Ranking Every Halo Game From Worst To Best

If someone were to ask you to name the most famous Xbox franchises, the first answer out of your mouth would probably be “Halo”. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of the mean green space marine shooting his way across the galaxy, Halo has become a cornerstone of Xbox’s core identity, earning millions of fans across the world.

With over two decades of history, more than a dozen games and quite a few multimedia projects such as the Paramount TV show, Halo is possibly one of the biggest and most recognisable video game franchises of all-time. Originally starting out as a Mac exclusive RTS game, a genre the franchise would revisit later, Microsoft acquired developers Bungie and made Halo a flagship title for the original Xbox. Within just the span of a few years, Halo’s popularity had ballooned to gargantuan promotions, showcasing to everyone what the future of online console gaming could look like. These days, it might not be the cultural juggernaut it once was, but news of a new Halo game is still enough to turn the heads of even the most jaded gamer.

Still, with quite a few entries in the series at this point, which Halo game is considered to be the best of the best? To that end, we’ve decided to rank every single Halo game from worst to best, which is definitely something that isn’t going to end in controversy. Of course not, why would it? This is obviously a series that doesn’t range wildly in quality at all.

 

15. Halo Recruit

Developer: Endeavor One, 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): PC (Windows Mixed Reality)

A lot of you are probably wondering what the hell Halo Recruit is, or you’re just angry that Halo 5: Guardians didn’t end up in the last spot by default, but for those who are unaware, Halo Recruit was a free demo/tool designed to help sell Windows Mixed Reality. It’s a VR game, and if the idea of a VR Halo game sounds like your cup of tea, allow us to tell you right now that Halo Recruit is definitely not it.

What starts out as a promising introduction into the world of Halo, but in VR, quickly devolves into a game of Point Blank, as you’re forced to shoot targets on a flat screen. This is hardly the VR revolution people are waiting for when Time Crisis offers the same level of thrills. In fact, Time Crisis is better just because you don’t have to buy an overpriced VR headset and controllers in order to play.

 

14. Halo: Fireteam Raven

Developer: Play Mechanix Inc, 343 Industries
Publisher: Raw Thrills
Platform(s): Arcade

Look, Halo: Fireteam Raven absolutely clears Halo Recruit by virtue of the fact it’s a decent light gun shooter, not a bad light gun shooter wrapped inside a Halo VR experience. At least Fireteam Raven has the decency to be proud of what it is. Unfortunately though, we have no idea whether or not Fireteam Raven is actually any good, because trying to find an arcade game out in the wild in the 2020s is a tall order.

At least, it is in the UK anyway. Fireteam Raven was released in partnership with Dave & Buster’s, with Halo: Fireteam Raven being featured in every D&B in North America. Play Mechanix and Raw Thrills also distributed the game internationally, so you might see it in a bowling alley or gaming bar somewhere in the UK, but good luck trying to find it for yourself. That being said, IGN described it as a Halo game translated into a fireworks show, which is precisely what you’d want from an arcade game.

 

13. Halo 5: Guardians

Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): Xbox One

Of course Halo 5: Guardians would be featured on the lower half of this list, as it’s often considered the runt of the litter as far as the main series is concerned. It doesn’t help matters when 343 Industries went on record to say that they underestimated how much people loved playing as the Master Chief, as the majority of Halo 5’s campaign was spent playing as Spartan Locke instead. No disrespect to Locke, of course, as Mike Colter did a hell of a good job across Guardians and Halo: Nightfall, but he’s not The Chief.

A lackluster campaign was the least of the game’s worries, as Halo 5: Guardians also introduced the vilified Requisition Packs for the multiplayer, which turned both cosmetics and supply drops in the game’s Warzone mode into microtransaction loot boxes. Even though reviews were positive at launch, there was a lot of disappointment to be felt with Halo 5: Guardians over time, and its reputation has been left in tatters because of it.

 

12. Halo: Spartan Assault

Developer: 343 Industries, Vanguard Games
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Mobile

The core appeal of playing as a Spartan is the power fantasy that comes with being an often lone warrior in a badass suit of armor taking on hordes of aliens. In that sense, first person shooters and top-down shooters have a lot in common, so the decision to make a Halo spin-off based on a twin-stick shooter seems like a no-brainer. The result was Halo: Spartan Assault, which was a perfectly serviceable game, but didn’t really break the mold of a twin-stick shooter.

Set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4, Spartan Assault showcases how humanity re-entered the war with the Covenant, or at least the splinter group of it that keeps popping up in Halo 4 and 5. Despite the limitations of being a mobile game in 2013, Spartan Assault did an excellent job of replicating the style and world of Halo, but the core gameplay was just a bit boring, while the vehicle controls were borderline diabolical. At least the Xbox version boasted some co-op missions where you had to survive against the Flood.

 

11. Halo Wars 2

Developer: 343 Industries, Creative Assembly
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One

For those of you who thought The Banished just came out of nowhere during the Halo Infinite campaign, Halo Wars 2 should help you catch up on some of that missing lore. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, Halo Wars 2 didn’t quite match up to its predecessor in a lot of ways, particularly in the campaign, and it was even reviewed quite harshly in comparison, especially on PC, where the competition in the RTS genre is a lot fiercer.

