There are very few franchises that have successfully been running for over a decade, and Bungie’sHalo—which has been in the hands of 343 Industries for several years now—is fast approaching its twentieth anniversary this November. There are currently twelve installments in theHalofranchise, andHalo Infiniteis going to be the thirteenth, likely releasing this Holiday season or even on the saga’s anniversary. Regardless, not all of the games are in chronological order, meaning they were released at different times, and the story takes place in various moments within theHalotimelineof events.
Some of these games don’t even take place in a single moment in time, making it far more difficult to make the timeline clear, with the perfect example of this beingHalo: Spartan Strike, which is set duringHalo 2in the first part and afterHalo 4in the second. Having a good grasp of the chronological order of these games makes it much easier to replay them accordingly beforeHalo Infinitedrops, thus being ready to experience the story at its fullest.
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Halo Wars
Halo Warsis a different take onHalogamesbecause it belongs to the real-time strategy genre. The game was released in 2009, and it is set in the year 2531, 21 years prior to the events ofHalo: Combat Evolved, thus making it the very first game in chronological order for this franchise.
Halo: Reach
Halo: Reachwas released in 2010 and is the fifth installment in the series, but it’s set right before the events of the very firstHalogame, making it a prequel. The game included several improvements to its predecessors in terms of gameplay, and its storyline was much darker because it was always meant to be a take on a losing fight. Its epilogue happens merely moments before the narrative ofHalo: Combat Evolvedbegins.
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolveddid exactly what it said on the tin when it first launched, as it offered a unique experience for its time, thus starting the whole saga with its success. It is set in 2552, and it introduced the Halo ringworld and the parasitic Flood, which is meant to be contained and studied within the Halo Arrays.
Halo: Fireteam Raven
Halo: Fireteam Ravenis yet another different genre from theHaloseries, as it is an arcade shooting game. It was released in 2018 and its iconic armor sets ended up being part of Season 6 for theHalo: Master Chief Collection.Halo: Fireteam Ravenis set in 2552, during the events ofHalo: Combat Evolved.
Halo 2
Initially,Halowasn’t meant to become a trilogy, but Bungie eventually released a second game after the huge success of the first.Halo 2is set in the same year as the first, and it reprises the story ofHalo: Combat Evolved. It was another success for Bungie, selling over 8 million copies, and it got further multiplayer support after its release.
Halo 3: ODST
Halo 3: ODSTwas meant to be a smaller project, and it was the fourth installment in the series, but chronologically it is set during the events ofHalo 2and soon after that. The game follows the story of the ODSTs, who are more basic soldiers, unlike Master Chief. Considering the game is played from the perspective of the ODSTs, it focuses more on the aftermath of the events ofHalo 2rather than what happens next.
Halo 3
Just like its predecessors,Halo 3concludes the original trilogy as planned by Bungie, and it is set once again in 2552, after the events ofHalo 2. The game was designed to up the stakes, and lots of characters ended up dying, making the story much more dramatic than the other titles in the series.
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Halo: Spartan Assault
Developed by 343 Industries,Halo: Spartan Assaultis a twin-stick shooter game, and it is set between the events ofHalo 3andHalo 4. Players get to control Sarah Palmer, a major character of the Reclaimer saga that appears inHalo 4andHalo 5: Guardians. The game was also released on mobile, and despite its mixed reviews on launch, it still got a sequel.
Halo 4
Released in 2012 as 343 Industries' first originalHalogame,Halo 4is set in 2557 and it explores the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. The game also makes an effort to delve deeper into the lore behind the Forerunners, one of the factions within theHalouniverse, with a focus on the Librarian.
Halo: Spartan Strike
As mentioned above,Halo: Spartan Strikeis technically set in two different time periods. If trying to replay the full saga, it would be beneficial to play the first part ofHalo: Spartan StrikeafterHalo 2and come back to part two after finishingHalo 4. The second part of the game is set in 2557 and 2558.
Halo 5: Guardians
Halo 5: Guardiansis set in 2558, eight months after the events ofHalo 4, and it also features two protagonists: Spartan Locke and Master Chief. The former is trying to hunt down the latter, who went rogue to find Cortana, who is finally revealed to be an antagonist in the game and sets the events up forHalo Infinite.
Halo Wars 2
A sequel toHalo Wars,Halo Wars 2is set in 2559, after 28 years since the events of the previous game and shortly after what happens inHalo 5:Guardians. The game follows the crew of the Spirit of Fire from the firstHalo Wars, and the story revolves around a Forerunner installation called the Ark, capable of creating more Halo rings.
Halo Infinite
Lastly,Halo Infiniteis going to be set in 2560, and it will take place after bothHalo Wars 2andHalo 5. Master Chief will fight alongside a new AI, likely setting up a confrontation with Cortana after what happened inHalo 5. Unfortunately,Halo Infinitespoilersare currently all over the internet due to 343 Industries accidentally sharing campaign files during their technical preview build.
Halo Infiniteis set to launch in the Holiday season of 2021 on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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