From Best to worst, find out how all the Halo games ranked in our Best Halo Games List just ahead of the Halo Infinite Campaign launch.

Halo’s biggest year yet was 2021, when the franchise celebrated two decades as one of Microsoft’s most important first-party titles. Halo’s history is packed with significant and genre-defining moments, from its trend-setting debut as the game to own on the original Xbox to a well-received sequel that put console multiplayer gaming on the map to the imminent December 8 release of the highly-anticipated Halo Infinite Campaign.

Bungie, the original creator of Halo, eventually passed the baton to 343 Industries, and the series has since seen significant changes, multiple sequels, and a slew of spin-offs. The best Halo games blend thrilling single-player storylines with compelling multiplayer modes, and critics agree that these are the series’ best games. Here is our Best Halo Games Ranked List.

Best Halo Games Ranked

10. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Xbox 360, 2011)

The original Halo game is still as enjoyable to play today as it was 20 years ago, and the anniversary package is a loving testament to the industry’s effect when it originally came out. While almost every feature of the game is identical to the original, the option to choose between graphical settings on the fly is a tremendous delight. Whether you favor the clunky character models or a higher-resolution approach to Master Chief’s first console adventure, the transition between modes is a shocking reminder of how far the series had progressed graphically between Xbox generations.

9. Halo Wars (Xbox 360, 2009)

Ensemble Studios took Halo’s many aliens, weapons, and vehicles and put them in a console-exclusive real-time strategy game – the video game equivalent of mixing oil and water – developed by the studio that brought you PC strategy classics like Age of Empires. But Halo Wars isn’t just a good game; it’s also one of the series’ overlooked masterpieces. Halo Wars lets you build your own base, upgrade buildings, and amass a legion of soldiers, Warthogs, and Pelicans in order to crush the Covenant armada. But rather than getting bogged down in menus and statistics, Halo Wars streamlines the whole process for the Xbox 360, keeping the action running at a brisk pace that’s distinctly Halo.

8. Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360, 2009)

Halo 3: ODST was a more demanding and engaging Halo game set in a city under siege, more open-ended in design with the ability to complete missions nearly in any order you desired, and stocked with a cast of voice acting royalty. Firefight mode, a pulse-pounding horde game that could be made even more difficult by using Halo’s iconic Skulls system to toss unique modifiers into each map, was added to Halo 3: ODST’s blend of standard deathmatch and couch co-op in the multiplayer area.

7. Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One, 2015)

The campaign is far more enjoyable when played with friends rather than alone, owing to the fact that most of the enemies can only be assaulted from behind, demanding the use of multiple players to flank them. Players will also be able to play as a Spartan named Locke, and Cortana will behave as the bad guy for a while before revealing that they aren’t. On top of that, Halo finally gets iron sights, despite the fact that this update split the audience. This is the first main series Halo game for Xbox One, and it had a lot of promise, but it left me a little puzzled and perhaps tried a little too hard in spots.

6. Halo Infinite (Xbox Series X/S, 2021)

Halo Infinite is both a bold attempt to expand Master Chief’s universe and a humble return to his roots, a new sandbox to explore that awakens memories of the first time players wore the legendary Mjolnir armor and battled unimaginable odds. It is a two-part game that blends a growing narrative with a deeper multiplayer focus than ever before, laying the way for a game that can evolve and change with the times.

5. Halo 4 (Xbox 360, 2012)

343 Industries’ initial attempt at following up where Bungie left off was Halo 4. Overall, it wasn’t the near-franchise-ending disaster that Halo 5 was, but it still fell short of the prior games’ legacy. Nonetheless, it was a fun shooter with an engaging multiplayer mode. While multiplayer may try a bit too hard to appeal to the Call of Duty crowd, there’s no doubting that this is one of the most beautiful Xbox 360 games ever.

4. Halo: Reach (Xbox 360, 2010)

Halo: Reach is Bungie’s farewell to the Halo franchise before embarking on the development of Destiny. It’s a lean and mean chapter in the series that benefits from amazing art design, an energizing soundtrack, and a well-crafted campaign. Halo: Reach is an incredible example of how captivating this saga’s tale can be when it throws the spotlight on the other Spartans who reside in that universe. It details one of the most crucial moments in Halo lore.

3. Halo 3 (Xbox 360, 2007)

Halo 3 may not be recognised for rewriting the video game rulebook in the same way that its predecessors did, but it remains a fan favourite that set the bar for all that followed. The third installment was fun and had an epic campaign that took advantage of the Xbox 360’s capabilities. It expanded on the advances made in Halo 2 and let its level design run wild. Aside from the blockbuster storyline, which culminated in at least one enormous battle across the stars, Halo 3 shines in the multiplayer department.

2. Halo 2 (Xbox, 2004)

If Halo: Combat Evolved was the game that put console FPS games on the map, Halo 2 was the game that brought the globe together with its breakthrough multiplayer. Halo 2’s multiplayer, which transformed the Xbox platform into a hub of online competition, marked a significant milestone in how games might provide more value to their fanbases. The pattern for seamless matching, bespoke game modes, and skill-ranked multiplayer matches can be traced back to Bungie’s foundation for its second Halo game when combined with Halo 2’s excellent grasp on action.

1. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001)

Halo: Combat Evolved was the first game to help make the Xbox platform a household name, and its high-concept plot and living room multiplayer set a new standard for the FPS genre when it initially came out. It was more than just a system seller for the Xbox; it was also one of the most influential FPS games of its time, with split-screen multiplayer and a dramatic campaign that made excellent use of Masterchief’s agile aggression to tear through Covenant forces.

This was our Best Halo Games Ranked List. With over 20 years of Halo games,  there have been some ups and downs. But we are ready for the future of Halo and Halo Infinite.

For more related content check out our dedicated website Gamition.

More E-Sports news:

• Final Fantasy XIV different classes and playstyle
• Halo Infinite Gun Tier List
• Punishing Gray Raven Tier List

Follow our dedicated E-Sports page for instant E-Sports news and update