That being said, one great aspect of Halo Wars 2 was the sheer amount of multiplayer modes and content that players could enjoy, meaning a lot of the hardcore community consider Halo Wars 2 to be an improvement over the first game. Even still though, that couldn’t stop MIcrosoft, 343 Industries or whoever was in control of the game’s monetisation from adding similar microtransactions as Halo 5’s for the game’s Blitz mode.

 

10. Halo: Spartan Strike

Developer: 343 Industries, Vanguard Games
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): PC, Mobile

The sequel to Spartan Assault, if you couldn’t tell by the fact that it had Spartan in the name, Spartan Strike was considered by many reviewers to be a massive improvement on the first game. It was certainly a bit more ambitious in scope too, as the game’s story was spread across two eras, with one tale set during the events of Halo 2 while the other was set during Halo 4. Sure, the gameplay was the same across both, but different enemies and locations are always nice.

Spartan Strike offered much tighter controls compared to Spartan Assault, which won a lot of people over, while the increased mission variety helped ensure players didn’t get bored before the credits rolled. They even removed the microtransactions that were present in the first game, which is a good move. The only real fault that people had with Spartan Strike was the lack of multiplayer, which isn’t good for a twin-stick shooter, but if you’re looking for an underrated and overlooked Halo experience, Spartan Strike is worth checking out.  

 

9. Halo Wars

Developer: Ensemble Studios
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox 360 (Definitive Edition on Xbox One)

Looking back now, the decision to make a strategy spin-off of Halo makes a lot of sense. Bungie created a world with three distinct factions (the UNSC, the Covenant and The Flood), each with their own units and abilities, which is basically all the ingredients you need to create a solid RTS base. Hell, it even started out life as an RTS game developed for the Mac, so if anything, Halo Wars is just honoring the pre-Xbox legacy of the series.

An RTS game developed with the Xbox console and controller in mind, some strategy buffs would consider Halo Wars to be a bit too simplistic compared to some of the other titans of the genre. However, as a strategy game designed to appeal to a fanbase of FPS fans, Halo Wars’ simplistic controls and mechanics allowed it to become a great bridge between these polar opposite genres. With the Definitive Edition on Game Pass too, it’s well worth giving this a whirl.

 

8. Halo 4

Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Platform(s): Xbox 360 (other platforms via MCC)

Say what you want about 343 Industries, but alongside The Coalition with Gears of War, Microsoft set them an almost impossible task: create a new Halo game that makes everyone happy after the original developers decided to move on. No matter what 343i did, fans were going to compare it unfavorably to what came before, and while Halo 4 isn’t quite up to the same standards as the “Holy Trilogy (+ 2 other games)”, it’s still a great, different take on what a Halo game can be.

Set years after Master Chief took his cryofreeze appointment at the end of Halo 3, Chief finds himself on yet another ancient installation, with aliens and new Promethean enemies all trying to kill him. Halo 4 had some good ideas, with the co-op Spartan Ops missions offering a whole other slew of missions to complete, while the focus on movement helped Halo feel a touch more modern. Even some of the new Promethean weapons added a little bit of extra spice to the traditional UNSC and Covenant weapons, but there’s a reason why the classics are still the classics.

 

7. Halo Infinite

Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S

343 Industries’ best take on Halo yet, Halo Infinite didn’t exactly have the best ever launch, with broken multiplayer, campaign glitches, a lack of co-op campaign, and a disappointing lack of content in that first year. It was a dark time to be a Halo Infinite fan back then, but after two years of updates, Halo Infinite has never been in a better position. The multiplayer is a lot of fun, the Forge mode sees players churning out incredibly creative maps and modes, and the co-op campaign was worth the wait.

At its base, Halo Infinite was already a pretty decent game, at least as far as the campaign was concerned, as it plonked the Master Chief into an actual open world and gave players one of the best traversal tools in gaming with the Grappleshot. Halo has always excelled when it gives players an open-ended combat sandbox, so making that sandbox 100x bigger just increases the opportunity for shenanigans. Meanwhile, the story essentially canned the whole “Cortana is evil” twist from the end of Halo 5, which everyone mostly agrees is for the best.

 

6. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Developer: 343 Industries
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X & S

You would think that a compilation like The Master Chief Collection would be an easy slam dunk. Take everyone’s three favorite Halo games (that feature Master Chief) plus Halo 4 and chuck them into one big collection on the Xbox One. Somehow though, 343 Industries beefed it quite hard, with the devs spending what felt like years after launch trying to fix a litany of matchmaking issues and problems.

Now, in 2024, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a brilliant piece of media, thanks to the improvements made by 343i and the inclusion of games like Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach, along with all the multiplayer maps, Firefight, Spartan Ops and even Forge Mode for every game. Throw in a remastered version of Halo 2, along with the Anniversary Edition of Halo: Combat Evolved, and this collection is a great deal. We can’t really put it any higher on this list, considering it’s built off the back of six already created games, but it’s still worth checking out.

