Halo Games, Ranked

The 2001 launch title that sold the original Xbox and proved console shooters could work, with its two-weapon limit, regenerating shields, and vehicular combat becoming genre standards.

Grossed roughly $170 million in its first 24 hours in 2007 and defined a generation of online multiplayer with Forge, Theater, and a beloved matchmaking suite; holds a 94 Metacritic.

The 2004 sequel effectively launched Xbox Live as a mainstream service, introducing dual-wielding and matchmaking; its cliffhanger ending is one of gaming's most infamous.

Bungie's final Halo (2010) delivered armor abilities, deep customization, and a doomed-squad campaign widely praised as one of the series' most emotionally resonant.

2021's soft-rebooted campaign with a Zeta Halo open world and grappleshot earned strong reviews (87 Metacritic) and a free-to-play multiplayer, marking 343's critical high point.

A 2009 standalone expansion trading Spartan power for a vulnerable ODST trooper, praised for its jazzy Marty O'Donnell noir score and atmospheric New Mombasa hub.

343 Industries' 2012 first entry pushed graphical fidelity and a more human Master Chief/Cortana relationship, though its Prometheans and Spartan Ops divided fans.

Ensemble Studios' 2009 real-time strategy proved the genre could function on a controller, becoming one of the best-selling console RTS titles ever.

A 2014 remastered compilation that, after a rocky launch, became the go-to way to play the classic campaigns and multiplayer, now expanded to six games with cross-play.

2015's campaign was criticized for sidelining Master Chief and a misleading marketing arc, though its Warzone multiplayer and 60fps polish were well received.

Creative Assembly's 2017 RTS added the Blitz card mode and villain Atriox, delivering competent strategy but limited franchise momentum.

A 2013 twin-stick shooter built for touchscreens and Windows Phone, decent for a spinoff but a clear step down from the mainline experience.

The 2015 sequel to Spartan Assault repeated the top-down formula to a lukewarm reception, remembered mainly as a mobile footnote.

A short 2017 Windows Mixed Reality tech demo rather than a full game, offering only a target-range glimpse of the universe.

A 2018 four-player arcade light-gun cabinet set during Halo: CE, a novelty on-rails experience aimed at arcades rather than home players.