Halo is a military science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. Central to the Halo series are the three first-person shooter video games Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2 and Halo 3; novelizations, soundtracks, and other media are also available. The story of the series is about the Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced human super-soldier and his artificial intelligence (AI) companion, Cortana, as the humans of a futuristic universe battle the Covenant, a theocratic alliance of alien races. The Halo series has inspired machinima productions, such as Red vs. Blue, and other fan fiction; however, this list only covers media produced or endorsed by series creator Bungie, or the intellectual property overseer Halo Studios.
The Halo video games have been highly successful and influential; the first game was labeled the killer application of Microsoft's Xbox and was credited with selling many consoles. Halo: Combat Evolved is also noted for its intuitive control scheme that has been used by many console first person shooters since. Halo 2 sold 2.4 million copies making US$125 million in the first 24 hours after its release beating the record for highest grossing entertainment release. Halo 3 grossed US$170 million on its first day, $45 million more than its predecessor. Halo 2 and Halo 3 are also the best selling titles of their respective consoles, the Xbox and the Xbox 360.
Games
Mainline games Game Release date Platforms Notes Halo: Combat Evolved November 15, 2001 Xbox Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows Mac OS X Significantly boosted sales of the Xbox and set first-person shooter standards Ported to Mac OS X and Windows XP with minor additions on September 30, 2003 Halo 2 November 9, 2004 Xbox Microsoft Windows Xbox One Broke sales record for first-day sales, with US$125 million Ported to Windows Vista on May 29, 2007 Halo 3 September 25, 2007 Completed the story arc begun in the first game Broke Halo 2s record for first-day sales record, with US$170 million, and broke record for first-week sales, with $300 million Halo 4 November 6, 2012 Beginning of the new "Halo" trilogy. First original Halo game by 343 Industries in place of Bungie. Halo 5: Guardians October 27, 2015 Xbox One Introduces new multiplayer mode "Warzone" Halo Infinite December 8, 2021 Microsoft Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X/S Multiplayer was released as free-to-play
Other games Game Release date Platforms Notes Halo Wars February 26, 2009 Xbox 360 Microsoft Windows Xbox One Real-time strategy game released on the Xbox 360 Takes place 20 years prior to Halo: Combat Evolved during the initial encounters with the Covenant. Halo 3: ODST September 22, 2009 Stand-alone expansion for Halo 3, takes place between Halo 2 and Halo 3 Does not feature the Master Chief as the main playable character but five Orbital Drop Shock Troopers instead Originally known as Halo 3: Recon Campaign on Disc 1, and all of Halo 3's Multiplayer on Disc 2. Halo: Reach September 14, 2010 Second prequel to the Halo games. Last Halo game developed by Bungie. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary November 15, 2011 High Definition remake of the first game, Halo: Combat Evolved. Remastered Campaign, 7 Multiplayer Map Remakes utilizing Halo: Reach. Halo: Spartan Assault July 18, 2013 Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Phone Xbox 360 Xbox One iOS Mobile twin-stick shooter game Originally exclusive to Windows 8 phones, tablets, and PCs. Later released on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Code-named Halo: Bootcamp prior to its announcement. Halo: The Master Chief Collection November 11, 2014 Xbox One Microsoft Windows Compilation of remastered versions of Halo 1 Remake, Halo 2, Halo 3 & ODST, Halo 4 and Halo: Reach The release also ships with access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta. Halo: Spartan Strike April 16, 2015 Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Phone iOS Mobile twin-stick shooter game Halo Wars 2 February 21, 2017 Microsoft Windows Xbox One Sequel to 2009's Halo Wars Announced at GamesCom 2015 Halo: Fireteam Raven July 2018 Arcade cabinet Set in the timeframe of Halo: Combat Evolved The game was initially released as an exclusive to Dave & Buster's in North America. Halo: Campaign Evolved July 28, 2026 Microsoft Windows Xbox Series X/S PlayStation 5 Remake of the story mode of Halo: Combat Evolved
Related games Game Release date Media type Six cryptic emails supposedly sent by Cortana, although they are not canon I Love Bees Mid 2004 Alternate reality game Players were linked to a beekeeping website that appears to have been taken over by an artificial intelligence. Game ended with invites to play Halo 2 before its release. IrisJune 11 – August 17, 2007 Alternate reality game Five web servers containing various media files related to the Halo universe Halo ActionClix September 18, 2007 Collectible miniatures game A table-top miniatures game featuring figures and vehicles for the video games. Halo Interactive Strategy Game Late 2008 Modular board game Table-top strategy board game based on the gameplay of the Halo games. Halo Recruit October 17, 2017 Mixed reality Introduction to the world of Halo and some of its most iconic characters and weapons. Players assume the role of an unnamed United Nations Space Command recruit, who is put through a virtual reality shooting simulation against Covenant remnant targets. Halo: Flashpoint November 2024 Tabletop miniatures game Halo: Flashpoint is a tactical tabletop miniatures game from UK publisher Mantic Games.
