Halo Wars 2 is finally here and we thank you for joining us on this latest epic adventure! If you have questions, chances are good we have answers. And if not, we'll be monitoring our forums closely and updating this resource regularly as needed. So if your question isn't covered below, please ask and we'll try to get it answered (you may also find that other helpful forum goers have the answer you're looking for!).
For technical support please see this thread.
This FAQ was created on Feb. 16 and is IN PROGRESS.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: When will Halo Wars 2 be released?
A: Halo Wars 2 will be available for early access beginning Feb. 17 for customers who’ve pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition. General release for the regular edition for everyone else is Feb. 21.
Q: Is Halo Wars 2 available for pre-load?
A: Yes! If you pre-ordered a digital version of the game, Halo Wars 2 is available for pre-load right now on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.
Q: Halo Wars 2 is an Xbox Play Anywhere title. What does that mean?
A: When you purchase an Xbox Play Anywhere title digitally, it's yours to play on both Xbox and Windows 10. You only need to purchase the game once via the store on your Xbox or Windows 10 device and it will appear in your game library wherever you sign in.
If you've purchased the game on Xbox and you want to play on your Windows 10 device, sign in on your Windows 10 device. If the game is already installed on your device, it will appear in your list of apps. Otherwise you can install it by opening the Store and selecting My library.
If you've purchased the game on Windows 10 and you want to play on your Xbox console, sign in on your console and go to My games & apps. If the game is already installed, it will appear in your game list. Otherwise, you can find it in the Ready to install section.
To learn more about Xbox Play Anywhere and see which games are supported, visit the Xbox Play Anywhere website. You can also visit Troubleshooting problems with Xbox Play Anywhere titles if you're having any problems finding Halo Wars 2 or content on your Xbox One or Windows 10 device.
Q: Does Halo Wars 2 support cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC?
A: No, Halo Wars 2 players on Xbox One will play with other players on Xbox One while Windows 10 players will play with other Windows 10 players. Your stats, saved games and progress is transferrable between both platforms via “Play Anywhere” but you can’t actually play together across each platform.
Q: Do I need to be online or connected to the Internet to play Halo Wars 2?
A: If you're planning to be in an area with no online coverage, such as a long-distance flight, you can prepare your Windows 10 device to allow you to play Halo Wars 2 offline.
For details on how to configure your Windows 10 device for offline play, see Play games offline on Windows 10 using Offline mode.
The following in-game modes are supported while playing offline:
Q: Do I need an Xbox Live Gold Account to play Halo Wars 2 online?
A: Yes, playing online multiplayer (co-op and/or competitive) will require an Xbox Live Gold Account for Xbox One.
WINDOWS 10 QUESTIONS
Q: What are the Windows 10 PC system requirements?
Minimum System Requirements:
A: To download and install Halo Wars 2 on Windows 10, you need a device running version 1607, with OS Build 14393.447 or later.
Additionally, your device must be running a 64-bit version of Windows 10. If you have a 32-bit version, you won't be able to play Halo Wars 2.
Q: Do I need additional software to play Halo Wars 2?
A: Yes, you need to have DirectX 12 with feature level 11 or later installed to play Halo Wars 2.
If you're not sure if you have DirectX 12 installed, here's how you can check:
1. Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "dxdiag" and then press Enter to launch the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
3. On the System tab in the System Information window, look for the DirectX version listed. The version must be 12 or higher to run Halo Wars 2.
4. On the Display tab for your graphics card, look under Drivers for the Feature Levels supported and make sure that 11_0 or 11_1 appear in the list.
Q: Are multiple-GPU configurations supported?
A: At launch Halo Wars 2 is optimized for and will run with the performance of a single GPU. The team will be adding support for multiple-GPU systems in the future.
Q: What input devices are supported on Windows 10?
A: Halo Wars 2 can be played via a Mouse & Keyboard or an Xbox One controller.
If you use an Xbox One controller, you’ll need either a USB cable to connect it to your device or an Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows.
You can learn more about Xbox Wireless Adapters for Windows here.
You can also connect an Xbox One S or Xbox Design Lab controller to your device using Bluetooth. Get more details here.
To be continued...
For technical support please see this thread.
This FAQ was created on Feb. 16 and is IN PROGRESS.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: When will Halo Wars 2 be released?
A: Halo Wars 2 will be available for early access beginning Feb. 17 for customers who’ve pre-ordered the Ultimate Edition. General release for the regular edition for everyone else is Feb. 21.
Q: Is Halo Wars 2 available for pre-load?
A: Yes! If you pre-ordered a digital version of the game, Halo Wars 2 is available for pre-load right now on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.
