Xbox has invested heavily into Xbox Game Pass since the subscription service was launched in 2017. The company's dedication to the service has included monthly additions, day one launches of some of the biggest releases, and the promise that all future first-party Xbox titles will launch on the service for both Xbox and PC. So far this has included titles like Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Psychonauts 2, with titles like Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite coming to Xbox Game Pass in the near future.
Halo Infinite in particular has received a lot of attention and hype ahead of its release, with fans excited to return to one of the most influential console series. Halo Infinite has promised to deliver a sprawling new singleplayer campaign, a new take on the iconic Halo multiplayer, and a bevy of new innovations only possible on the newest gaming hardware. Lucky fans have gotten early access to Halo Infinite's test flights and have gotten to check out the new multiplayer, which has only added to the excitement for Halo Infinite's release. Luckily, fans with an Xbox Game Pass subscription will get everything the game has to offer included in their subscription.
Halo Infinite's Singleplayer Campaign
Halo Infinite will continue the story of Master Chief and will see him returning to one of Halo's iconic titular rings. Fans have seen very little of the campaign since the game's reveal, but the developers at 343 Industries have been very willing to share details here and there leading up to the game's release. Thus far, it has been revealed that the game's ring will feature a more open-world design that will allow players to travel across it with a variety of means to travel to mission objectives and explore. This includes many of the vehicles that series veterans have come to expect, while Halo Infinite will also introduce some new vehicles as well.
As for Halo Infinite's actual story, players have only gotten some hints at what to expect. Halo Infinite's trailer shown at Gamescom seemed to confirm that Master Chief will be without Cortana again, and could even still be trying to track her down or stop her after the events of Halo 5. Fans also know that Master Chief will be facing off against a new clan of Brutes known as the Banished, who is led by a new character named Escharum. This has left some dedicated Halo loremasters questioning what happened to Halo Wars' Atriox, but hopefully, Halo Infinite will answer that and other questions when it releases.
Halo Infinite's Multiplayer
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So far, Halo Infinite's marketing and press ahead of release have been mostly focused on its multiplayer mode. This makes sense, as it is where most of the gameplay time of any Halo title is spent, and Halo Infinite seems to be going big to help spearhead the triple threat for Xbox Game Pass this Fall. A large part of this is that the multiplayer mode for Halo Infinite will actually be free-to-play, a first for the series.
Not only will this help even non-subscribers check out the game, and possibly buy the game or an Xbox Game Pass subscription to check out the campaign. The game will also likely help Halo Infinite stay competitive in a genre that has become dominated by free-to-play titles like Apex Legends and Fortnite. However, the developers have said that Halo Infinite will not be pursuing game modes like a battle royale, and will instead focus on core Halo game modes for now.
The free-to-play nature of the multiplayer has also led to it featuring alternative monetization methods in the way of seasonal battle passes. Battle passes have become extremely popular in recent years as a way for live service games to continuously raise revenue, while also delivering new themed events and cosmetic content for players to earn. Halo Infinite, however, is taking a bit of a unique approach in a way that many gamers across the industry have come out largely in favor of.
This is because Halo Infinite's battle passes, will not only be able to be purchased after the season has ended, but will also be able to be leveled up to unlock its content after the season has ended. This has been praised across the industry for eschewing the FOMO elements that many players feel with battle passes, and has led to communities of games like Apex Legends calling for a similar change to their games.
Halo Infinite's Release
Halo Infinite will be released on December 8, 2021, for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The game will be available for purchase for the standard $60 or will be available on all platforms on day-one through Xbox Game Pass. Halo Infinite's multiplayer mode will be completely free-to-play, but there are some notable features that Halo Infinite will be missing when it releases.
The biggest of these is the delayed campaign co-op. Early in Halo Infinite's development, 343 Industries voiced its commitment to co-op in the game as well as local split-screen. However, it was announced that while the feature is expected to release within a few months of Halo Infinite's launch, it will not be available immediately.
Another large omission that will be present at launch is the iconic Halo forge mode. Forge mode allows players to put together custom maps and game modes using Halo's base assets and has become a very big part of the franchise over the years. The announcement led to the competing multiplayer shooter Splitgate confirming its own Forge mode that would arrive before Halo Infinite's, but the team at 343 Industries has yet to provide any details on what Forge mode will look like when it eventually comes.
A smaller feature that will be missing at launch is multiplayer assassinations, which are flashy kills that players perform by meleeing enemies from behind. The delay was a disappointment for fans as assassinations have been an exciting staple in Halo multiplayer for some time now, but they are little more than cosmetic. Hopefully, Halo Infinite's missing features will not keep fans waiting for long after it launches this Holiday season.
Halo Infinite releases on December 8 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.