Halo 3 is getting a new map - you read that right

Halo 3 new map
(Image credit: 343 Industries)

Halo 3 is getting a new map in 2021 according to the latest Halo Waypoint blog post.

Yes, you read that right, nearly 14 years after Halo 3 first debuted, a new map will join the multiplayer fray. It could join the Master Chief Collection as early as Thursday, February 18, in the game's latest public flight, which allows players to test in-progress Halo game releases and give feedback to the dev team at 343 Industries. There's few details about the map in question, but we do know it comes from Halo Online, the online-only game that was only released in Russia in 2015. 

The screenshot of the new map looks like an icy military base, but we've no other details about it. According to Kotaku, despite the picture not matching any of the Halo Online maps or any of the cancelled Halo 3 maps, it could very well be 'Waterfall,' a cancelled Halo Online map based on the screenshot's URL. The cancelled Halo Online map also featured concept art of icebergs and waterfalls, so it very well could be the map we'll get next week.

Here's what else will drop in the Master Chief Collection's next public flight:

  • Custom game browser
  • Season 6 content
  • FOV slider support for all Xbox One consoles
  • FOV slider no longer locked when Xbox Series X/S devices are set to 120hz
  • Double keybindings
  • Mouse and keyboard support for consoles
  • Advanced audio options
  • View model customization options

There's no new Halo Infinite updates in this Halo Waypoint, but the fact that it is 2021 and Halo 3 is getting a new map is straight out of my high school dreams - consider this Spartan satisfied. 

New Halo "project" in development according to Xbox job ad. 

Alyssa Mercante

Alyssa Mercante is an editor and features writer at GamesRadar based out of Brooklyn, NY. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.