For the core campaign story, play Halo Wars, Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, and Halo Infinite. ODST takes place during Halo 2; placing it after that game is the simplest way to play without switching campaigns partway through.
Halo games in chronological story order
This is a broad campaign-level order, not a mission-by-mission timeline. The years are in-fiction dates, not release years.
- Halo Wars — 2531. The earliest core campaign in this order, set well before Master Chief’s first campaign.
- Halo: Reach — 2552. A prequel about Noble Team and the fall of Reach; it leads into Combat Evolved.
- Halo: Combat Evolved — 2552. Master Chief’s first main campaign.
- Halo 2 — 2552. Continues the conflict begun in the previous game.
- Halo 3: ODST — during Halo 2. Its events overlap that game, so playing it afterward is a convenient linear placement.
- Halo 3 — follows the events of Halo 2 and ODST, bringing the original trilogy’s central conflict to a close.
- Halo 4 — 2557.
- Halo 5: Guardians — 2558.
- Halo Wars 2 — 2559. Follows the Spirit of Fire and introduces the Banished thread that leads into later events.
- Halo Infinite — 2560 in the chronology used here.
The chronology and overlap details are drawn from a specialist timeline guide; the years are useful story markers, not a claim that every campaign can be split into perfectly ordered missions. See the broad Halo timeline.
How to choose between chronological and release order
Chronological order gives you the in-world sequence, but it moves between games released in different eras. Release order preserves the series’ original progression and the order in which its story reveals were presented.
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| Order | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Chronological | Following events in the fictional timeline, including the RTS campaigns. | You jump between older and newer releases, and some gameplay systems may feel less advanced after a newer prequel. |
| Release order | Experiencing the main saga’s story and mechanics as players originally encountered them. | Prequels appear later, after the events they depict. |
For release order within The Master Chief Collection, Halo Support recommends starting with Combat Evolved Anniversary. Its six campaigns, in original release order, are Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Reach, and Halo 4. Halo Support’s MCC installation and play guide covers that order. Halo Waypoint describes an MCC campaign journey beginning with Reach and ending with Halo 4; that collection framing is not the same as either release order or strict in-fiction chronology. View Halo Waypoint’s MCC page.
Optional games and where they fit
- Halo: Spartan Strike — overlaps Halo 2 in New Mombasa, with later missions extending beyond that setting. It is optional and is not one of MCC’s six campaigns.
- Halo: Spartan Assault — sits between Halo 3 and Halo 4 in the cited chronology. It is also optional.
- Halo 4: Spartan Ops — follows the Halo 4 campaign. Add it immediately afterward if you want the related episodic co-op story.
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2: Anniversary — remasters, not additional story chapters. Use them in the same slots as their original games.
- Halo: Campaign Evolved — an announced remake of the Combat Evolved campaign with new story content. Treat it as an alternate retelling in the Combat Evolved slot, not as a sequel. Xbox announced it for 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, and PlayStation 5; check current store listings for release and regional availability. Read Xbox’s Campaign Evolved announcement.
The optional-game placements and calendar years follow the broad specialist chronology guide. Consult the Halo timeline for additional context.
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What The Master Chief Collection includes
Halo: The Master Chief Collection contains six campaigns: Reach, Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4. Halo Support lists Xbox and Windows availability. The collection covers much of the central sequence, but not every campaign in the chronological list: Halo Wars, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2, and Halo Infinite are outside those six campaigns. Check the current store listing for your region and platform before buying. Halo Support: MCC installation and play guide.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Getting access to Halo Infinite’s campaign
Halo Infinite‘s multiplayer and Academy are free-to-play; its campaign requires purchase or qualifying Game Pass access. Halo Support lists Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series platforms. Subscription entitlements and availability can change, so check the official store for your region. Halo Support’s platform information.
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