What is the best order to watch Halo?

For first-timers, we recommend Release Order as it's the intended experience. For rewatches, Timeline/Chronological Order offers a fresh perspective by following the in-universe chronology.

How many titles are in Halo?

Halo currently includes content across multiple formats. Use the section filters to view specific content types and the order variants to choose your preferred viewing order.

Should I watch Halo in release order or chronological order?

Release order is best for first-time viewers as it preserves the creators' intended narrative reveals. Chronological order is great for rewatches and understanding the timeline better.

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Halo

edited 2026-05-21

A complete play and reading order for the Halo franchise — Bungie and 343 Industries' mainline first-person shooters, the two Halo Wars real-time strategy games, the live-action and animated web series set in the game canon, and the essential novels including Eric Nylund's Spartan origin trilogy, Greg Bear's Forerunner Saga, and Karen Traviss's Kilo-Five trilogy. Includes both release-order and in-universe chronological options for the games, and clearly separates the Paramount+ Silver Timeline show from the main game canon.

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Tags · [game-canon][silver-timeline]

page order

games14 items · 14 unwatched

01GAME

2009Ensemble Studios' 2009 real-time strategy entry, set in 2531 during the early decades of the Human-Covenant War — roughly 21 years before th…

02GAME

2010Bungie's 2010 prequel and final Halo game, following Noble Team — a squad of SPARTAN-III supersoldiers — during the Covenant's catastrophic…

03GAME

2001Bungie's 2001 launch title for the original Xbox, introducing the United Nations Space Command's super-soldier Master Chief (John-117) and h…

04GAME

2011343 Industries and Saber Interactive's 2011 remaster of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, released for the franchise's tenth anniversary. T…

05GAME

2004Bungie's 2004 sequel, expanding the war to Earth and the Covenant holy city High Charity. The game introduces the Arbiter — a disgraced Cove…

06GAME

2009Bungie's 2009 standalone expansion, following a squad of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in the coastal African city of New Mombasa during the C…

07GAME

2007Bungie's 2007 conclusion to the original trilogy, set on Earth, the Ark installation beyond the galaxy's edge, and a new Halo ring. Master C…

08GAME

2013343 Industries' 2013 top-down twin-stick action game, originally released for Windows and Windows Phone before arriving on Xbox platforms. S…

09GAME

2012343 Industries' 2012 debut entry and the first chapter of the Reclaimer Saga, set five years after Halo 3. Master Chief awakens from cryosle…

10GAME

2015343 Industries' 2015 follow-up to Spartan Assault, retaining the top-down action format with two distinct campaign threads framed as war-gam…

11GAME

2015343 Industries' 2015 second Reclaimer Saga entry, set in 2558 and structured around two competing fireteams. Blue Team — Master Chief with L…

12GAME

2017343 Industries and Creative Assembly's 2017 RTS sequel, set in 2559 when the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire — dormant since the events of t…

13GAME

2021343 Industries' 2021 open-world entry and the third chapter of the Reclaimer Saga, set on the Zeta Halo ring in 2560. Six months after a cat…

14GAME

2014343 Industries' 2014 Xbox One compilation bundling remastered versions of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, and…

animated & live-action4 items · 4 unwatched

paramount+ series2 items · 2 unwatched

novels13 items · 13 unwatched