If you want every Halo game in order the short answer is this: play them in release order — Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite — because that is the order the story was written to be revealed in. Chronological order is different, and starting with Halo Wars or Reach spoils reveals that Combat Evolved and Halo 2 are built around. Below you will find both sequences, what each entry actually is, and where a newcomer should begin in 2026.
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| Game | Platform | Genre | Why It’s Great | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary | Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Sci-Fi FPS | The sandbox that redefined console shooters; toggle between 2001 and 2011 visuals | 9.4/10 |
| Halo 2: Anniversary | Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Sci-Fi FPS | Dual-wielding, the Arbiter, and remastered cutscenes by Blur Studio | 9.3/10 |
| Halo 3 | Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Sci-Fi FPS | Equipment, Forge and Theater; the most complete original-trilogy package | 9.5/10 |
| Halo 3: ODST | Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Sci-Fi FPS | A quieter, noir-flavoured campaign where you play an ordinary marine | 8.7/10 |
| Halo: Reach | Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Sci-Fi FPS | Bungie’s farewell and the series’ best-paced campaign, with armour abilities | 9.3/10 |
| Halo 4 | Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Sci-Fi FPS | 343’s debut, focused tightly on the Chief and Cortana’s relationship | 8.7/10 |
| Halo 5: Guardians | Xbox One, Xbox Series | Sci-Fi FPS | The best-feeling movement and multiplayer of the 343 era; weakest story | 8.2/10 |
| Halo Infinite | Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC | Open-World Sci-Fi FPS | Grappleshot traversal on Zeta Halo, plus free-to-play multiplayer | 8.7/10 |
Every Halo Game in Order of Release
This is the recommended path for a first playthrough. Reveals land as intended, and the mechanical evolution feels natural rather than regressive.
1. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001, Xbox) — Master Chief crash-lands on a ringworld and discovers the Flood. The two-weapon limit, recharging shields and drivable Warthog defined the genre.
2. Halo 2 (2004, Xbox) — Introduces dual-wielding and the Arbiter, splitting the campaign between human and Covenant perspectives, and ends on the series’ most notorious cliffhanger.
3. Halo Wars (2009, Xbox 360) — A real-time strategy prequel from Ensemble Studios set twenty-one years earlier aboard the Spirit of Fire. Optional, and best played after the trilogy.
4. Halo 3 (2007, Xbox 360) — Resolves the trilogy, adds equipment, and shipped Forge and Theater, which shaped a decade of community content.
5. Halo 3: ODST (2009) — A standalone campaign set in occupied New Mombasa, played as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper with no shields and no Spartan strength.
6. Halo: Reach (2010) — A prequel about Noble Team’s last stand. Bungie’s final Halo, and widely regarded as its finest campaign.
7. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011) — A remaster of the first game with switchable graphics.
8. Halo 4 (2012) — 343 Industries takes over, introducing the Prometheans and the Didact.
9. Halo: Spartan Assault (2013) and Halo: Spartan Strike (2015) — Top-down twin-stick side games, minor but canonical.
10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014) — The compilation, discussed below.
11. Halo 5: Guardians (2015) — Splits play between Locke’s Fireteam Osiris and Blue Team.
12. Halo Wars 2 (2017) — RTS sequel introducing the Banished and Atriox.
13. Halo Infinite (2021) — A semi-open-world return to form on Zeta Halo, with free-to-play multiplayer.
Every Halo Game in Order of Story Chronology
Halo Wars (2531) comes first by a wide margin. Then Halo: Reach (August 2552), Halo: Combat Evolved (September 2552), Halo 2 (October–November 2552), Halo 3: ODST (which overlaps the back half of Halo 2), Halo 3 (late 2552 into 2553), Halo: Spartan Assault (2554), Halo 4 (2557), Halo: Spartan Strike and Halo 5: Guardians (2558), Halo Wars 2 (2559), and finally Halo Infinite (2560 onward).
The reason chronological order is a trap: Reach’s ending is only devastating if you already know what the Pillar of Autumn finds, and ODST’s structure assumes you understand the events happening above New Mombasa.
What the Master Chief Collection Includes
The Master Chief Collection is the practical way to play most of the series on one purchase. It contains Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4 and Halo: Reach, with all campaigns, multiplayer and Forge. It runs on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC, and it is available through Game Pass.
What it does not include is Halo 5: Guardians, which remains an Xbox-only exclusive and has never been ported to PC, and Halo Infinite, which is sold separately. The two Halo Wars games are also separate purchases.
Where a Newcomer Should Actually Start
Buy or subscribe to the Master Chief Collection and start Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on Heroic difficulty. Heroic is the difficulty Halo’s sandbox is tuned around — Normal makes enemy shields trivial and Legendary punishes players who have not yet learned grenade timing. Play the Anniversary campaign, then Halo 2, then Halo 3, and only then decide whether you want ODST and Reach before continuing into Halo 4.
If you would rather sample the series first, Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free, which makes it a zero-cost way to find out whether the movement and gunplay click for you.
Co-op, Difficulty and Skulls
Every mainline Halo campaign supports co-operative play, and Halo has always been designed around it — the Master Chief Collection supports up to four players in Halo 3, ODST and Halo 4 campaigns. Skulls are hidden modifiers scattered through levels that change enemy behaviour or add scoring multipliers, and hunting them is the traditional replay incentive alongside Legendary difficulty runs.
Hardware Notes for a Halo Marathon
Halo’s sound design carries genuine competitive information: Elite shield pops, grenade bounces and cloaked Stealth Sword Elites are all audio cues first. Our best gaming headsets under $100 roundup covers the sensible end of that upgrade. Aiming preference splits hard between pad and mouse, and PC players moving from console will want our best gaming mice buying guide before starting a Legendary run.
Console players should read our best gaming controllers buying guide, since trigger wear shows up quickly across six campaigns. High-refresh displays make Infinite’s movement noticeably crisper — see our best gaming monitors for console play guide and our best 4K TVs for gaming guide. The collection is a large install, so our best external SSDs for consoles guide is worth checking before you download all six games.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I play every Halo game in order of release or chronology?
Release order is strongly recommended for a first playthrough, because the series was written to reveal information in that sequence. Chronological order places Halo: Reach before Combat Evolved, which spoils major plot elements and robs Reach’s ending of its impact. Save the chronological run for a second time through.
Which Halo games are included in the Master Chief Collection?
It includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4 and Halo: Reach, with full campaigns, multiplayer suites and Forge where applicable. Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite, Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 are all sold separately and are not part of the collection.
Are the Halo Wars games required to understand the story?
No, both Halo Wars games are optional side stories rather than mainline entries. They are real-time strategy games following the crew of the Spirit of Fire, and Halo Wars 2 does introduce Atriox and the Banished, who matter to Halo Infinite, so playing it adds useful context without being essential.
What difficulty should I use for my first Halo playthrough?
Heroic is the standard recommendation, because Halo’s enemy sandbox and weapon balance were tuned around it. Normal reduces Covenant shields and aggression enough that the combat loop never fully reveals itself, while Legendary assumes fluency with grenade timing, weapon swapping and vehicle use that newcomers have not built yet.