 

5. Halo: Combat Evolved + Anniversary Edition

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox, Xbox 360 (other platforms via MCC)

The game that started it all, Halo: Combat Evolved was a revelation in the world of first person shooters. Sure, Alien: Resurrection on the PS1 is often credited as one of the first games to really champion the dual stick method of shooting on controller, thanks in large part to that now infamous GameSpot review that criticized the controls, but Halo took the ball and ran with it. While the original Halo might seem quaint by today’s standards, it was a genuine landmark moment for gaming, and a real system seller for Xbox.

Our first introduction to John-117, AKA the Master Chief, Halo: Combat Evolved pairs Chief with his AI companion Cortana as the two do battle with the Covenant on the recently discovered Halo ring. With its wide open levels, multiple weapons and the ability to use vehicles, Halo: CE was a true pioneer for what gaming would eventually be capable of. It might be a little bit dated now, even if the Anniversary Edition gave it a new coat of paint, but Halo: CE laid the groundwork for everything that would come afterwards, for both the Halo series and the FPS genre as a whole.

 

4. Halo 2

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox (other platforms via MCC)

Bungie and Xbox had a hit on their hands with Halo: Combat Evolved, so naturally the pressure was on to release a great follow-up. The result was Halo 2, a game that offered a larger campaign, a new playable character in the form of The Arbiter (played to perfection by Keith David) and a whole new suite of multiplayer modes. Sure, a lot of people might still grumble about the “finishing this fight” cliffhanger that ended the campaign (and rightly so to be fair), but there’s no denying the legacy that Halo 2 has enjoyed.

Most of that legacy comes from the fact that Halo 2 practically carried Xbox Live during the service’s early years, becoming one of the main reasons why Xbox’s online strategy took off the way it did. PlayStation and even GameCube games might have had online modes, but Xbox and Halo 2 offered a service unlike anything else available at the time. For a lot of people, those are memories and moments that no other game could compete with.

 

3. Halo 3: ODST

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s): Xbox 360 (other platforms via MCC)

Alright, we’ve reached the part of the list where any game mentioned could feasibly be the best one, so if you happen to favor one over another, it’s still number one in your heart. Don’t worry.

On paper, Halo 3: ODST is a tough game to describe. A standalone expansion/side story, Halo 3: ODST is actually set during the events of Halo 2, but featured a multiplayer map pack for Halo 3 as part of the package, hence the name. 2009 still felt like the Wild West with regards to how games tackled online services and the like, but the fact remains that Halo 3: ODST is the most unique and interesting game in the whole series.

Instead of controlling a Spartan soldier like other Halo games, ODST sees you controlling different members of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper squad, who are ostensibly just highly trained soldiers without the cybernetic enhancements. That different feeling is sold by The Rookie’s sections, which see you alone in New Mombasa at night, with Covenant forces on all sides, forcing you to play carefully as you move from objectives, trying to find your missing squad. Besides, running around the city at night while it rains gives off a “lo-fi beats to energy sword aliens to” kind of vibe. Combine that with the Firefight mode, which was introduced in Halo 3: ODST and has become a staple of the franchise ever since, and you’ve got an all-time classic in ODST.

 

2. Halo 3

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s): Xbox 360 (other platforms via MCC)

Everything we said about Halo 2 for the original Xbox can be set about Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. An absolute juggernaut of a game and the main reason why you convinced your parents to get the Xbox Live sorted, Halo 3 was basically the total package. The campaign featured epic moments, lots of cool weapons and didn’t end on a silly cliffhanger, forcing the fans to wait for years, while the multiplayer is often considered among the best the series has to offer.

There’s not a lot to really be said about Halo 3 that hasn’t already been said before. It’s nothing short of a 10/10 masterpiece, holding a special place in the hearts of many who were lucky enough to play it when it first launched. Even the online focused modes like Forge and Theater were miles ahead of their time, giving players content creation tools before people were even able to know what that concept was. While Sony was in the midst of trying to find their Halo-killer, Halo 3 helped keep the franchise sat on the FPS throne.

 

1. Halo: Reach

Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s): Xbox 360 (other platforms via MCC)

If Halo 3 is a 10/10 masterpiece, then Halo: Reach might just break the rating scales.

A prequel story to Master Chief’s then-trilogy, Halo: Reach follows the Noble Squad of Spartans as they try to fend off a Covenant invasion. Considering humanity is currently on the backfoot in this war, and the Covenant has been known to annihilate planets, Halo: Reach’s campaign goes from hopeful skirmish to sacrifice, attrition and loss real quick, making for the best standalone story in the entire series. The campaign levels are also incredibly fun too, though that very last one is a huge emotional gutpunch.

On a much cheerier note, the multiplayer saw a huge improvement, with new armor abilities and classes giving players a bit of choice and expression in game, without removing the core gameplay that Halo has become known for. Chuck in an updated Firefight mode, along with improvements to modes introduced in Halo 3 like Theater and Forge, and Halo: Reach stands above the rest of the series. Again, opinion on what is the pinnacle of the Halo series varies, but for our money, the sheer amount of content and the strength of the game’s story makes Reach the best Halo game ever made.

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