The 13 Best 'Halo' Games, Ranked

Halo has had its fair share of spinoffs that tackle other genres besides first-person shooters. Halo: Spartan Assault hopped onto the twin-stick, top-down shooter trend of the time and, for the most part, is decent at best. The familiar elements that make up the Halo universe give this game some much-needed personality and identity - arguably, this title would be just another generic shooter without it. The shooting action is solid, but the presence of bothersome microtransactions and finicky touch controls on mobile devices put a damper on this game's overall quality.

Halo: Spartan Strike is a more serviceable version of what came before it in Spartan Assault. The action stays amazing throughout, plus the mission variety got a nice bump to keep things interesting. This sequel devotes itself to improving upon the formula of its predecessor and it almost fulfills that lofty task. Getting rid of the first game's microtransactions proved to be a smart move from this game's developers. However, the complete absence of a multiplayer option (which was present in Spartan Assault) keeps this Halo spinoff from being as great as fans hoped it would be. Spartan Strike improves on things but lacks one essential feature that could have truly made it excel.

Now let's step into the genre of strategy games for this next pick on our list of the best Halo games. At its core, Halo Wars 2 is a respectable follow-up to the first game that produced a more accessible version of strategy games for console players. An easy-to-grasp control scheme, the wealth of multiplayer modes players can busy themselves with, and overall gameplay are Halo Wars 2's strongest attributes. However, lackluster campaign missions, unremarkable characters, and an anti-climatic ending stand out as its worst elements.

Like most fans of the Halo Wars saga, we prefer the first one a whole lot more than the second one. At the time of its release, Halo Wars felt so fresh since it deviated from first-person gunplay to more strategic warfare that challenged players to think a couple of steps ahead in order to emerge victorious. The best parts of the sequel are present here with the added benefits of an interesting narrative that make the game's campaign an exciting endeavor. While the campaign proves to be brief, Halo Wars still proves to be the best example of Halo moving into the real-time strategy genre.

If you ever find yourself and a crew of fellow arcade goers in the mood for some four-player light gun fun, then Halo: Fireteam Raven will certainly give you all a good time. As a group of UNSC Orbital Drop "Shock Troopers," everyone gets to wield their own Assault Rifle and hop into the fight that transpires during the event of the first Halo game. Arcade shooters like this one prove to be a fun time waster thanks to some chaotic events concerning the "Covenant" and the "Flood" that entail blasting them to bits. But as most arcade gamers know, Fireteam Raven is fun but brief. And once you've reached the end of it, you've seen everything it has to offer.

343 Industries was handed the reigns to the Halo empire by Bungie once the original IP holders moved on to making Destiny. Some amount of acclaim should be afforded to 343 for improving upon the well-tuned first-person combat of previous entries in the series. From a gameplay perspective, Halo 5: Guardians hits in all the right places when it comes to a campaign full of rousing sci-fi skirmishes and a satisfying multiplayer suite complemented by the debut of a new mode called "Warzone." However, the biggest knock on this Halo sequel comes from its misleading storyline that painted Master Chief as some sort of deserter and betrayer. The conflict promised between him and fellow Spartan Jameson Locke in the ads running before this game's release came and went without much of an epic conclusion whatsoever.

343 Industries' first foray into the tumultuous life of Master Chief ended up being a satisfactory mainline game that got fans a bit excited for what was to come from the new owners of the Halo IP. The war with the Covenant and the Flood subsided here and led to a new rivalry between the UNSC Spartans and the powerful "Forerunners." Halo 4's campaign gets high scores for its emotional moments between Master Chief and Cortana, fresh firefights with Forerunner enemies, and your usual array of hype vehicle segments. From a storyline standpoint, however, this sequel doesn't quite nail the landing like the unforgettable plots from the first three Halo games. The newest armor abilities in competitive multiplayer proved to be a sore spot for many Halo fans, but at least the brand-new "Dominion" mode knocked it out of the park on its very first try.

