# Halo Infinite

> Halo Infinite is a first-person shooter and open world game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios, first released on 8 December 2021 for Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One and PC. It takes about 11 hours to finish the main story and around 30 hours to complete. We scored it 8.0 out of 10.

Source: https://gamingpickz.com/games/halo-infinite/
Publisher of this page: GamingPickz
Reviewed by: Mikan, Contributing writer, after undefined hours played
Last updated: 30 August 2026
Wikidata: Q54913666
Verified: no, this entry is a draft and is not indexed

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| First released | 8 December 2021 |
| Developer | 343 Industries |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Genres | First-Person Shooter, Open World |
| Platforms | Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PC |
| Players | 1 player campaign, 2 player co-op, up to 24 online |
| ESRB rating | T for Teen |
| Main story length | 11 hours |
| Completionist length | 30 hours |
| Monetisation | freemium |
| Our score | 8.0 out of 10 |

## Verdict

The best Halo gunplay since Halo 3, attached to a campaign structure and a live-service model that both took a long time to find their footing.

## Overview

Halo Infinite got the hardest part right immediately. The weapons feel correct, the sandbox interactions between grenades, melee and vehicles are back to the series' best, and the grappleshot is the most significant addition to Master Chief's kit in twenty years.

Everything around that took considerably longer. The campaign shipped without co-op, the multiplayer shipped without core playlists, and the progression system was widely criticised at launch. Most of this has since been addressed, which makes the game a very different proposition now than it was in 2021.

## Story and setting

The campaign moves to a semi-open Zeta Halo, structured around outposts, towers and a set of side objectives. It is not a large open world by modern standards, and that restraint mostly works in its favour.

The narrative is deliberately opaque about what happened between Halo 5 and this game, which will frustrate anyone invested in the previous entry. The Weapon, a new AI companion, is the strongest character work the series has done in some time.

## Gameplay

The grappleshot changes how you approach every encounter. It pulls you to cover, yanks weapons out of the air, stuns Brutes and turns vehicle hijacking into a fluid move rather than a scripted one.

The open structure means encounters repeat. Clearing outposts is enjoyable the first several times and clearly padding by the twentieth.

Multiplayer is free-to-play and separate from the campaign purchase. Arena modes are excellent, Big Team Battle is inconsistent, and Forge, added in late 2022, is one of the most capable creation tools in any shooter.

## What works

- The strongest Halo sandbox in over a decade
- The grappleshot is a genuinely transformative addition
- Free-to-play multiplayer with non-expiring battle passes
- Forge is exceptionally powerful

## What does not

- Repetitive open-world outpost objectives
- Story skips over the events of Halo 5 without explanation
- A very rough first year of live-service support
- Split-screen campaign co-op was cancelled

## Release dates by platform

| Platform | Release date | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Xbox Series X and Series S | 8 December 2021 |  |
| Xbox One | 8 December 2021 |  |
| PC | 8 December 2021 | Steam and Microsoft Store, free-to-play multiplayer |

## Performance modes

| Platform | Mode | Resolution | Frame rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Xbox Series X and Series S | Quality, Series X | 4K | 60 fps |
| Xbox Series X and Series S | Performance, Series X | Dynamic 1080p to 1440p | Up to 120 fps |
| Xbox One | Standard | Dynamic 1080p | 30 fps |

## PC system requirements

| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
| --- | --- | --- |
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10 64-bit |
| Processor | AMD FX-8370 or Intel i5-4440 | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel i7-9700k |
| Graphics | AMD RX 570 or NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti | Radeon RX 5700 XT or NVIDIA RTX 2070 |
| Memory | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage | 50 GB | 50 GB SSD |

## Where to buy

| Store | Platform | MSRP | Current | Type |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Xbox Store | Xbox Series X and Series S | $59.99 | not checked | official store |
| Xbox Store | Xbox One | $59.99 | not checked | official store |
| Steam | PC | $59.99 | not checked | official store |
| Green Man Gaming | PC | $59.99 | not checked | key reseller |
| Fanatical | PC | $59.99 | not checked | key reseller |
| Humble Store | PC | $59.99 | not checked | key reseller |
| GOG | PC | $59.99 | not checked | affiliate |

Included with: Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass.

## Community sentiment

Community sentiment separates cleanly into how the game feels, which is admired, and how it was run, which is not. Threads about the former are positive and threads about the latter are not.

Recurring praise:

- The gunplay and sandbox feel are treated as settled: this is the best Halo has played in over a decade
- The grappleshot is near-universally liked, including by players critical of everything else
- Forge is regarded as one of the most capable creation tools in any shooter
- Non-expiring battle passes are repeatedly held up as the model other live-service games should copy

Recurring complaints:

- The content drought through the first year is the defining complaint and still colours discussion
- Desync and shot registration issues generated sustained frustration in competitive play
- Cosmetic store pricing was an early flashpoint and remains a sore point
- The cancellation of split-screen campaign co-op is still raised as a broken promise

## How it was made

Announced at E3 2018 as a Slipspace Engine tech demo. The engine was built specifically for this game, and the length of that engine work is widely cited as a cause of the schedule problems.

The July 2020 gameplay reveal was received badly enough that Microsoft delayed the game by a year rather than ship it alongside the Xbox Series X launch. It eventually shipped in December 2021, with multiplayer arriving three weeks early as a surprise beta.

Engine: Slipspace Engine, built for this title

Team size: Over 500 including contract staff

## Official videos

- Halo Infinite - Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer (reveal, XBOX): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTp3W0mlsJA
- Halo Infinite | Campaign Gameplay Trailer (gameplay, HALO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFh2i4AlPD4
- Halo Infinite - Official Launch Trailer (launch, XBOX): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzlCxADSx0U

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Halo Infinite free?

The multiplayer is free-to-play on Xbox and PC. The single-player campaign is a paid purchase, and it is also included with Game Pass.

### Is Halo Infinite on PlayStation?

No. Halo is published by Xbox Game Studios and has never released on PlayStation hardware.

### Does Halo Infinite have campaign co-op?

Yes, online co-op for up to two players was added in a 2022 update. Split-screen campaign co-op was announced and later cancelled.

### Do Halo Infinite battle passes expire?

No. Once purchased, a battle pass remains available and you can complete it at any time. This is unusual among live-service shooters.

## Sources

- Halo Waypoint official site: https://www.halowaypoint.com/

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Content by GamingPickz. Cite as: GamingPickz, "Halo Infinite", https://gamingpickz.com/games/halo-infinite/