It’s 2024 and you know what that means – Year 3 of Halo Infinite HCS is right around the corner and if it’s anything like what the last two years have been like then we’re all in for a big treat. New events, new rosters, and new opportunities for the world’s greatest Halo players to etch their names into the competitive Halo history books.

Coming off a historic Year 2, we can’t help but feel immensely grateful for all of the players and fans of competitive Halo and HCS. To everyone who plays in the Ranked Playlists, those who watch every event, the pros that put on an amazing show, and all of our partners – thank you.

FORMAT

For Year 3 of HCS we’ve decided to stay close to the tried-and-true format that Halo’s always had with open events where teams earn points that ultimately help them qualify for the Halo World Championship. Last year you might remember that we hosted Global Invitationals where only 16 teams were able to compete. For Year 3, every event before the Halo World Championship is a Major. This means there will be an open bracket and any team can sign up and compete. Ultimately, we felt leaning into competitive Halo’s roots where the entire community was brought under one roof was best for the league.

Last year we also experimented with events hosted by teams with OpTic and Spacestation. Response from fans was amazing as these teams brought us into their home turf and put on great events. For Year 3, we’ve decided to double down on this - literally. Each event leading up to HaloWC 2024 will now be hosted by a partnered team – OpTic, Quadrant, FaZe, and Spacestation. We can’t wait to work with each of these teams to put on a spectacle for all fans to enjoy.

As with last year, tournament administration will be manage by HCS and Esports Engine and not the teams to avoid conflict of interest.

To see more details about the format and rules – see the HCS 2024 Handbook here: https://aka.ms/2024handbook

ROADMAP

Here’s a look at the events calendar for HCS Year 3.

As you can see, we’re spreading the love further than Year 2 with the first Halo Infinite Major in Europe, hosted by Quadrant. We cannot wait to see you all there!

As always, there will be online events and qualifiers for each of the 4 regions – see full list of dates below.

Online Dates

Register Now on FACEIT

PRIZING

Once again HCS will be delivering over $2,000,000 in prizing to players across all events and breaks down as follows:

That’s not all of course as each Major will also feature a $5,000 FFA as well as $5,000 in side events. And as usual we will be hosting the HaloWC FFA Finals with a prize pool of $25,000 once again.

WHERE TO WATCH

In 2024, you’ll be able to watch all official HCS events live on Twitch and YouTube.

Primary streams:

And for events with multiple streams, we’ll be using these channels:

(Note: These extra streams will be broadcasts within the main YouTube channel above as usual)

Map and Mode Rotation

Here's a look at the map and mode rotation for the start of Year 3 in HCS:

April 23rd Update: Solitude Strongholds has been replaced by Interference Strongholds. (Read more about Interference, a remake of The Rig from Halo 5.)

Extraction: We were hopeful to have Extraction ready for Year 3 HCS in time for the start of the season, but it needs a bit more work first. We're looking to make updates to the mode based on player feedback and aim to reintroduce into Ranked / HCS later this year. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months.

Year 1 Launch Unlocked Bundles

When Halo Infinite launched we released all-new bundles for each team and then vaulted them just months later. Well, after much demand, they are back but with some huge improvements! The armor and weapon kits have been unlocked which means you can now customize with these coatings for the first time ever. Additionally, they are all now multi-use which means you can wear the amor, visors, or weapon coatings on any armor, helmet, or UNSC weapon. This bundle will be available in the HCS Shop starting on Jan 30. If you already purchased this bundle when Halo Infinite first released, the content will be applied retroactively, including those for teams no longer in the HCS.

These bundles have only be released for teams that are still in the HCS – FaZe Clan, OpTic Gaming, Sentinels, Spacestation Gaming, and Cloud9. We thank them for their ongoing support for Halo esports!

Year 3 Launch Bundles

Just in time for Year 3 we’ve got a brand new bundle with all-new designs coming to you on Jan 30 as well. This bundle will feature new multi-use armor coatings as well as visor. These have been created by the teams themselves and features their unique branding. On top of this, we’re excited to introduce the first of three of a new collection of weapon models with the Dracon Bandit which will of course work with the original Bandit and Bandit EVO. The remaining Grim Reaper and Extermination weapon models will be available later in the HCS season.

The only way to get this Dracon Bandit is to support one of the teams and purchase their bundle. Keep in mind that the majority of the profits go to the partnered teams and this helps maintain their involvement in the Halo ecosystem. Thank you for your support!

Thank you

Thank you once again for all of the support of Halo esports and the Halo Championship series. Be sure to follow @HCS on X and an @HaloEsportsHCS on YouTube to ensure you’re not missing any of the action!