The first Halo game was a generation-defining marvel piece. Being the first well-built first-person shooter for a console, Halo had many innovations that were cutting edge for the time. With time Halo games grew in both hearts and souls of the fans. Master Chief has turned into one of the most recognized game characters today. If you have never played these games before, it might be confusing where to start. And with all the games currently available in Xbox game pass for PC &console, there has ever been a great time to explore this mighty lore. So today let’s look at a list of all the Halo games in chronological and release date order. Now let’s get right into it.
All Halo Games in Release Date Order
Here are all the Halo games in release date order:
- Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)
- Halo 2 (2004)
- Halo 3 (2007)
- Halo Wars (2009)
- Halo 3: ODST (2009)
- Halo: Reach (2010)
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (2011)
- Halo 4 (2012)
- Halo: Spartan Assault (2013)
- Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014)
- Halo: Spartan Strike (2015)
- Halo 5: Guardians (2015)
- Halo Wars 2 (2017)
- Halo Recruit (2017)
- Halo: Fireteam Raven (2018)
- Halo Infinite (2021)
Note: Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of 6 Halo games with updated audio, visuals, and gameplay improvements. The compilation of games includes Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3 ODST, Halo Reach, & Halo 4.
All Halo Games in Chronological Order
Here are all the Halo games in chronological timeline order:
- Halo Wars (2531)
- Halo: Reach (2552)
- Halo: Combat Evolved (2552)
- Halo: Fireteam Raven (2552)
- Halo 2 (2552)
- Halo 3: ODST (2552)
- Halo 3 (2552-2553)
- Halo: Spartan Assault (2554)
- Halo 4 (2557)
- Halo: Spartan Strike (2552 & 2557-2558)
- Halo 5: Guardians (2558)
- Halo Wars 2 (2559)
- Halo Infinite (2560)
With more than 1 set in the same year (2552), and the timeline split between some games, let’s look at them in a bit of detail with when the events take place within these games:
| Timeline | Halo Chronological Order | Events |
| 2531 | Halo Wars | Set 21 years before Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo: Reach | Set shortly before Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo: Combat Evolved | Master Chief & crew of ‘Autumn’ crash land on Halo ringworld |
| 2552 | Halo: Fireteam Raven | Takes place during events of Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo 2 | Takes place after the events of Halo: Combat Evolved |
| 2552 | Halo 3: ODST | Set right after the events of Halo 2 |
| 2552-2553 | Halo 3 | Takes place after the events of Halo 2 |
| 2554 | Halo: Spartan Assault | Takes place during the events of Halo 3 & Halo 4 |
| 2557 | Halo 4 | Set 4 years after the events of Halo 3 |
| 2552 & 2557-2558 | Halo: Spartan Strike | The first half takes place during Halo 2, and the second half focuses on events after Halo 4 |
| 2558 | Halo 5: Guardians | Takes place 8 months after Halo 4 |
| 2559 | Halo Wars 2 | Set after Halo 5: Guardians & 28 years after Halo Wars |
| 2560 | Halo Infinite | Takes place in the year 2560, 2 years after the AI rebellion in Halo 5: Guardians |
Lore Timeline Eras
The lore of Halo is divided into different Eras according to major events. So here are the Era and timelines to understand the lore while playing the games yourself:
| Halo Eras | Years |
| Precursor era | ∞ to 200,000 BCE |
| Forerunner era | 200,000 BCE to 50,000 BCE |
| Rise of the Covenant era | 50,000 BCE to 1500 CE |
| Globalization era | 1500 CE to 2362 CE |
| Colonial era | 2362 CE to 2494 CE |
| Insurrection era | 2494 CE to 2525 CE |
| The Great War era | 2525 CE to 2553 CE |
| Post-war era | 2553 CE to 2557 CE |
| Reclaimer era | 2557 CE to 2560 CE |
| Post-Reclaimer era | 2560 CE & beyond |
That’s all about the list of all the Halo games in chronological and release date order. While you are here, take a look at our Halo Infinite Guides to get the upper hand during the new multiplayer season.