Saying the Halo franchise has seen its fair share of ups and downs over the years would be an understatement. From its humble beginnings to defining what an FPS title could be on a console, and then becoming one of the most recognizable franchises in the world, Halo has helped shape modern pop culture. However, for all its fame, the franchise hasn’t been immune to the collateral damage of studio buyouts, terrible narrative direction, and bad management.
Yet on its 25th birthday, it seems only appropriate to honour the franchise that helped shape an entire generation of gamers by ranking the many video game entries Halo has seen since 2001. Having played literally every Halo game released, it seemed only fitting to spend some time reflecting on Halo’s history. Warning, though: there will be spoilers throughout, so if you haven’t played through the Halo titles, go do it now. It’s okay, I’ll wait.
With that out of the way, here is our list of ranked Halo titles from least to greatest:
11. Halo: Spartan Assault / Spartan Strike (Release 2013 / 2015)
Playable On: PC, XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, Mobile
A first for the franchise, Halo: Spartan Assault and its successor, Halo: Spartan Strike, introduced players to the first top-down twin-stick shooter version of Halo. Designed to fill out the lore between Halo 3 and Halo 4 (Spartan Assault) and Halo 2 and post-Halo 4, these two entries were serviceable but lacked the impact and weight that so many of the other titles carried. While each was a serviceable twin-stick shooter, neither felt truly impactful narratively, nor did it break new ground mechanically, which is why they are at the bottom of our list.
10. Halo: Fireteam Raven (Release 2018)
Playable On: Arcade Console
Another first for the franchise, Halo: Fireteam Raven was the franchise’s first arcade light gun shooter. The title touches on many of the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, but from the perspective of a team of ODSTs (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers). The Arcade title was released in two variants: a two- and four-player light gun shooter that aimed to cash in on the nostalgia of Halo: Combat Evolved, and in some ways it worked, though ultimately it felt like many other light gun shooters at the Arcade.
9. Halo 5: Guardians (Release 2015)
Playable On: XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S
I wanted to love this game. It had so many things going for it. The best FPS combat to date in the franchise, a return of some of my favourite characters such as Buck from Halo 3: ODST and visuals that still hold up today. However, a lacklustre and ultimately flat story, along with some huge gaps in the narrative between Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, left me feeling mostly frustrated at the lack of exposition to fill in the gaps and what seemed like a misunderstanding of what makes the Master Chief such a great character. If you were a fan of the Chief, Halo 5: Guardians was a punch in the gut.
8. Halo 4 (Release 2012)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, XBOX 360
A first outing for the newly formed Studio 343 Industries, Halo 4 attempted to dive deeper into the relationship between Chief and Cortana while also attempting to create a more dangerous threat than the Flood. While the first part of this worked well, creating a richer bond between the two main characters as they wrestled with the reality that despite the Chief’s incredible skill and power, there are some battles that cannot be won, the larger threat simply didn’t carry the weight brought by the Flood. While it was a fine shooter, introducing us to a much more robust loadout system, the narrative left much to be desired.
7. Halo Infinite (Release 2021)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S
While it suffers from the same missing narrative context as Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite makes up for it by at least having a good grasp on who the Master Chief is and writing that into the story. As the franchise’s first open-world title, Halo Infinite did a lot of things right. It allowed players to explore areas freely with key missions advancing the story. It offered great unlockables and points of interest for players to explore. Finally, it still offers some of the best combat the franchise has experienced to date.
6. Halo Wars / Halo Wars 2 (Release 2009 / 2017)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, XBOX 360 (Halo Wars Only)
The original Halo Wars did something we hadn’t seen done in the franchise since Halo: Combat Evolved; it redefined what a genre could do on controller. The first RTS in the series, Halo Wars, was, upon release, a console exclusive and, as such, defined how the genre could be played well with a controller. While other RTS games had debated on other consoles, Halo Wars got it right, simplifying the complexity of RTS systems and, as such, creating a fun, smooth and fast RTS experience all from the comfort of your controller.
