Halo Games: The initial Halo game to be released was a genre-defining masterpiece. It was the first solid first-person shooter game for consoles. Halo had many innovations that were revolutionary for the time. As time passed, Halo games gained a place in the hearts and minds of players.
Master Chief has grown into a highly well-known game character of the present. Suppose you’ve not played any of these games before. It can be challenging to know which direction to take.
In addition, with the vast array of games available on the Xbox game pass on console and PC, there’s never been a better moment to explore this remarkable history. Today, let’s review the list of all Halo games chronologically and in the order of release. Let’s dive straight into it.
All Halo Games in Release Date Place an order
Here is the complete list of Halo games that are available in order:
- 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 Recruit (2017)
- Halo: Fireteam Raven (2018)
- Halo Infinite (2021)
Note: Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a collection of six Halo games that have been updated with audio, graphics, and gameplay improvements. The collection of games includes Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo Reach, & Halo 4.
All Halo Games in Chronological Order
Here is the complete list of Halo games in chronological order:
- Halo Wars (2531)
- Halo: Reach (2552)
- Halo: Combat Evolved (2552)
- Halo: Fireteam Raven (2552)
- Halo 2 (2552)
- Halo 3: ODST (2552)
- Halo 3 (2552-2553)
- Halo: Spartan Assault (2554)
- Halo 4 (2557)
- Halo: Spartan Strike (2552 & 2557-2558)
- Halo 5: Guardians (2558)
- Halo Wars 2 (2559)
- Halo Infinite (2560)
With more than one game set within that same year (2552), as well as the timeline being split between a few games, let’s examine these games in specificity, focusing on when events are happening in these games:
| Timeline | Halo Chronological Order | Events |
| 2531 | Halo Wars | Set 21 years before Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo: Reach | Set shortly before Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo: Combat Evolved | Master Chief & crew of ‘Autumn’ crash land on Halo ringworld |
| 2552 | Halo: Fireteam Raven | Takes place during events of Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo 2 | Takes place after the events of Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo 3: ODST | Set right after the events of Halo 2 |
| 2552-2553 | Halo 3 | Takes place after the events of Halo 2 |
| 2554 | Halo: Spartan Assault | Takes place during the events of Halo 3 & Halo 4 |
| 2557 | Halo 4 | Set 4 years after the events of Halo 3 |
| 2552 & 2557-2558 | Halo: Spartan Strike | The first half takes place during Halo 2, and the second half focuses on events after Halo 4 |
| 2558 | Halo 5: Guardians | Takes place 8 months after Halo 4 |
| 2559 | Halo Wars 2 | Set after Halo 5: Guardians & 28 years after Halo Wars |
| 2560 | Halo Infinite | Takes place in the year 2560, 2 years after the AI rebellion in Halo 5: Guardians |
Lore Timeline Eras
The story of Halo is divided into distinct Eras following significant events. Here are these Era and timelines that will help you understand the history when playing the games for yourself:
| Halo Eras | Years |
| Precursor era | ∞ to 200,000 BCE |
| Forerunner era | 200,000 BCE to 50,000 BCE |
| Rise of the Covenant era | 50,000 BCE to 1500 CE |
| Globalization era | 1500 CE to 2362 CE |
| Colonial era | 2362 CE to 2494 CE |
| Insurrection era | 2494 CE to 2525 CE |
| The Great War era | 2525 CE to 2553 CE |
| Post-war era | 2553 CE to 2557 CE |
| Reclaimer era | 2557 CE to 2560 CE |
| Post-Reclaimer era | 2560 CE & beyond |
The list below is a complete listing of all Halo games in chronological order and the order of release dates.
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