Soundtracks Title Release date Length Label Halo Original Soundtrack June 11, 2002 65:08 Sumthing Else Music Works Awarded best Original Soundtrack by Rolling Stone Halo 2 Original Soundtrack: Volume One November 9, 2004 69:20 Sumthing Else Music Works Includes tracks from various artists including Incubus and Breaking Benjamin Halo 2 Original Soundtrack: Volume Two April 25, 2006 68:48 Sumthing Else Music Works Suite structure to reflect different levels of the game. Halo 3 Original Soundtrack November 20, 2007 118:36 Sumthing Else Music Works Tracks are arranged by time of appearance in the game Halo Trilogy – The Complete Original Soundtracks December 2, 2008 321:58 Sumthing Else Music Works All soundtracks from the Halo trilogy (excluding Halo 2 OST: Volume One) appear here as well as four tracks from Halo Wars Halo Wars Original Soundtrack February 17, 2009 53:57 Sumthing Else Music Works Music composed by Stephen Rippy; first Halo game to not be scored by Martin O'Donnell; elements of O'Donnell's score still appear Halo 3: ODST Original Soundtrack September 22, 2009 114:50 Sumthing Else Music Works Music composed by Bungie's audio director Martin O'Donnell and his colleague Michael Salvatori. Halo Legends: Original Soundtrack February 9, 2010 57:04 Sumthing Else Music Works Music composed by Tetsuya Takahashi and Yasuharu Takanashi. Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack September 28, 2010 107:24 Sumthing Else Music Works Last Halo soundtrack to be composed by Bungie's audio director Martin O'Donnell and his colleague Michael Salvatori. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Original Soundtrack November 15, 2011 83:43 Sumthing Else Music Works Live orchestra recordings arranged by Paul Lipson, Lennie Moore, Tom Salta, and Brian Trifon Halo 4 Original Soundtrack October 19, 2012 77:23 7Hz Productions Ltd Music composed by Neil Davidge Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Original Soundtrack July 10, 2013 58:02 343 Industries Music composed by Nathan Lanier Halo: Spartan Assault Original Soundtrack July 18, 2013 49:17 Microsoft Studios Music Music composed by Tom Salta. Halo 4: Original Soundtrack, Vol. 2 January 1, 2014 81:26 7 Hz Productions Music composed by Neil Davidge & Kazuma Jinnouchi. Halo 2 Anniversary Original Soundtrack November 10, 2014 87:04 Microsoft Studios Music Music arranged by Paul Lipson, Lennie Moore, Tom Salta, Brian Trifon, Brian Lee White. Halo: Spartan Strike Original Soundtrack April 16, 2015 67:34 Microsoft Studios Music Music composed by Tom Salta. Halo 5: Guardians Original Soundtrack November 13, 2015 132:48 Microsoft Studios Music Music composed by Kazuma Jinnouchi. Halo: The Fall of Reach Original Soundtrack December 4, 2015 64:51 Microsoft Studios Music Music composed by Tom Salta. Halo Infinite Original Soundtrack December 8, 2021 146:06 Skill Tree Records Music composed by Gareth Coker, Curtis Schweitzer, and Joel Corelitz. Halo Infinite Multiplayer: A New Generation Original Soundtrack December 8, 2021 43:58 Skill Tree Records Music composed by Alex Bhore, Eternal Time & Space, and Joel Corelitz.
Printed media
Novels Title Release date ISBN Media type Halo: The Fall of Reach October 30, 2001 Novelization Prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Reissued in 2010 and 2011 in a Definitive Edition Publishers Weekly Bestseller Halo: The Flood April 1, 2003 Novelization Novelization of Halo: Combat Evolved, Reissued in 2010 Publishers Weekly Bestseller Halo: First Strike December 2, 2003 Novelization Story set between Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, starting right after the events of Halo: The Flood and leading to the beginning of Halo 2, Reissued in 2010. The New York Times bestseller. Halo: Ghosts of Onyx October 31, 2006 Novelization Side story of the SPARTAN-III Project and their training on the world of Onyx set around the same time as the end of Halo 2. The New York Times international bestseller. Halo: Contact Harvest October 30, 2007 Novelization Story set around the first encounter between the Humans and the Covenant told from both sides' points-of-view. The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today bestseller. Halo: The Cole Protocol November 25, 2008 Novelization Follows the story of a group of Spartans, "Gray Team", too isolated to take part in the events of other publications The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today best seller (trade paperback) Halo: Evolutions – Essential Tales of the Halo Universe November 24, 2009 Collection of short stories A collection of short stories from the Halo Universe which includes original material by Eric Nylund, Tobias S. Buckell, Karen Traviss and contributions from 343 Industries. Halo: Cryptum January 4, 2011 Novelization Authored by science fiction author Greg Bear. Set in the universe of the Forerunners, 100,000 years before the events of the Halo story. The first book of The Forerunner Trilogy. Halo: Glasslands October 25, 2011 Novelization The first Karen Traviss Halo novel. The first of a Post-Halo 3 'Kilo-Five Trilogy' centered on the Office of Naval Intelligence and some ODSTs. Halo: Primordium January 3, 2012 Novelization Authored by science fiction author Greg Bear. Set in the universe of the Forerunners, 100,000 years before the events of the Halo story. The second novel of The Forerunner Trilogy. Halo: The Thursday War October 2, 2012 Novelization Second novel in the Kilo-Five Trilogy by Karen Traviss. Halo: Silentium March 19, 2013 Novelization Authored by science fiction author Greg Bear. Set in the universe of the Forerunners, 100,000 years before the events of the Halo story. The third and final novel of The Forerunner Trilogy. Halo: Mortal Dictata January 21, 2014 Novelization Final novel in the Kilo-Five Trilogy by Karen Traviss. Halo: Broken Circle November 4, 2014 Novelization Novel that covers some of the Prophet & Elite War, just under 900 years before the Halo event. By John Shirley Halo: New Blood March 2, 2015 Novelization Digital-first short novel. By Matt Forbeck. Halo: Hunters in the Dark June 16, 2015 Novelization Set in 2555, more than two years after the Master Chief went missing-in-action. Humans and Elites must attempt to overcome their differences as they embark on a covert mission back to the Ark. By Peter David. Halo: Saint's Testimony July 27, 2015 Novelization A digital single