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If you want to keep fighting Banished forces with friends after finishing Halo Infinite’s campaign, start with Firefight. For player-versus-player matches, choose a social Arena playlist for casual 4v4, Big Team Battle for 12v12 on larger maps, or Ranked if you want results that affect your rank. The right next mode depends on whether you want co-op, casual competition, or a more demanding team match.
Choose by the kind of match you want
| If you want… | Try… | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Co-op combat against AI | Firefight Classic | Four players fight increasingly difficult, endless Banished waves. |
| Co-op with a shared objective | Firefight: King of the Hill | Capture and defend a hill while enemy AI attacks. |
| A more directed co-op session | Firefight: Battle of the Academy | Four players defend against and then escape Banished forces. |
| Casual matches against other players | Social Arena, such as Quick Play or Arena Social | 4v4 matches that do not affect rank. |
| Larger teams and maps | Big Team Battle | 12v12 matches on larger maps. |
| Competition with tracked results | A Ranked playlist | Results are tracked and affect your rank. |
| Practice before matchmaking | Academy Training Mode | Practice against bots and adjust scenarios and difficulty. |
For co-op against Banished forces, start with Firefight
Firefight is cooperative player-versus-environment play: you and your teammates fight enemy AI rather than another player team. Its variants give you different kinds of sessions, so check the playlist’s Game list to see what is available.
Firefight Classic: survive escalating waves
Four players face endless waves of Banished enemies that grow more difficult. A set consists of three rounds followed by a bonus round; complete the bonus objective to earn an extra life. Choose Classic when you want a continuing survival challenge rather than a single capture point or a linear scenario. Halo Support’s Firefight rules describe the mode and its round structure.
Firefight: King of the Hill: hold the objective
Here, the team captures and defends a hill while Banished AI keeps attacking. Teammates can revive players who are downed. It suits a group that wants a clear shared objective and reasons to coordinate around a changing position.
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Firefight: Battle of the Academy: defend, then escape
This variant follows a linear structure: four players defend against Banished forces and then escape. The official guide names Cole Protocol and Out With A Bang as examples. Pick it when you would rather follow a directed scenario than endure endless waves or repeatedly hold a hill.
For matches against people, decide between social, large-team, and Ranked
Social Arena for casual 4v4
Arena is 4v4. Social playlists such as Quick Play or Arena Social are the casual option: social matches do not affect rank. Playlist contents can vary, so look at the current game list rather than assuming every session offers the same modes. See Halo Support’s multiplayer mode guide for Arena and social-play details.
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Big Team Battle for 12v12
Big Team Battle (BTB) puts 12 players on each side on larger maps. Choose it if you want a bigger battlefield and more teammates than Arena provides. Its documented match size is 24 players in total; that is a mode size, not a claim about how many players are online overall.
Ranked when your results should count
Ranked playlists track match results and use them to affect your rank. Choose Ranked if that competitive feedback is part of what you want from the match. Ranked variants rotate on a schedule, so confirm the live listing in-game before planning around a specific one.
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Halo Infinite’s playlist lineup can change. Halo Support identifies staple playlists as non-rotating, while modes and maps may be added in weekly refreshes; some modes appear only during limited-time windows. The May 5, 2026 Firefight: Gauntlet patch notes said its featured playlist was scheduled to leave matchmaking on May 19, 2026, after which its maps and mode would be added to the Firefight staple playlist. That schedule does not establish every playlist’s current placement, so use the live listing to verify what you can play now.
In supported playlists, Match Composer lets you choose which modes to search for. Selecting fewer options can lengthen matchmaking because the search has fewer eligible matches. The official multiplayer playlist page explains playlist behavior and schedule information.
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Use Academy or Custom Games to shape the session
Practice with bots in Academy
Academy Training Mode is a useful stop if you want to warm up or get comfortable before matchmaking. You can practice against bots and adjust the scenario and difficulty. It is practice rather than another campaign chapter or a replacement for co-op Firefight.
Choose a specific game with friends
If your group wants to select a particular game rather than rely on matchmaking, use a Custom Game. Halo Support notes that Custom Games do not complete challenges or contribute to Battle Pass progress. The mode guide covers Custom Games and playlist options.
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- Software Main Type: Game
- Software Sub Type: First Person Shooter
- Software Name: Halo Infinite Standard Edition
- ESRB Rating: Rating Pending
- Single Player Supported: Yes
A simple first-session plan
- Want to stay cooperative? Open the multiplayer playlists and pick a Firefight option: Classic for escalating waves, King of the Hill for objective defense, or Battle of the Academy for a directed defense-and-escape scenario.
- Want to face other players casually? Pick a social Arena playlist and check its Game list for the modes available.
- Want bigger matches? Choose Big Team Battle for 12v12 play on larger maps.
- Want ranked competition? Select a Ranked playlist shown in the current listing; its variants can rotate.
- Want to practice or set the rules yourself? Use Academy Training Mode for bot practice, or create a Custom Game with friends.
These are preference-based starting points, not a universal ranking of modes. Official mode and playlist guides document how the options work, but do not establish which one campaign finishers prefer most.
Quick Recap
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