When all hope is lost and humanity's fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he's ever faced. The Halo series returns with the most expansive Master Chief story yet and a ground-breaking free-to-play multiplayer experience.
This next chapter in 343 Industries' legendary Halo franchise invites players to join the venerable Master Chief on an all-new adventure as he uncovers the mysteries surrounding the appearance of "The Pilot" and the desolate remains of a Halo ring.
Begin anew and step inside the armor of humanity's greatest hero to experience an epic adventure and finally explore the scale of the Halo ring itself.
Explore the epic expanse of a Halo ring for the first time in the most ambitious Halo game ever made.
The Winter Update for Halo Infinite has arrived!
This is the largest feature update to Halo Infinite yet, bringing with it a number of highly anticipated experiences such as Campaign Network Co-Op, Mission Replay, the Forge Beta, and a plethora of new, free content for all players.
We want to acknowledge and thank our players who have stuck by us and provided feedback to improve the overall Halo Infinite experience—the Winter Update marks a big step forward for all of us. So, let’s dive into everything that you can play in-game today. Check out our launch trailer for a quick look at what's coming...
Here’s a quick look at all the new content available in today’s update:
- Forge Beta: Halo’s legendary creation tool is back and more powerful than ever, boasting a vast suite of additions and improvements to empower community cartographers with advanced and accessible tools. The Forge Beta launches with six canvas maps, a new visual scripting engine, object scaling, bot support, huge budget increases, file sharing capabilities, and much more to help you create and share your maps, modes, and prefabs.
- Match XP & New Battle Pass: The Winter Update marks the first major step toward evolving Halo Infinite’s progression experience with Match XP Beta. Built on player feedback, Match XP rewards players for completing matches, with additional XP for performance (e.g., win / lose, end-of-match placement, etc.). Try it out with the Winter Update’s free, never-expiring, 30-tier Battle Pass that features fan-favorite Halo: Reach-themed cosmetics.
- New Multiplayer Maps & Game Mode: Two new multiplayer arena maps – Argyle and Detachment – are added to the rotation, both built entirely within Forge. Argyle is a tight, indoor map set within the narrow corridors of a UNSC vessel, while Detachment is a once-abandoned UNSC facility set atop a rocky outcropping. New mode Covert One-Flag is a unique variant on one-flag CTF, with the attacking team equipped with Active Camo, while the defending team possesses Threat Sensors.
- Campaign Network Co-Op, Mission Replay, and New Achievements: Jump in with up to three of your friends and experience the epic Halo Infinite campaign together in Campaign Network Co-Op. Cross-play is supported across all Xbox devices and PC, and progress and unlocks are shared across all players – so everyone benefits! Should you want to relive a specific part of the campaign or need to gather any remaining collectibles, you can replay any of the missions from the TACMAP. 24 new Achievements have also been added.
CAMPAIGN NETWORK CO-OP & MISSION REPLAY
Whether you’re stepping into the legendary Mjolnir-clad boots of the Master Chief for the first time or making your return to Zeta Halo, you can jump in with up to three of your friends and experience the epic Halo Infinite campaign together in Campaign Network Co-Op.
Campaign Network Co-Op for Halo Infinite supports crossplay across all Xbox devices and PC, and progress and unlocks are shared across all players. This means that no matter what platform you’re playing on and where you are in the game, all players bring their progress with them—campaign completion, collectibles unlocked, Spartan Cores unlocked, etc—and all players progress together so it’s not just the host who benefits, but everybody.
Should you find yourself wanting to relive a specific part of the odyssey from the Warship Gbraakon to the Silent Auditorium, or if you need to clear up some outstanding collectibles and Achievements, you can replay any of the missions from the TACMAP.
NEW ACHIEVEMENTS
Bleep bloop! Achievement unlocked!
Alongside Campaign Network Co-Op and Mission Replay comes the addition of 24 new Achievements for the Halo Infinite Campaign, to be awarded for accomplishing a variety of Spartan-worthy feats—some can be done solo, but others may require a helping hand or three.
Check out the full list of new Achievements here.
Oh, and if you want to get a closer look at some of the requirements for the Achievements in a suave presentational style, go and give our YouTube Shorts a watch!
FORGE BETA
At last, Forge has come to Halo Infinite!
Halo’s legendary creation tool is back and more powerful than ever, boasting a vast suite of additions and improvements to empower community cartographers with advanced and accessible tools.
The Forge Beta in Halo Infinite launches with six canvas maps, a new visual scripting engine, object scaling, lighting and audio tools, bot support, huge budget increases, file sharing capabilities, and much more to help you create and share your maps, modes, and prefabs.
