Halo Games in Order: Every Release and the Story Timeline

Summary: The Halo series spans more than 15 games, from Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001 to Halo: Campaign Evolved, the 2026 remake of the first campaign that also launched on PS5. The main story runs from Halo: Reach through Halo 5 and Halo Infinite. For most players, The Master Chief Collection or Campaign Evolved is the best place to start.

• The main series covers Halo: Combat Evolved through Halo Infinite, plus spin-offs.
• Halo: Campaign Evolved, released July 28, 2026, is the first mainline Halo on PlayStation.
• In story order, Halo Wars and Halo: Reach come before the original trilogy.
• The Master Chief Collection bundles six games in one package.

Halo launched with the original Xbox in 2001 and has been Microsoft's flagship series ever since. With the Combat Evolved remake now on PlayStation as well as Xbox and PC, more players than ever are asking where to start.

How Many Halo Games Are There?

There are six numbered mainline Halo games, from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo Infinite, plus Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach, which most fans treat as part of the main series. Add the two Halo Wars strategy games, top-down shooters like Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike, and the remakes and collections, and the total passes 15.

Halo Games in Release Order

• Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
• Halo 2 (2004)
• Halo 3 (2007)
• Halo Wars (2009)
• Halo 3: ODST (2009)
• Halo: Reach (2010)
• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011)
• Halo 4 (2012)
• Halo: Spartan Assault (2013)
• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014)
• Halo 5: Guardians (2015)
• Halo: Spartan Strike (2015)
• Halo Wars 2 (2017)
• Halo Infinite (2021)
• Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026)

Bungie made the games up to Halo: Reach. After that, 343 Industries, renamed Halo Studios in 2024, took over, and Campaign Evolved was its first game built in Unreal Engine 5.

Halo Games in Chronological Order

• Halo Wars, set about 20 years before the first game.
• Halo: Reach, the fall of the planet Reach, just before Combat Evolved.
• Halo: Combat Evolved, or its remakes, Anniversary and Campaign Evolved.
• Halo 2
• Halo 3: ODST, set during the events of Halo 2.
• Halo 3
• Halo: Spartan Assault
• Halo 4
• Halo: Spartan Strike
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo Wars 2
• Halo Infinite

Halo Wars 2 and Halo Infinite are closely linked, so play Halo Wars 2 first if you want the full context for Infinite's story.

Best Halo Games Ranked

• Halo 3: the high point of the original trilogy, with a strong campaign and co-op.
• Halo: Reach: a darker prequel that many fans rank as the best campaign in the series.
• Halo 2: the story that expanded the universe and set the template for online console shooters.
• Halo: Combat Evolved: the original, now best played through Campaign Evolved or Anniversary.
• Halo Infinite: an open-ended campaign and a free-to-play multiplayer mode that is still running.

Where to Start

On Xbox or PC, The Master Chief Collection is the best value. It bundles Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST, Reach and Halo 4 with updated visuals. On PS5, start with Halo: Campaign Evolved, which rebuilds the first game with three new missions, two-player split-screen co-op on console, and four-player online co-op with crossplay.

Following the Chief From Here

Play the Master Chief Collection in release order for the classic experience, or follow the chronological list if you care most about the story. After Campaign Evolved, Xbox said Activision would produce future Halo games, so the series' next chapter is still to be revealed.

For Xbox store credit or Game Pass, browse Xbox gift cards.