About Halo: Combat Evolved
Bungie’s Halo: Combat Evolved launched with the original Xbox in 2001. Two years later Microsoft brought it to Windows in a version ported by Gearbox Software, which added online multiplayer. You play Master Chief, a Spartan supersoldier who, alongside the AI Cortana, takes on the Covenant across Halo, an enormous artificial ring world.
Several of its design choices became genre standards: shields that recharge once you get out of fire, a limit of two weapons at a time, grenades on their own button and vehicles such as the Warthog that matter just as much in multiplayer as in the campaign. On PC, its online matches kept a dedicated community going for years.
How it runs in your browser
This port is an unofficial fan project hosted by exenu, and it isn’t made or endorsed by Microsoft or Bungie. It centers on Halo PC’s multiplayer rather than the story campaign. You can host your own game or join one from a server list on the original multiplayer maps, with room for up to 16 players. It isn’t listed as needing any game files from you.
Under the hood, the port relies on SharedArrayBuffer, a browser feature that only works on pages set up with cross-origin isolation. Inside an ordinary embedded frame the game stops with an error, so pressing Play opens Halo in our full-screen player, a separate page configured so the port can run. Use Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
Controls and devices
Play on a desktop or laptop with a keyboard and mouse. Halo PC used standard first-person PC controls, and you can check or change the bindings in the game’s settings once it loads. Phones and controllers aren’t listed as supported for this port.
If you want Halo on a phone, our Halo CE Mobile page covers a separate fan project that runs on iPhone and Android, though it needs your own copy of the game.
Who it’s for
Halo PC veterans who want a few rounds without reinstalling a game from 2003, and anyone curious about the shooter that shaped so many console games after it. How lively a match is depends on who else is playing at the time. Every other Halo option we list is collected on our Halo page.
Is Halo: Combat Evolved (browser port) Free, Safe and Official?
Is this Halo port official?
No. It’s an unofficial fan port hosted by exenu and isn’t affiliated with Microsoft, Xbox Game Studios or Bungie. Because it’s unofficial, it could be taken down at the rights holder’s request.
Can I play Halo online in the browser?
Yes. exenu runs Halo PC multiplayer: you can host a game or join one from the server list, with up to 16 players.
Do I need my own copy of Halo?
exenu isn’t listed as needing any game files from you. Halo CE Mobile, a separate fan project that also runs on phones, does need your own Xbox disc image.