While we are calling this the Forge “Beta,” by no means does this mean that the mode is going away. Forge is here to stay for good in Halo Infinite, all content will carry forwards and persist, and the mode will continue to see updates and support over time, evolving to add even more content to further inspire and empower creators.
Got more questions about Forge? We’ve got answers! Be sure to give our Forge FAQ blog a read for further insights into the mode, as well as this extensive Forge article from Halo Support!
Looking to get an overview of all these new additions? Check out our four-part Forge Fundamentals video series.
- Part 1: Building – what can I make and how do I make it?
- Part 2: Scripting & Bots – what is scripting, how can I use it, and how can I test my map with bots?
- Part 3: Lighting & Audio – what lighting, art, and audio tools can make my maps look and sound great?
- Part 4: File Sharing & Canvases – where can I build my maps and how can people discover them?
Keep an eye on the Community tab to find and bookmark Forge creations and 343 recommended content in the weeks ahead. For those who may need a reminder, a Custom Games Browser for Halo Infinite is in-development and is targeted for release with Season 3 next year, and in the meantime you can find community content on the Halo Waypoint Content Browser (there’s more information on that in the Halo Waypoint section further down!)
NEW BATTLE PASS & EVENTS
The Winter Update brings with it a new Battle Pass that is completely free for all players and will never expire. That means even new players who may come to Halo Infinite even months from now will still get the Winter Update Battle Pass for free, as it is available in perpetuity!
Featuring 30 tiers of rewards, the Winter Update Battle Pass sees the return of many highly requested, fan-favorite Halo: Reach-themed cosmetics. Take a look at what awaits you in our Battle Pass Preview.
Over the coming months, you can also look forward to two free events which will bring a further 10 reward tiers each (that’s 20 additional free reward tiers overall).
In December, Winter Contingency shall be declared once more and offer a series of Holiday-themed cosmetics.
In January, the Joint Fire event will center around the JFO-class Mjolnir armor and other related cosmetics.
MATCH XP & PROGRESSION
The Winter Update marks our first major step towards evolving Halo Infinite’s player progression experience with the Match XP Beta.
Directly acting on player feedback to evolve XP and progression in the game, Match XP consists of:
- XP for completing matches
- Additional XP for performance (win/lose, end-of-match placement, etc)
With Match XP, progression will center around player performance rather than the completion of Challenges. No matter the mode, players will be rewarded for how they do. Note that we are referring to this as a “Beta” because we will be monitoring the values for each Match XP reward category and tuning them to provide enhanced earn rates.
Challenges are getting an overhaul too! Completing Challenges will provide a bonus boost to your XP, but the core focus of this feature will be primarily based around obtaining the Ultimate Reward.
Where it previously took the completion of 20 Challenges for players to get the Ultimate Challenge, with the Winter Update we are reducing that requirement down to 10. Challenges will also be more “general” overall and can be completed in any playlist.
For more information, check out our Halo Infinite | Match XP & Progression blog.
NEW MAPS & MODE
Amongst the new additions to Halo Infinite are two new multiplayer maps: Argyle and Detachment.
- ARGYLE: Set within the narrow corridors of a UNSC vessel, Argyle comes to Halo Infinite as one of the first multiplayer maps to be built entirely within Forge. This tight, indoor, symmetrical map makes for a competitive arena environment that showcases merely a fraction of what the Forge tool is capable of.
- DETACHMENT: Also built entirely within Forge, Detachment comes to Halo Infinite as a new symmetrical arena map. Set atop a rocky outcropping, this once-abandoned UNSC research facility is composed of indoor and outdoor environments, providing opportunities for dynamic combat that suits a variety of game modes and play styles.
COVERT ONE FLAG
Covert One Flag arrives as a unique variant of One Flag CTF. In this round-based mode, attackers and defenders swap sides as they battle for control of a single flag. Asymmetric team loadouts equip attackers with Active Camo to help sneak their way past enemy defense while defenders possess Threat Sensors to help spot the intruders. The team who wins the majority of rounds wins the match.
For folks looking to get straight into this new mode, head to the Joint Ops playlist!
SANDBOX, PLAYLIST & MATCHMAKING UPDATES
In addition to all this new content, Halo Infinite is also seeing some overarching adjustments and improvements to the overall experience. We’ve touched on some of that with the addition of Match XP, but this also goes for sandbox balancing and matchmaking improvements.
Based on player feedback and our own findings, we’ve addressed some of the common themes that have been occurring around weapon balance, as well as other areas.
Read all about these changes in our Sandbox Balance Updates blog.
Playlists in Halo Infinite are also getting a new rotational rework to keep things fresh for players week-to-week.
