Summary
- The Halo franchise is in transition with a new Unreal Engine 5 installment in the works, possibly coming to PlayStation and Nintendo.
- Halo Studios is developing multiple new titles, including a potential Halo: Combat Evolved remake.
- Fan-made Halo-inspired game Spartan Survivors offers ample content, coming to Xbox consoles and PC.
It's no exaggeration to say that the Halo franchise has seen better days. Since the controversial launch of 2021's Halo Infinite, the series has been put on the back burner by franchise owner Microsoft, which has largely shifted its attention to other major IPs over the last few years. At the moment, Halo is in a period of transition. The series' developer, 343 Industries, rebranded itself as Halo Studios late last year and revealed that it would use Unreal Engine 5 for the next Halo installment instead of the in-house Slipspace Engine. Meanwhile, reports suggest that Halo will make its debut on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles in the coming months, ending the franchise's 24-year-long Xbox exclusivity.
Although Halo Studios has confirmed that it's working on multiple new Halo titles, it's still not clear what exactly these games are. Some insiders have alleged that the company is developing a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, but aside from that, fans have been left in the dark about the company's plans. It's possible that Microsoft and Halo Studios will announce a new Halo game at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase in June, but fans will likely have to wait a while until it gets released. In the meantime, though, there is a new, unofficial Halo game that they can check out right now.
Halo Congratulates Doom: The Dark Ages' Success with Stunning Master Chief Art
To celebrate the launch of id Software and Bethesda’s shooter Doom: The Dark Ages, the Halo Infinite team shares impressive Master Chief artwork.
Spartan Survivors is a New Halo Fan Game That's Inspired by Vampire Survivors
Despite Being Completely Free, Spartan Survivors Has a Decent Amount of Content in It
Bathrobe Cast, a group of French Halo podcasters, announced in November 2024 that it was working on a Vampire Survivors-inspired Halo game, aptly named Spartan Survivors. The game features a mixture of roguelike and bullet heaven-style combat, along with a cartoony, Halo-inspired aesthetic. Spartan Survivors has a roster of nine playable characters, each of which has their own unique weapons, perks, and statistics. Players can choose to step into the shoes of the legendary Master Chief, or they can play as other characters, like the Arbiter and the ODST Ace.
According to Bathrobe Cast, Spartan Survivors contains 10 different levels, some of which are inspired by famous campaign levels in the early Halo titles. In addition to this, the game includes 5 game modes, 21 weapons, 56 upgrades, 105 evolutions, and 14 perks. Although Spartan Survivors has a surprisingly ample amount of content for a fan-made title, it is completely free. Players can, as Bathrobe Cast states, expect "hours of mindless fun" from the game.
In Addition to PC, Spartan Survivors is Also Surprisingly Coming to Xbox Consoles
Spartan Survivors was scheduled to launch on PC via Steam and Itch.io on May 25, 2025, but at the time of writing this article, only the Itch.io version has been released so far. While fan games like this are typically exclusive to PC due to legal issues, Spartan Survivors will surprisingly be launched on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well. The Xbox versions of the game don't have an exact release date yet, but Bathrobe Cast assures that it will hit Microsoft's consoles sometime in summer 2025 .
Frankly, the fact that an unofficial Halo game is being released on an Xbox console is a big deal. After all, platform holders are typically not that receptive to other companies using IPs that they own. PlayStation and Nintendo, for instance, have not allowed God of War and Mario fan games to be released on their respective storefronts. One would normally expect Microsoft to do the same and prevent a game like Spartan Survivors from coming to its consoles, but the company has apparently given Bathrobe Cast permission to launch it on Xbox, courtesy of the Xbox Game Usage rules. Fan-made games on Xbox are few and far between, so it's nice to see Spartan Survivors make the jump to Microsoft's consoles, especially since it's a Halo-inspired title.
Halo Infinite
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%
- Released
- December 8, 2021
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 343 Industries
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- Slipspace
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.
With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.
Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.
Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