Q: Halo Wars 2 is an Xbox Play Anywhere title. What does that mean?
A: When you purchase an Xbox Play Anywhere title digitally, it's yours to play on both Xbox and Windows 10. You only need to purchase the game once via the store on your Xbox or Windows 10 device and it will appear in your game library wherever you sign in.
If you've purchased the game on Xbox and you want to play on your Windows 10 device, sign in on your Windows 10 device. If the game is already installed on your device, it will appear in your list of apps. Otherwise you can install it by opening the Store and selecting My library.
If you've purchased the game on Windows 10 and you want to play on your Xbox console, sign in on your console and go to My games & apps. If the game is already installed, it will appear in your game list. Otherwise, you can find it in the Ready to install section.
To learn more about Xbox Play Anywhere and see which games are supported, visit the Xbox Play Anywhere website. You can also visit Troubleshooting problems with Xbox Play Anywhere titles if you're having any problems finding Halo Wars 2 or content on your Xbox One or Windows 10 device.
Q: Does Halo Wars 2 support cross-play between Xbox One and Windows 10 PC?
A: No, Halo Wars 2 players on Xbox One will play with other players on Xbox One while Windows 10 players will play with other Windows 10 players. Your stats, saved games and progress is transferrable between both platforms via “Play Anywhere” but you can’t actually play together across each platform.
Q: Do I need to be online or connected to the Internet to play Halo Wars 2?
A: If you're planning to be in an area with no online coverage, such as a long-distance flight, you can prepare your Windows 10 device to allow you to play Halo Wars 2 offline.
For details on how to configure your Windows 10 device for offline play, see Play games offline on Windows 10 using Offline mode.
The following in-game modes are supported while playing offline:
- Single Player Campaign
- Single Player Skirmish
- Online multiplayer
Q: Do I need an Xbox Live Gold Account to play Halo Wars 2 online?
A: Yes, playing online multiplayer (co-op and/or competitive) will require an Xbox Live Gold Account for Xbox One.
WINDOWS 10 QUESTIONS
Q: What are the Windows 10 PC system requirements?
Minimum System Requirements:
- MSA Microsoft Account required
- OS Windows 10 version 14393.0 or higher required
- Architecture X64 required
- Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
- Mouse Integrated Mouse
- DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 11, w/ Tier 1 Tiled Resources
- Memory 6GB
- Video Memory 2GB
- Processor Intel i5-2500, AMD FX-4350
- Graphics nVidia GeForce GTX 650 Ti, AMD Radeon HD 7750, Intel HD 520
- MSA Microsoft Account required
- OS Windows 10 version 14393.0 or higher required
- Architecture X64 required
- Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
- Mouse Integrated Mouse
- DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 12
- Memory 8GB
- Video Memory 4GB
- Processor Intel Core i5-4690K, AMD FX-8350
- Graphics nVidia GTX 1060, AMD RX 480
- MSA Microsoft Account required
- OS Windows 10 version 14393.0 or higher required
- Architecture X64 required
- Keyboard Integrated Keyboard
- Mouse Integrated Mouse
- DirectX DirectX 12 API, Hardware Feature Level 12
- Memory 16GB
- Video Memory 8GB
- Processor Intel Core i7-6700K, AMD FX-9590
- Graphics nVidia GTX 1080, AMD R9 Fury X
A: To download and install Halo Wars 2 on Windows 10, you need a device running version 1607, with OS Build 14393.447 or later.
Additionally, your device must be running a 64-bit version of Windows 10. If you have a 32-bit version, you won't be able to play Halo Wars 2.
Q: Do I need additional software to play Halo Wars 2?
A: Yes, you need to have DirectX 12 with feature level 11 or later installed to play Halo Wars 2.
If you're not sure if you have DirectX 12 installed, here's how you can check:
1. Press the Windows logo key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type "dxdiag" and then press Enter to launch the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
3. On the System tab in the System Information window, look for the DirectX version listed. The version must be 12 or higher to run Halo Wars 2.
4. On the Display tab for your graphics card, look under Drivers for the Feature Levels supported and make sure that 11_0 or 11_1 appear in the list.
Q: Are multiple-GPU configurations supported?
A: At launch Halo Wars 2 is optimized for and will run with the performance of a single GPU. The team will be adding support for multiple-GPU systems in the future.
Q: What input devices are supported on Windows 10?
A: Halo Wars 2 can be played via a Mouse & Keyboard or an Xbox One controller.
If you use an Xbox One controller, you’ll need either a USB cable to connect it to your device or an Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows.
You can learn more about Xbox Wireless Adapters for Windows here.
You can also connect an Xbox One S or Xbox Design Lab controller to your device using Bluetooth. Get more details here.
To be continued...