Playing the Halo games in order of story gives players a unique view of the universe. Halo is a franchise that’s gotten complex over the years. It’s important to note that several games, books, and comics took place decades (or even millennia) before Halo: Combat Evolved and decades afterward. However, like with Resident Evil, playing the Halo series in chronological order requires a bit of study.
Halo games in order of story list
Below, we’ll list the Halo games in chronological order. Playing them in this way will start players at the earliest point in the in-game universe and take them all the way up to Halo Infinite:
- Halo Wars: 2531 CE
- Halo Reach: 2552 CE
- Halo: Combat Evolved: 2552 CE
- Halo 2: 2552 CE
- Halo 3: ODST: 2552 CE
- Halo 3: 2552 CE
- Halo: Spartan Assault: 2552 and 2557 CE
- Halo 4: 2557 CE
- Halo: Spartan Strike: 2557-2558 CE
- Halo 5: Guardians: 2558 CE
- Halo Wars 2: 2559 CE
- Halo Infinite: 2560 CE
A few of the Halo games run right into each other. For example, Halo Reach is a direct prequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, and Halo 3: ODST takes place concurrently with the invasion of Earth in Halo 2.
Playing the games in this order will take players from some of the earliest engagements with the Covenant up to Master Chief’s latest adventure on the mysterious Zeta Halo. First, however, players should note that there is a ton of other content set in the Halo universe. In particular, there are over 30 canon novels that players can read to delve deeper into Halo’s lore.
Fortunately, the game series doesn’t lean too heavily on outside media to tell its story. Instead, players can stick to the chronological list above if they don’t want to put the time in to explore the other lore. They won’t miss anything or find themselves scratching their heads at a reference. In fact, skipping Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike won’t detract from the overall story at all if a player is pressed for time.
