With PvE coming next week, Halo Infinite is finally the complete FPS package it promised at launch

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Firefight: King Of The Hill is incoming with three maps

An armored brute in Halo Infinite's firefight mode
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Halo Infinite sprinted into release with all the momentum of a 290-pound space spartan, but as the seasonal updates slowed down and layoffs hit developer 343 Industries, community confidence waned. Thankfully, next week’s mid-season update marks a much brighter era for the once struggling shooter.

The tide has been slowly turning with several high-quality seasons back-to-back, some amazing community-made Forge creations, and more open communication from the studio. Halo Infinite has been in a healthy spot for most of 2023 - especially compared to the rocky 2022 - but the mid-season update will finally turn the game into the full Halo package.

That’s thanks to the addition of the series’ longtime PvP mode: Firefight. The mode was first introduced as a wave-based survive ‘em up in Halo 3: ODST, turned into an arcade score-chasing mode in Halo: Reach, and then returned in grand fashion in Halo 5. The RTS Halo: Wars games even tried to replicate the fun.

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Firefight is coming to Halo Infinite on December 5 with three fan-made maps and the House Of Reckoning arena ripped straight from the campaign. The mid-season update also brings stability improvements, updates to Forge, and the Repair Field - a tool that fixes any damaged vehicles. 343 Industries is debuting a trailer on December 4, where we’ll likely get a good look at the anticipated mode.

— Halo on December 1, 2023

The developer teased the announcement by riffing on Rockstar’s GTA 6 announcement. On Twitter, the studio posted an image of Infinite’s skybox with a similar hue to Rockstar’s teaser image. Many speculated that 343 was gearing up for a major announcement, but we now know the company will simply dish out the latest info for Infinite. 

Steady updates, exciting sandbox additions, Forge creations, campaign co-op, a ranked system, fun rotating playlists. Mix that in with the already solid gunplay and the excellent campaign and Halo Infinite finally feels like the package it was supposed to be at launch. Hopefully, it’s not too little too late.

The future of Halo is up in the air, but for now, check out our Xbox Game Studios list for everything in development at Microsoft.

Kaan Serin
Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.