Summary
One of the most expansive Sci-Fi video game franchises ever made,Halo, rather surprisingly, is only home to a handful of spin-offs, almost half of which are considered critical disappointments. For a franchise centered around a multi-decade-long galactic war, it’s a little odd thatMicrosoft and 343 Industrieshaven’t tried to push the boat out a little more with spin-offs, especially asHalo Warsprovides the perfect blueprint already.
The very firstHalospin-off, beating outHalo 3: ODSTby just a few months,Halo Warsis a fairly simple real-time strategy game that sees players build up their base and launch wave after wave of iconic units and vehicles at their enemy until one player is left standing. Though it isn’t quite perfect,Halo Warswas groundbreaking at the time, helping to popularize the RTS genre on consoles alongside games likeCommand & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath. And now, 15 years after its initial release,Halo Warsremains the ideal blueprint for aHalospin-off, one that 343 Industries should be using much more regularly.
Future Halo Spin-Offs Just Need to Follow Halo Wars' Footsteps
Halo Wars Offered The Perfect Blend of Familiar and New
Released in Australia on June 15, 2025 (and just a few days later in North America)Halo Warsis still regarded as one of thebest real-time strategy games for newcomers, with its rock-paper-scissors-like gameplay being incredibly easy to understand, but quite complex to master. It’s this high level of accessibility, along with the game’s stellar presentation and the developer’s clear passion for the source material, that makesHalo Warsa joy to play even 15 years later.
But those are far fromHalo Wars' only great qualities. One of the most impressive aspects ofHalo Wars, and likely one of the main reasons behind much of its success over the years, is its ability to offer an experience that’s simultaneously both familiar and completely new. Some of the best examples of this can be found inHalo Wars' story and characters.
The main story ofHalo Warssees players take control of the crew of the Spirit of Fire, a UNSC ship helmed by Captain Cutter which is initially tasked with protecting the human planet of Harvest against Covenant forces. Naturally, this leads the Spirit of Fire on a wild goose chase across the galaxy, pursuing the Covenant as it discoversan ancient Forerunner world, and tries to activate a dormant Forerunner fleet. For any long-time fans ofHalo, this general premise is going to sound pretty familiar, but the genius ofHalo Warsis in how it spins these franchise traditions.
Set 20 years before the firstHalogame,Halo Warswas the first real on-screen depiction ofthe human-Covenant warbefore the events of the original trilogy. This small but significant change allows the game to use units, characters, and plot threads that echo the originalHalotrilogy, and occasionally even tie directly in with them, but still feel fresh and new. This feeling is reinforced by the game’s real-time strategy angle, which literally puts a new perspective on iconic franchise moments and iconography.
This is exactly what theHalofranchise needs right now. WhileHalo Infiniteis gradually redeeming itself, it still feels as though343 Industries could be doing more with theHalolicense, and there’s no shortage of opportunities when it comes to possible spin-offs, with a recent report even claiming that 343 has come up with a plethora of ideas itself. But just pushing out a mediocreHalospin-off won’t be enough to interest fans. Instead, 343 needs to ensure that it’s of the highest quality and that it evokes that classicHalofeeling, and the best way to do that is by following inHalo Wars' footsteps.
Halo Wars
WHERE TO PLAY
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is an enhanced version of the real-time strategy classic, Halo Wars, updated to run natively on Xbox One and Windows PCs. Supports Xbox Play Anywhere: yours to play on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC at no additional cost. Cross-play with Windows Store versions and Steam versions of the same game is not supported.Set earlier on in the iconic war between the Covenant and UNSC timeline made famous by the Halo FPS games beginning with Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo Wars: Definitive Edition provides a unique angle on the war while bringing new heroes to the battlefield. Control large Halo armies and direct them in action-packed warfare.Halo Wars: Definitive Edition includes improved graphics for modern machines, new achievements and all the DLC from the landmark game. Re-live the epic campaign or compete in online multiplayer battles with armies of powerful Halo forces at your command.
