Halo: Combat Evolved

Halo: Combat Evolved is a first-person shooter developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios, released as an Xbox launch title in November 2001. It was the debut entry in the Halo franchise and one of the most influential console shooters ever made, playing a central role in establishing the original Xbox as a viable platform and defining what first-person shooting felt like on a gamepad.

The game follows the Master Chief, a supersoldier in powered Mjolnir armor, after a human warship crashes near a mysterious ring-shaped artificial world called Halo. Working alongside AI companion Cortana, players fight through Covenant alien forces and ultimately confront a biological threat called the Flood, uncovering the true purpose of the ring in the process. The campaign supports two-player co-op through the full game, one of the first console shooters to do so at that fidelity.

Combat Evolved's design philosophy was influential well beyond its own sales. Its two-weapon carry limit, regenerating shield system, and vehicle combat set conventions that shaped the shooter genre for years. The game's open outdoor environments, particularly the level Two Betrayals and the Warthog-driven finale, demonstrated a scale of play that had not been seen on consoles before. Its multiplayer, running on system link across multiple Xboxes, became a fixture of LAN parties throughout the early 2000s.

Bungie released Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary in 2011 for Xbox 360, a remaster with updated graphics that could be toggled on and off in real time. That version was included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014), available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Xbox app. Halo: Campaign Evolved (2026) is a full remake of this game's campaign with additional missions and expanded gameplay systems.