Halo Infinite’s Multiplayer Has Dropped Early

Over the weekend, rumors began to surge that the multiplayer for the free-to-play Halo: Infinite might surprise drop on November 15th, a little over three weeks after its expected December 8th release alongside the campaign. Although some prominent leakers tweeted it, Google sleuths who know how to properly use inspect element on some pages discovered some clues that seemed to acknowledge the date. Internet history buffs realized November 15th would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the launch for the original Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved, but there was no official confirmation.

Naysayers and desperate hopefuls can rejoice together because the rumors were true! The Xbox YouTube channel uploaded an Xbox Anniversary Celebration video to celebrate the console’s 20 years. After 25 minutes of looking back on its history, announcing 70+ titles added to the backward compatibility list, and showing a teaser for the Halo tv series on Paramount+, it was announced that the season one beta for the multiplayer of Halo Infinite was available to download and play.

The “beta” part may throw some off, but everything was properly explained on the official Halo Waypoint website. To give their servers another good test after previous technical previews and before the official launch date of December 8th, the multiplayer is being released as a beta. While that doesn’t discount any potential bugs that may be encountered, this is being treated as the start of the multiplayer as it contains everything that will be included on the December 8th launch.

As of yesterday, all maps, modes, and even the complete season 1 Battle Pass are available to players. Any progress you make during this beta will also stay with you when the game launches, so there’s no need to worry about all of your hard-earned progress and unlocked rewards being erased.

One important change mentioned is that the first season, titled “Heroes of Reach”, has been extended to run until May 2nd, 2022. This extension of the first season is meant to give the team the time needed to ensure the next season is finished and meets their expected quality. Additional content is being added throughout the season though, so players won’t be stuck with three months of content that’s been stretched out to six months.

They’re proving that immediately with this initial week featuring cosmetics that celebrate the 20th anniversary. Afterward, the proper first season-opening event will begin with “Fracture: Tenrai”, which allows players to give their spartan a samurai-based look, because who doesn’t want to outfit their space marine to look like a futuristic samurai. That event will only last one week starting from November 23rd, but it will return throughout the season so everyone has their chance to earn its rewards.

I know I’m excited to fire up the multiplayer myself to give it a try after missing the technical previews. While the recent campaign overview for the game quelled some of my hesitations when it comes to single-player, the positive response echoed for those that have tried the multiplayer before fills me with excitement like no other. I can’t wait to discover the game with everyone else in the lead-up to the game’s launch.

The season 1 beta can be downloaded now on Xbox Series X/S and on PC through Microsoft or on Steam. Cross-progression support also ensures that you won’t lose out on everything you’ve unlocked, in case you decide to play on another platform. Meanwhile, the cross-platform, cross-input, and cross-generation capabilities mean that you’ll be able to play with your friends no matter what you all play on.