The sound effects were remastered; the game also capped some of the glitches from the previous versions and introduced a multiplayer feature. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary introduced a new enemy to the game, known as Promethean Knights.
The player crosses the dirge playing through the eyes of Chief and Cortana. Cortana encounters declining mental health and thinks herself into AI death.
Besides being published on the Xbox 360, the Halo 2011: Combat Evolved Anniversary was also made available for Xbox One and Windows as the Master Chief Collection.
8. Halo 4 ( 2012)
Halo 4 development began in 2009 but was originally designed for Windows and Xbox 360 on November 6, 2012. A unique write-up was made on this game, leaving its fans drooping and inept of relating to prior releases.
Some fan groups consider the Halo 4 games with the Master chief collection a better experience. Halo 4 also introduces new weapons, such as Forerunner, SAW, Boltshot, Scattershot, Railgun, etc. The sniper was also upgraded with better sound effects.
Then there is the sticky detonator, which fires a sticky bomb that can be shot from a range. These weapons proffered a different flavor to Halo 4 and were better than the previous halo games in order.
9. Halo: Spartan Assault (2013)
Developed by Vanguard Game and 343 industries, the Halo Spartan Assault was issued on July 18, 2013. It is the first game where Halo moved towards a twin-stick shooter from the 1st person shooting style.
Therefore, the player encounters the game from a bird’s eye view. The Spartan Assault is similar to Halo wars but has a different meaning. The game’s control is dependent on the devices on which the game is being played.
Unlike the previous Halo games in order of releases, the players will experience fancy weapons and vehicles in Spartan Assault. In addition, the game is segmented into several missions, where the players will gain points in each step.
The game can also operate vehicles and defences from the main category. This time, Sarah Palmer’s story is reflected in the game. The story set is Draetheus V, the player’s planet is under attack from rogue Covenant. The player is required to resist the enemies and help the human forces to escape as soon as possible.
10. Halo: Spartan Strike (2015)
Halo Spartan Strike was developed by vanguard games and 343 Industries and released on April 16 2015, for both windows and IOS platforms. Halo Spartan Strike is the same as the Halo: Spartan Assault game.
The game has fancy weapons such as Scatter Shot, Suppressor, Incineration Cannon, etc. The game’s main aim is to prevent Coveneats from taking a Channel from which they can reinforce the Gamma Halo. A console version was anticipated by fans, but it never came.
The story is set in the outcome of Halo 4, where a Spartan-IV soldier escorts UNSC forces against the Covenant attack simulation, and the breakout schism of Promethean enemies and the Covenant is also encountered. Overall, this was the least impactful Halo release to date.
11. Halo 5 – Guardians (2015)
Developed by 343 industries, Halo Guardians was initially released in October 2015 and is a significant success. The game is played in the first-person mode, but it transmutes into a third-person mode when vehicles are used or there is some sort of divulgence.
The game has no multiplayer interaction and split-screen option. It has been updated to 20 maps. In this event, Dr Halsey was locked on a planet ruled by the Covenant, and a Fireteam Osiris was stationed on a rescue mission.
Master Chief returns in the campaign and frames a solid effort to protect a research station for ONI. There were circumstantial abilities introduced into the game along with the previous abilities. It was one of the most graphics-oriented games as it could be played at 60 frames per second.
12. Halo Wars 2 (2017)
Halo Wars 2 was released on October 27 2017, by two developers, 343 Industries and Creative Assembly. The game was available for Windows as well as Xbox One.
Similar to Halo wars(2009), this game also employs real-time strategies and a top-down illustration but is an improved version of its predecessor. The striking and shielding factors are listed as units in the game.
In addition, every unit has its weakness and strength, making the game even more exciting and better than the previous ones. Therefore the overall match depends on the player’s skills, tactics, and expertise in the game.
13. Halo Infinite (2021)
Halo Infinite is the last of the Halo fps games, developed by 343 Industries. The game will be published in Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox Game Studios for Windows.
Being the sixth in the list of main Halo games in order of release, this game follows the storyline of Master chief, like Guardians. Initially, Infinite was scheduled to release in November 2020, but it got pushed to a 2021 release due to some issues.
Highlighting some of the changes, the Development Manager of Halo Infinite, Mr. Ani Shastry, stated that: Halo Infinite will have a better quality of graphics, global lighting, volumetric light, sky, environment, and a whole new level of weapons.
Summing up
Halo games have provided great excitement for people all around the globe for a period of two decades. In its sequence of highly engaging games, it has grown into a giant of a business.
In this vein, Halo Infinite is the last of the standalone titles in Halo games in order of release. 343 Industries have taken a different approach, and the developing teams are moving away from standalone titles and eventually would like to stop working on them.
Nonetheless, Halo Infinite will be an opening platform for the launch of forthcoming Halo events. However, the halo fans will not get discouraged as the game will be published on Xbox Series S and X. Therefore, the game is set to connect the generational console gap.
It is also expected to sport a free to play version, attracting newer players in the process. Thus, we can say that the end of the road is nowhere near for Halo games; with new and immersive games experiences, there are miles to go before they sleep.
