Halo: Combat Evolved cover art

Halo: Combat Evolved

by Bungie · published by Microsoft Game Studios

Released November 15, 2001 on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and Xbox.

Halo: Combat Evolved Trailer thumbnail

About Halo: Combat Evolved

Bent on Humankind's extermination, a powerful fellowship of alien races known as the Covenant is wiping out Earth's fledgling interstellar empire. Climb into the boots of Master Chief, a biologically altered super-soldier, as you and the other surviving defenders of a devastated colony-world make a desperate attempt to lure the alien fleet away from earth. Shot down and marooned on the ancient ring-world Halo, you begin a guerilla-war against the Covenant. Fight for humanity against an alien onslaught as you race to uncover the mysteries of Halo.

After the fall of Reach, The Pillar of Autumn, the only surviving human ship, makes a random slip-space jump away from the planet, so as not to lead the Covenant to Earth. When the Autumn drops out of slip-space, they find themselves next to a large, artificial, ring-world. A Covenant fleet hiding behind the adjacent planet engages the Autumn, the biologically augmented super-soldier John 117, or the Master Chief, is taken out of cryostasis. He proceeds to the bridge while fighting hordes of boarding Covenant forces. The Master Chief retrieves the ship-board AI (Artificial Intelligence) Cortana from the Captain of the vessel, Captain Keyes. The Chief and Cortana board an escape craft and begin to drop towards the surface of the ring-world. The Chief is the only one in his escape pod to survive the impact, and sneaks away from the crash site. After gathering all the survivors from the Autumn, the Chief makes an attack run on a Covenant ship in order to save Captain Keyes. Keyes tells the Chief and Cortana that the Covenant call this world Halo. Cortana realizes that it has

Release dates by platform

XboxNANovember 15, 2001 · Out now
XboxEUMarch 14, 2002 · Out now
XboxJPApril 25, 2002 · Out now
PCNASeptember 30, 2003 · Out now
PCEUOctober 10, 2003 · Out now
MacNADecember 3, 2003 · Out now
MacEUFebruary 11, 2004 · Out now
Xbox 360December 4, 2007 · Out now

Reviews & players

Critic score873 reviews
Player score83931 ratings on IGDB

Halo: Combat Evolved FAQ

When did Halo: Combat Evolved come out?

Halo: Combat Evolved was released on November 15, 2001 for PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and Xbox.

Is Halo: Combat Evolved on PlayStation 5?

No. Halo: Combat Evolved has not been announced for PlayStation 5. It is available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and Xbox.

Is Halo: Combat Evolved on Xbox Series X|S?

No. Halo: Combat Evolved has not been announced for Xbox Series X|S. It is available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and Xbox.

Is Halo: Combat Evolved on Nintendo Switch 2?

No. Halo: Combat Evolved has not been announced for Nintendo Switch 2. It is available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and Xbox.

Who is making Halo: Combat Evolved?

Halo: Combat Evolved is developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios and MacSoft Games.

Is Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer?

Yes. Halo: Combat Evolved supports single player, multiplayer, co-operative, and split screen.

Is Halo: Combat Evolved good?

Critics give Halo: Combat Evolved an average score of 87/100 across 3 reviews.

Halo series

17 games in release order

Full timeline
  1. Halo: Combat Evolved2001
  2. Halo 22004
  3. Halo 32007
  4. Halo Wars2009
  5. Halo 3: ODST2009
  6. Halo: Reach2010
  7. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary2011
  8. Halo 4: King of the Hill Fueled by Mountain Dew2012
  9. Halo 42012
  10. Halo: Spartan Assault2013
  11. Halo 2: Anniversary2014
  12. Halo: Spartan Strike2015
  13. Halo 5: Guardians2015
  14. Halo 5: Forge2016
  15. Halo: Fireteam Raven2018
  16. Halo Infinite2021
  17. Halo: Campaign Evolved2026

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