Halo 3: ODST took the focus away from the superpowered Spartans of the UNSC and shined the spotlight on the fighting force's "Orbital Drop Shock Troopers" (ODSTs). This side project has grown to become a fan favorite among the Halo faithful nowadays thanks to its engrossing campaign, captivating atmosphere, and signature abilities introduced by the ODST units. The biggest plus of this game is its co-op "Firefight" mode, which took plenty of inspiration from Gears of War's "Horde" mode and offered its own fun spin on the winning formula. While Halo: ODST doesn't do a whole lot to push the series forward, it still deserves its props for presenting a fresh perspective during and after the monumental events of Halo 2.

There was a ton of pomp and circumstance surrounding the impending launch of Halo Infinite. 343 Industries made it abundantly clear that it was ready to move Master Chief to an open world format instead of linear stages and turn Halo's trademark multiplayer component into an ever-evolving free-to-play experience. This lofty project must be considered one of the better Halo games due to its thrilling campaign that lets players tackle missions any way they see fit with weapons, vehicles, and friendly soldiers that can be called upon at will. What drastically hurts this game in the eyes of hardcore Halo fans is how it failed to feature a lot of the features at launch that previous Halo games had from the jump and the game's focus on modern-day live service game elements (Halo with a Battle Pass just sounds so wrong...).

Now we're knee-deep in the territory of the undisputed best Halo games diehards fans live and die by! Here's a statement that every old-school gamer knows to be true - if the original Xbox launched without Halo, we probably wouldn't even be talking about that console or playing any of its successors today. Master Chief's introductory first-person shooter guaranteed Microsoft's first home console's financial success and mainstream recognizability. This revolutionary FPS kicked off the epic struggle between the iconic Master Chief and The Covenant, which results in wild gunfights across a bevy of unforgettable stages. Halo's enemy AI is super intelligent, so each skirmish with the game's alien forces felt like an actual battle for survival. Major props to the first Halo's infinitely replayable 16-player competitive multiplayer modes, too. The remastered edition of this classic original Xbox title looks even better and is the version that we find ourselves going back to the most.

When Bungie switched things up to go the prequel route with its post-Halo 3 projects, the best one arrived in the form of Halo: Reach. The battle-hardened unit of "Noble Six" became instant fan favorites as their struggle on the Earth-like colony "Reach" became the stuff of legend. Taking on the encroaching Covenant threat feels as good as it's ever been here - utilizing new versions of signature Halo weapons and arming yourself with fresh ones is the name of the game here. This game's orchestral score hits all the right emotional notes during some iconic scenes, plus the multiplayer suite is legendary for all the game mode options it offers to every type of Halo player. Halo: Reach's campaign is epic, emotional, and simply unforgettable - fans will always commend the valiant efforts of the brave Nobel Six thanks to this amazing Halo 3 prequel.

The sweeping saga that began in Halo: Combat Evolved met its definitive end here. And for most fans of Master Chief's interplanetary battles, Halo 3 produced a satisfying end to it all. The Chief's armory expanded in this game to include support weapons, two-handed firearms, and special pieces of gear that improve his defensive capabilities. "Forge Mode's" groundbreaking introduction in Halo 3 proved to be monumental as it allowed the creative Halo fanbase to create amazing maps that even rivaled those of Bungie. This game's campaign, multiplayer, and map creation system all add up to create a Halo for the ages. Halo 3 deserves to be mentioned among the best games, best FPS games, and best Xbox 360 games ever created. It still stands as a crowning achievement of Bungie and the Xbox brand's first-party classics.

In our heart of hearts, we'll always regard the first Halo sequel as the very best Halo game ever made. Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room first, though - Halo 2's campaign ended up being surprisingly short. Plus that cliffhanger ending was super disappointing for Master Chief fans everywhere. But from a gameplay perspective, this follow-up to the original Xbox's most celebrated FPS is one of the greatest games ever made. Halo 2 not only gives players the ability to eliminate some dastardly aliens as Master Chief, but it also provides plenty of screen & playtime to the newly introduced Arbiter. The game's overall mythos got even deeper and more intriguing thanks to that new playable hero & his crusade against Tartarus & the "Prophets." Halo 2's firefights feel just as good as the ones in the first game and its multiplayer suite still provides unlimited hours of entertainment. And in its remastered form, Halo 2's finest aspects shine even brighter.