The Halo series turns 25 on November 15, 2026, the anniversary of Halo: Combat Evolved's launch alongside the original Xbox in 2001. The games were not released in story order, and the spinoffs and prequels from Bungie, 343 Industries and Halo Studios spread the timeline from 2531 to 2560. Halo Studios' cinematic story trailer for Halo: Campaign Evolved, the remake of the first campaign, sets up where the Master Chief's story begins. Check out the official trailer down below:
The Human-Covenant War Begins
The Halo games take place in the 2500s, when the United Nations Space Command protects human colonies spread across many worlds. In 2525, a theocratic alliance of alien races called the Covenant attacked humanity, declaring humans an affront to their gods, the Forerunners. The war that followed is the backdrop for the first stretch of the timeline, and the games start several years into it.
Halo Wars (2531)
The earliest game in the timeline is Halo Wars, a real-time strategy game from Ensemble Studios set 21 years before Combat Evolved. Players command the human soldiers aboard the warship Spirit of Fire as they try to stop an ancient fleet of ships from falling into Covenant hands. Halo Wars launched on Xbox 360 in North America on March 3, 2009, and Microsoft had announced Ensemble's closure months before the game came out. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition followed for Windows and Xbox One in December 2016.
Operation: METEORITE In Halo: Campaign Evolved (2551)
Campaign Evolved adds 3 missions set 1 year before Combat Evolved, under the name Operation: METEORITE. Halo Studios' official description says the Master Chief and Sergeant Avery Johnson infiltrate a Covenant agricultural ship holding orbit over the glassed human colony of Promise, searching for data that could lead to the Covenant homeworld of High Charity. They fight Sacristan warriors, free UNSC marines and get through experiments run by the San'Shyuum Minister of Harmony.
The Fall Of Reach And The Halo Trilogy
Halo: Reach (2552)
Halo: Reach is a direct prequel to Combat Evolved. Players control Noble Six, a member of the Spartan squad Noble Team, during the Covenant invasion of the human world Reach, humanity's last major stronghold before Earth. Bungie released it on September 14, 2010, as its final Halo game, and the campaign ends just before the events of the first game.
Halo: Combat Evolved And Halo: Campaign Evolved (2552)
After Reach falls, the UNSC Pillar of Autumn escapes to a ring-shaped artificial world called Halo. The Master Chief and his AI partner Cortana fight the Covenant there and learn that the ring is a weapon tied to the parasitic Flood. Combat Evolved launched on November 15, 2001 for Xbox. Campaign Evolved, the Unreal Engine 5 remake, came out on July 28, 2026 with the original 10 missions plus the 3 Operation: METEORITE missions, 4-player online co-op with cross-play, and 2-player split-screen on consoles. Modders later found that the console split-screen code is still in the PC version, as detailed in this report on the PC split-screen mod.
Halo 2 (2552)
Halo 2 follows the Master Chief and the disgraced Covenant commander known as the Arbiter as the war reaches Earth and the Covenant begins to fracture. Bungie released it on Xbox on November 9, 2004, and its cliffhanger ending leads directly into Halo 3.
Halo 3: ODST (2552)
Halo 3: ODST takes place during and after the events of Halo 2 and before Halo 3. Players control Orbital Drop Shock Troopers instead of a Spartan, exploring the ruined Earth city of New Mombasa to find out what happened to missing squadmates during the Covenant invasion. It launched on Xbox 360 on September 22, 2009, and introduced the cooperative Firefight mode.
Halo 3 (2552 To 2553)
Halo 3 covers the end of the Human-Covenant War. The Master Chief and the Arbiter, whose people have broken with the Covenant leadership, work together to stop the Prophets from activating the Halo Array from the Ark. Bungie released Halo 3 on Xbox 360 on September 25, 2007, with the Forge map editor and saved films.
After The War
Halo: Spartan Assault (Between Halo 3 And Halo 4)
Halo: Spartan Assault is a twin-stick shooter set between Halo 3 and Halo 4. Spartans Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis fight a Covenant splinter group that ignored the ceasefire and attacked the planet Draetheus V. It launched on July 18, 2013 for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 and later came to Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam and iOS.
Halo 4 (2557)
Halo 4 is set 4 years after Halo 3. The Master Chief and Cortana reach the Forerunner world Requiem, where they face a Covenant remnant and the Prometheans, while Cortana deteriorates. It was 343 Industries' first original Halo game and released on Xbox 360 on November 6, 2012.
Halo: Spartan Strike
The sequel to Spartan Assault, Halo: Spartan Strike, puts players in war games that simulate historical events, centered on the Covenant invasion of New Mombasa and its search for an artifact called the Conduit. That puts most of its story beside Halo 2 and ODST, though it is framed as a later simulation. It released for iOS, Windows and Windows Phone on April 16, 2015.
Halo 5: Guardians (2558)
Halo 5: Guardians takes place 8 months after Halo 4. Blue Team, led by the Master Chief, goes absent without leave to find Cortana, and Spartan Locke's Fireteam Osiris is sent to bring him back. It launched worldwide on Xbox One on October 27, 2015.
Halo Wars 2 (2559)
The Spirit of Fire returns in Halo Wars 2, set 28 years after Halo Wars and shortly after Halo 5. The crew reaches the Ark, the Forerunner installation that builds and controls the Halo rings, and fights a new faction called the Banished. Creative Assembly developed it with 343 Industries for Windows and Xbox One, and it released in February 2017.
Halo Infinite (2560)
Halo Infinite is set in 2560 on the ringworld Zeta Halo, where the Master Chief fights the Banished after they have defeated Cortana. Its free-to-play multiplayer opened as a beta on November 15, 2021, and the campaign followed on December 8, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Release Order
In release order, the main games and spinoffs run Halo: Combat Evolved (2001), Halo 2 (2004), Halo 3 (2007), Halo Wars (2009), Halo 3: ODST (2009), Halo: Reach (2010), Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011), Halo 4 (2012), Halo: Spartan Assault (2013), Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014), Halo: Spartan Strike (2015), Halo 5: Guardians (2015), Halo Wars 2 (2017), Halo Infinite (2021) and Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026).
Where The Games Can Be Played
Halo Waypoint lists Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox, Windows and Steam, and it is included with Xbox Game Pass. The collection includes Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, the Halo 3: ODST campaign and Halo 4, for 67 campaign missions that run from Noble Six's story to Halo 4. Halo Infinite is listed on Xbox, Windows and Steam. Campaign Evolved released on PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X|S, the first time a Halo game came to a Sony console, and it was available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass at launch.
Anniversary Month Stories
Halo Waypoint has been publishing new short fiction in the run-up to the series turning 25. Elegy, by Jeremy Patenaude, is set on August 3, 2559, about 4 months before the UNSC Infinity reaches Zeta Halo. Foehammer's Last Flight, by Kemi Ashing-Giwa, is set on September 22, 2552, moments after the Master Chief and Cortana trigger the Pillar of Autumn's engine overload at the end of Combat Evolved, and follows Pelican pilot Carol Rawley. Halo shared the new story on X:
The same battle on Alpha Halo is the setting of Tim Lebbon's horror novel Halo: Parasite's Wake, which follows Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto and a squad of prisoners from the Pillar of Autumn's brig as the Flood breaks loose.
Which Halo game do you think works best as the first one in story order, Halo Wars with the Spirit of Fire or Halo: Reach with Noble Team?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.