Halo makes its triumphant return to PCs starting with Halo: Reach
Here comes the Chief.
Master Chief is back on PCs.
Halo is a mainstay for the Xbox platform, but the first two games of the popular sci-fi shooter were also available on the PC. A new collection will bring all the core games in the franchise to Windows computers to be played with the best graphics a PC can handle.
Halo: Master Chief Collection is now available on PCs via the Windows Store and for the first time on Steam for $39.99. The games in the collection will be released throughout 2020, with the first, Halo: Reach, coming out Tuesday. The other games are Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo 4. You can buy Halo: Reach on its own for $9.99. It'll also include crossplay between the Steam and Windows versions of the game. Halo: Reach is also now available on Xbox Games Pass.
In 4k for the first time. On PC for the first time. Available with @XboxGamePass for the first time. Halo: Reach is officially available now as part of the Master Chief Collection. https://t.co/eu55pW7pZv
— Xbox (@Xbox) December 3, 2019
PC modders who want to have some creative fun with the game will find they have carte blanche with Halo: Reach's campaign and custom games. A member of 343 Industries, the current developer of the Halo games, went on subreddit for the game to let them know modding would be available.
"We're still working to improve this down the road, but for now you will have an option when you launch to bypass anticheat," the developer said Monday. "This will allow you to play around with campaign and customs but not allow you to play any match made games. I highly suggest making a copy/backup of anything you modify so you'll be able to switch back and forth easily."
Players flocked to the game Tuesday according to the Steam stats. Halo: Reach peaked at 161,000 concurrent players making it the top game on the platform for a short period of time. On Wednesday, it's still among the top 10 games based on player counts.
First developed by Bungie, Halo was originally set for release on Macs and PCs, until Microsoft acquired the studio. The developer was then tasked with bringing the game to the Xbox as the console's premiere launch title in 2001. A PC version of the game came later in 2003. The sequel, Halo 2, released in 2004 for the Xbox, and its Windows Vista counterpart showed up in 2007. The rest of the series stayed on the Xbox platforms developed by Microsoft's Halo-exclusive developer, 343 Industries.
Originally published Dec. 3, 11:56 am PT.
Update, 7:21 p.m. PT: Adds additional background info. Dec. 4: Adds player count info.