Halo Infinite had the biggest launch in the franchise with over 20 million players to date

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In no small part thanks to Game Pass support and free multiplayer

Halo Infinite
(Image credit: 343)

Over 20 million people have played Halo Infinite, making it the biggest Halo launch ever.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella touched on the game's success in the company's latest earnings call, and the official Halo Twitter account quickly followed up to affirm that Infinite has been "the biggest launch in Halo franchise history." 

Compared to previous Halo games, Halo Infinite had the massive advantage of a totally free-to-play multiplayer component which saw a surprise launch last November. The game also launched on Xbox Game Pass, which made it even more accessible.  

Of course, we can't forget that the game is just plain good. As we said in our Halo Infinite review, its dynamic open world, refined combat, and updated multiplayer delivered a whole new breed of Halo. And as our own Alyssa Mercante said, it's secretly one of the funniest games to come out in years.

In a similar vein, the studio updated the premier Fracture: Tenrai event to give out more free gear following an avalanche of player feedback arguing that cosmetics felt too expensive. The cost of Halo Infinite's paid items were also reduced across the board as part of a renewed plan from 343 to change "how we package and price items." 

Halo Infinite's Tenrai event is definitely better, but it still needs work. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.