The narrative for both Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 still offers some of the best story outside the original trilogy, with that epic cutscene (you know the one) from Halo Wars carrying the same level of Spartan energy as many from the OG trilogy. Even today, the Halo Wars titles offer an incredibly fun playthrough and narrative that truly enriches the franchise as a whole.
5. Halo: ODST (Release 2009)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, XBOX 360
I was seriously torn on where to put Halo: ODST on this list. It is still such a great title to play through and offers a much different lens through which to experience the Halo Universe. Following a group of ODST’s, the player takes on the perspective of each member of the team as they work tirelessly to survive in the occupied city of New Mombasa during the events of Halo 2.
Combat is similar to that of Halo 3, having been built on the same engine, but captures the frailty of being human without the armour and arguments of the Spartan program. An incredible voice cast, exceptional musical scores and a great narrative help cement it as one of the better titles in the franchise.
4. Halo: Reach (Release 2010)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, XBOX 360
The swan song of Bungie, the original creators of the franchise, Halo: Reach tells the story of the events leading up to Halo: Combat Evolved. Following Noble Team, a group of Spartans desperately trying to survive on a world being destroyed by the Covenant.
While mechanically, Halo: Reach introduced a few new mechanics to the franchise, it was the desperation of these super soldiers that was so impactful. It was a story of wrestling with hopelessness and trying to make sense of a senseless story, ultimately working to find meaning in it all. With no character safe in a no-win scenario, Halo: Reach helped players see past the Spartan Armor to the human characters underneath.
3: Halo 2 (Released 2004)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, XBOX 360, Original XBOX
The sequel to the title that started it all, Halo 2 introduced gamers to some of the best moments in the franchise. It took everything that made Halo: Combat Evolved great and dialled it up to eleven. From dual-wielding Needlers to picking up the energy sword for the first time to playing as both the Chief and the Arbiter, Halo 2 invited players to explore a much larger universe.
What keeps it from being higher on this list is a matter of where the game ends, namely that cliffhanger which simultaneously delivered one of the most iconic lines in the franchise while also summoning the collective rage of every gamer on the planet, but rolling the credits without a satisfying ending.
2. Halo 3 (Released 2007)
Playable On: PC / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S, XBOX 360
Halo 3 did what Halo 2 could not; it finally finished the fight. Building on the scale and scope of the narrative that was established in its predecessor, Halo 3 continued to build up the suspense and desperation of the Master Chief’s story. It was an epic conclusion to one of the best FPS trilogies gamers had ever experienced.
Mechanically, it offered our first real taste of equipment, which was a blast to use and somehow managed to make the Halo universe feel bigger and more daunting than even Halo 2 had. It did so many things right, which is why Halo 3 is near the top of our list.
1. Halo: Combat Evolved / Campaign Evolved (Released 2001 / 2026)
Playable On: PC / PS5 (Campaign Evolved only) / XBOX Series X|S / XBOX One X|S(Combat Evolved only), XBOX 360(Combat Evolved only), Original XBOX (Combat Evolved only)
Halo: Combat Evolved defined what we could expect from an FPS on console. Every controller-based FPS since owes its basic functionality to what Halo: Combat Evolved established on the original XBOX in November 2001. As a gamer I still remember where I was the first time I sat down to play through Pillar of Autumn for the first time.
While it has not aged well mechanically, the narrative of Halo: Combat Evolved, with its incredible world-building and intense moments of suspense, is still worth going back to experience again. Not to mention that it still has one of the best villain introductions and most unique endings I’ve experienced in a video game.
Thankfully, with the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved in 2026, players can go back to play through the story along with some new prequel lore and great quality-of-life updates from the comfort of modern consoles and PC’s.
From the mundane to the marvellous, that is our ranking of 25 years of Halo titles. Here’s to 25 more years!
