Spanning several decades and with games released across multiple console generations, the Halo the franchise and its overall storyline can be a little difficult to follow at times. Even with HaloAside from the extensive catalog of fantasy novels that help fill in the gaps between games, the franchise tends to cycle through its sci-fi timeline as you begin to venture outside of its numbered entries.
With numerous spin-offs and prequels under its belt, playing the Halo The chronologically ordered games help paint a much clearer picture of the series’ escalating stakes and the scale of its intergalactic war that goes far beyond Master Chief’s own actions. Whether you’re looking for which order to play for the first time or how to revisit the series from a new perspective, tracking the story by year rather than release is the way to go.
Halo: Wars (2531)
Released in 2009, 8 years after the first Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: Wars is one of the most unique entries in the series. This entry moved away from its first-person origins in favor of a surprisingly intense real-time strategy game that’s worth trying for yourself, even if you’re not a fan of the genre.
Highlighting the early years of the brutal war between the UNSC and the Covenant, Halo Wars shows just how desperate the decades of fighting were before the series officially began.
Halo: Reach (2552)
Taking place just before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved2010s Halo: reach explores one of the franchise’s most significant moments with the Fall of Reach, marking a major blow to humanity’s last desperate efforts to survive. Reach is often considered one of the best entries in the franchise, taking full advantage of that of its predecessor to create an action-packed prequel with a wide variety of gameplay on top of its emotional story.
The actions of each member of ReachTeam Noble was directly responsible for allowing Master Chief and Cortana to play a vital role in future entries, ultimately triggering a domino effect that would end the war through their sacrifices.
Halo: Combat Evolved (2552)
Although it’s the first game in the legendary FPS franchise, it dates back to 2001. Halo: Combat Evolved is technically the third game chronologically, directly following the events of Halo: reach as Covenant forces attempt to take down any fleeing survivors from the fallen planet. Introducing Master Chief and Cortana as essential protagonists of the series, Advanced Combat also lays the groundwork for not only the games that followed, but also the fissures within the Covenant hierarchy.
Advanced combat takes place entirely on a ring-shaped Halo Array created by an ancient race known as the Forerunners and shows that there are even more horrors lurking across the galaxy than just the genocidal Covenant. Offering teasers of Haloof the mysterious universe while establishing the series’ iconic weapons, battles and factions, Advanced combat is easily one of the most important entries in the franchise, and an exciting remake is now on the way.
Halo 2 (2552)
Jump to Earth following the events of Advanced combatyears 2004 Halo 2 sees the first-ever Covenant attack on humanity’s homeworld of Earth in search of Forerunner artifacts. While this is a devastating blow to humanity, it has an even more significant effect on the Covenant, and the Covenant’s internal struggles are revealed through the playable eyes of the Arbiter.
To experience the series in full chronological order, you’ll need to move on to the next entry after completing the fifth level, “Metropolis”, in Halo 2the countryside.
Exploring in more depth the political and religious themes that constitute the hierarchy of the Covenant, Halo 2 also ends on a cliffhanger which is directly linked to the beginning of Halo 3. Thanks to a double division between the leader and the referee, Halo 2 also delivered some of the best levels in the franchise while laying the foundation for future entries to follow
Halo 3: ODST (2552)
Although it is usually supplied with Halo 3the entirety of 2009 Halo 3: THE EPISODE takes place in New Mombasa City during the events of Halo 2the story. Showcasing a more human side of war without the aid of superhumans in power suits, PARAGRAPH follows a few ordinary soldiers during the war to repel the Covenant’s small-scale invasion force.
Offering a greater emphasis on tactics and exploration with a dark and unforgettable atmosphere, Halo 3: THE EPISODE helps put everything you’re fighting for throughout the series into perspective, even if it doesn’t advance the overall story of Master Chief itself.
Halo: Spartan Strike (2552-2557)
One of the strangest entries in the Halo franchise, Halo: Spartan Strike was a mobile game released in 2015 that acted as a twin-stick shooter similar to Halo: Spartan Assault.
By focusing more on gameplay rather than narrative, Halo: Spartan Strike jumps around the timeline with missions taking place at several points in the series, notably during Halo 2 and directly after the events of Halo 4. It ultimately spans the post-war galaxy in a manner similar to Spartan assault. I would only recommend playing this one after Halo 4given that it would spoil some events later in the series.
Halo 3 (2552)
Released in 2007 as a follow-up to Halo 2the events of Halo 3 conclude the series’ original trilogy while providing a resolution to the 28-year war between humanity and the Covenant. With more refined game mechanics and stakes that couldn’t be higher, Halo 3 does a great job of wrapping up the original storyline while still leaving room for future entries to follow.
With lingering mysteries surrounding the Forerunners and Cortana, Halo 3 did a great job of wrapping up the original storyline and the threat of flooding, while showing that its vast universe still has a lot to offer for the future.
Halo: Spartan Assault (2554)
Taking place between the events of Halo 3 And Halo 4the twin stick shooter of 2013 Halo: Spartan Assault is far from being the richest entry in history of the Halo franchise, but it still does a great job expanding the post-war state of the galaxy.
Featuring more arcade-style gameplay and mission types, Spartan Halo Assault follows a series of Spartan-IVs in their continued efforts to protect humanity from any lingering threats, such as the splinter factions of the Covenant lurking across the galaxy.
Halo 4 (2557)
Years after the events of Halo 3the 2012 version of Halo 4 begins a new saga for the series with its Reclaimer faction, slowly moving the series away from its war story towards a more character-driven sci-fi saga. Following the Chief’s attempts to help deal with the threat of Cortana’s rising power while dealing with the even deadlier threat of an awakened Forerunner, Halo 4 helps further explore the brutal details of its sci-fi setting.
Reframing the Forerunners from ambivalent guardians to galactic conquerors, Halo 4 also introduces a whole new, somewhat controversial faction of enemies to face, with help from its vastly expanded combat gear, customization systems, and powerful vehicle types.
Halo 5: Guardians (2558)
Taking place one year after the events of Halo 4years 2015 Halo 5: Guardians brings back the two protagonists first introduced in Halo 2. You follow the story of Master Chief, who attempts to find Cortana after her supposed sacrifice, and Blue Team’s Spartan Locke, who attempts to detain him for going rogue and endangering humanity through his actions towards Cortana.
Once again dividing the series into troubled alliances and militaristic actions, Halo 5: Guardians sees a new status quo being created with AI at the helm of humanity’s continued survival.
