All Halo Games in Order

With over a dozen video games in the series, putting all Halo games in order can be challenging. Although the first Halo games were all orderly numbered, later prequels, spin-offs, and even mobile and arcade games made the timeline of the Halo games no longer crystal clear. To help you out, we’ve compiled the definitive list of all Halo games, both in order of release and in chronological order of the story.

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All Halo Games in Order of Release

1. Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
2. Halo 2 (2004) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
3. Halo 3 (2007) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
4. Halo Wars (2009) – Currently available as Halo Wars: Definitive Edition on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
5. Halo 3: ODST (2009) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
6. Halo Reach (2010) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
7. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
8. Halo 4 (2012) – Currently available as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
9. Halo: Spartan Assault (2013) – Currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
10. Halo: The Master Chief Collection (including Halo 2: Anniversary) – Currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
11. Halo: Spartan Strike (2015) – Currently available on pc. Included with Game Pass.
12. Halo 5: Guardians (2015) – Currently available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Included with Game Pass.
13. Halo Wars 2 (2017) – Currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
14. Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare (2017) – Currently available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.
15. Halo Recruit (2017) – Currently available on pc (for Mixed Reality headsets)
16. Halo: Fireteam Raven (2018) – Currently only available in selected video arcades. 
17. Halo Infinite (2021) – Available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. Included with Game Pass.

All Halo Games in Chronological Order

Although the main games (featuring Master Chief) always moved forward in time, the other games take place at entirely different moments in the Halo Timeline. If you like to experience the Halo games in order of the story, we’ve got your back as well. Here are all Halo Games in chronological order:

1. Halo Wars
2. Halo Reach
3. Halo: Combat Evolved (or Anniversary)
4. Halo: Fireteam Raven (takes place during the events of Combat Evolved)
5. Halo 2 (or Anniversary)
6. Halo 3: ODST (takes place during the events of Halo 2)
7. Halo: Spartan Strike
8. Halo 3
9. Halo: Spartan Assault
10. Halo 4
11. Halo: Spartan Strike (with simulations taking place during the events of Halo 2)
12. Halo: Spartan Ops (part of Halo 4)
13. Halo 5: Guardians
14. Halo Wars 2
15. Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare
16. Halo Infinite

As Halo Recruit is only a Mixed Reality Experience without story content, it does not fit in the chronological order of the games.

For a complete overview of Halo’s chronological order, head over to our Halo Timeline, including every game, movie, book, and comic.

Our Recommended Order of Halo games

If you’d like to (re)play all Halo games, you’ll have a big decision to make: Will you play the Halo campaign in the original order of release, or in chronological order of story? Our recommended order to play the Halo games is:

1. Halo: Combat Evolved
2. Halo 2
3. Halo 3
4. Halo 3: ODST
5. Halo Reach
6. Halo 4
7. Halo 5: Guardians
8. Halo Wars
9. Halo Wars 2
10. Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare
11. Halo Infinite

We’ve got a few reasons why we recommend this order. First, it’s obvious to just play the original Halo trilogy in order of the story. Not just because they are direct sequels to each other, but also because you’ll see the technology evolve nicely with each new installment.

Some might suggest playing Halo Reach first as it is the first one in the timeline of Halo games, but there’s quite a gap in graphics, controls, and even stuff like weapons and enemies between Halo Reach and Halo: Combat Evolved. It makes it harder to appreciate Halo: Combat Evolved for what it is. And also, if you haven’t played Halo: Combat Evolved, the story of Reach won’t hit you the way it was meant to.

Yet ODST and Reach are probably two of the most compelling stories in the entire series, so we definitely recommend playing those after you’ve finished the fight with Master Chief. They also tie in nicely to the original trilogy, so it makes sense to play ODST and Reach right after Halo 3.

After that, Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians will continue the story of Master Chief, bringing you entirely up to speed for Halo Infinite. If you have some spare time – and are in for a strategy game or two – be sure to check out Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2.

They offer an entirely new story in the universe that is not directly connected to the first-person shooters. Or not yet connected, as Halo Wars 2 will introduce you to The Banished, the main enemy in Halo Infinite! The expansion Awakening the Nightmare lets you even play as The Banished.

We leave top-down shooters Spartan Assault, and Spartan Strike out of our recommended playthrough order. Although both games are pretty fun to play, they do not add any significant events to the canon. You might want to check them once, but they are not worth replaying as part of your Halo marathon.

We also leave out Fireteam Raven, as it can be hard to find it in an arcade near you, and it should not stop you from playing all the other games in the Halo timeline.

Alternative Recommended Order of Halo games – The Great Journey

If you want to mix things up a little, just because you’ve already played every Halo game over and over again, here’s a fun new way to explore the universe. It’s what we like to call ‘The Great Journey’. It’s the true chronological order for all shooters and goes like this:

• Halo Reach
• Halo: Combat Evolved
• Halo 2 – up to and including the mission Metropolis
• Halo 3: ODST
• Halo 2 – Everything after Metropolis
• Halo 3
• Halo 4
• Halo 5: Guardians
• Halo Infinite

In this order, these games tie in each other seamlessly. It’s might be a little confusing to play the Halo series like this if you haven’t played every single game yet, and the jumps in technology, controls and graphics might set you of a little bit. But it is truly an unique way to experience all the shooters as one, single continue story. It’s truly a great journey.

Best way to play all Halo games

If you want to play all the Halo games, getting Game Pass is your best place to start. It includes every single game released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and pc. That means you can play every main game, every major spin-off, and even Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike if you like. You’ll only miss out on Fireteam Raven and Recruit, the latter being available for free anyway.

If you’re not into Game Pass, be sure to get Halo: The Master Chief Collection, as it is the easiest way of getting Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, and Halo 4, thus granting you access to the majority of the games.