Permanent playlists include:
- Quick Play
- Big Team Battle
- Ranked Arena
- Fiesta
- Tactical Slayer
- Team Slayer
Rotational playlist slots include:
- Rotational Core: A playlist that is typically close to the core Halo gameplay experience, similar to Quick Play (e.g., Team Snipers, Team Doubles, etc.)
- Rotational Social: A playlist that is usually closer to the fun, social, and whacky side of Halo (e.g., Social Slayer, Big Team Social, Rumble Pit, etc.)
- Rotational Ranked: A playlist that fosters a competitive experience (e.g., Ranked Doubles, Ranked FFA, etc.)
- Event playlists: A slot that will be used when Events roll into the game (e.g., Cyber Showdown, The Yappening, etc.)
The first rotational core playlist with the Winter Update will be Joint Ops (featuring Covert One Flag), and the first rotational social playlist will be Social Slayer, which includes the likes of Kong Slayer, Purple Reign, and Rock ‘n’ Repulsors.
Get a more detailed breakdown of these changes in our Playlist Schedule blog.
The matchmaking experience is also being improved with the Winter Update, a TL;DR of which is as follows:
- Local region matchmaking will make its debut
- Improved logic for CSR progression
- Improved rules for quitting with uneven teams
- And more!
HALO WAYPOINT
In parallel with the additions and evolutions of Halo Infinite, Halo Waypoint has also seen several enhancements to the user experience on web and mobile.
In support of Forge, you can now access the Content Browser from the Community tab of the site. This is where you’ll be able to search for and bookmark maps, modes, and prefabs (which include objects and scripting nodegraphs) in Halo Infinite.
For more information, head to our Content Browser blog here.
As an additional reminder, at the start of October we brought your Halo Infinite Game History and Post-Game Carnage Reports to Halo Waypoint, going all the way back to the game’s launch in November 2021.
Read more about Game History & PGCR here.
SHOP
Head to the Shop in Halo Infinite and you’ll find the free Birthday Bash Kill Effect available to grab for the next two weeks, marking the one-year anniversary of the game’s launch!
Complete all your weekly Challenges and the Ultimate Challenge (remember, you just have 10 Challenges to complete to get there now!) in order to acquire this week’s Ultimate Reward: the Willow Tea armor coating.
SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING
Run into a bug, glitch, or other unexpected issue? Head over to the Halo Support site to submit a ticket and notify the team.
You can submit tickets on a wide range of topics that include reports of Audio Issues, Crashes, Game Save Corruption, Report a Player, General Bug Reports, and more.
THANK YOU
At this point, hopefully your installation of the Winter Update has completed and you’re ready to jump into its content offerings—whether that’s campaign with your friends, straight into some multiplayer action, or your very first Halo Infinite Forge project...
For now, the last thing we want to say is thank you for your support over the past year. We know it certainly hasn’t been the smoothest or quickest ride, but with the Winter Update we have an opportunity to show our thanks for the community’s dedication and feedback which serves as the north star guiding us to evolve the player experience of Halo Infinite.
The Winter Update marks a major step forward for our game and studio, but this is just the first step of that evolution. The team is actively working on key player experience priorities across the game to address areas of feedback, and we are targeting another game update before the end of this year.
Your support is greatly appreciated, and we can’t wait to turn this corner with you all in 2023 as we look to shorter seasons, a more regular stream of content, and bigger things to come.
Additionally 343 Industries revealed that Halo Infinite's Season 3: Echoes Within is currently scheduled to kick off on March 7, 2023 and will include another two new maps, new VIP and Escalation game modes, new armor cores, a custom game browser and the Bandit Rifle.
Key Features:
- Campaign: When all hope is lost and humanity's fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he's ever faced. Begin anew and step inside the armor of humanity's greatest hero to experience an epic adventure and finally explore the scale of the Halo ring itself.
- Multiplayer: Halo's legendary multiplayer combat returns, reimagined and evolving over time with seasonal updates, new modes and maps, and community focused content. Create endless combat possibilities by mixing and matching a rich variety of on-map weapons and equipment to experience unique multiplayer gameplay that's unlike anything but Halo. And for the first time, Halo multiplayer goes free to play inviting millions of gamers across Xbox and PC to join the fight.
- Cross-Platform Gaming: Halo Infinite provides an amazing experience across the Xbox One and newer family of consoles as well as PC with stunning graphics and world-class cross-platform play. And, on Xbox Series X as well as supported PCs, enjoy enhanced features like up to 120FPS and greatly reduced load times creating seamless gameplay that usher in the next generation of gaming.
Halo Infinite is available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Microsoft Store / Steam).
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