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HCS 2025 Roadmap

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  -  16 days ago

2025 marks a historic year for competitive Halo and the HCS as we enter Year 4 for Halo Infinite esports. What makes this year historic? This is the first time a single Halo title has had full esports support for four consecutive years!

This is important to note for two reasons; the first being that this absolutely would not be possible without all of your support for HCS and Halo Infinite – thank you! And secondly, it means that we’re in uncharted territory competitively speaking. The game is still everchanging with new maps and modes entering the arena, but as the scene progresses, we’re seeing new talent rise to the top and brand -new rosters forming. We are in store for what’s sure to be one of most exciting and epic seasons we’ve ever seen.  

Let’s start with what you all came here for – the HCS 2025 Roadmap! 

HCS 2025 Roadmap

HCS OPEN SERIES

HCS Open Series: Road to Arlington. Compete for cash. Climb the leaderboards. Qualify for the Major.

Official HCS competition kicks off March 1st with the HCS Open Series: Road to Arlington!

Teams will throw down in weekly online tournaments as they compete for cash and climb the HCS Point leaderboards ahead of the Major #1 Qualifiers.

North America

Mar 1-2: Open #1
Mar 8-9: Open #2
Mar 15-16: Open #3
Mar 22-23: Pool Play Qualifier
Europe

Mar 2: Open #1
Mar 9: Open #2
Mar 16: Open #3
Mar 23: Pool Play Qualifier
Mexico

Mar 2: Open #1
Mar 9: Open #2
Mar 16: Open #3
Mar 23: Open Bracket Qualifier
Australia / New Zealand

Mar 2: Open #1
Mar 9: Open #2
Mar 16: Open #3
Mar 23: Open Bracket Qualifier

The HCS Open Series will return ahead of each stop on our 2025 roadmap

  • Road to Arlington
  • Road to Dallas
  • Road to Salt Lake City
  • Road to [TBA]

FAZE KAYSAN'S SHOWDOWN

FaZe Kaysan's Showdown, Halo Infinite, March 29, Twitch.tv/Kaysan and Twitch.tv/Halo

First things first, we’ve partnered with FaZe streamer and massive Halo fan, Kaysan, to host the Kaysan Showdown!

This is a single day Invitational LAN event taking place on March 29 with a total prize pool of $50,000! While there won’t be a live audience you can of course watch the entire broadcast live on Twitch.tv/Kaysan and Twitch.tv/Halo, as well as the HCS YouTube channel.

Kaysan has hand-selected the teams in attendance, and we couldn’t think of a better way to kick off the whole season:

Note: This event does not appear on the official HCS 2025 Roadmap as it is an Invite Only tournament with no HCS Points awarded.


HCS MAJOR ARLINGTON 2025

HCS Major Arlington 2025, hosted by OpTic Gaming. April 18-20. Esports Stadium Arlington.

Next up is our Kickoff Major in Arlington Texas with OpTic!

Taking place at the Esports Stadium Arlington on April 18-20, OpTic are poised to put on another great show and event for the whole community. We’ll of course have an open bracket for anyone looking to compete, side events on multiple games including Halo Infinite, Halo 5, and more. And, like every major, we’ll also have a Halo Infinite FFA tournament. It is sure to be a spectacle, with the main 4v4 boasting a $250,000 prize pool!

Tickets will be on sale in the coming weeks – be sure to follow @HCS and @OpTic for the latest!

EVENT DETAILS

HCS OPEN AT DREAMHACK DALLAS

HCS Open at Dreamhack Dallas 2025

After the Arlington Major we’ll be staying close and joining forces for the HCS Open at DreamHack Dallas 2025 on May 23-25. While we’ll have more details in the coming weeks and months, you can expect an Open 4v4 tournament featuring Pros and Amateurs alike.

General Admission tickets for DreamHack Dallas 2025 are ON SALE NOW:

DreamHack Dallas Tickets

HCS MAJOR SALT LAKE CITY 2025

HCS Major Salt Lake City 2025, hosted by Spacestation. August 1-3. Salt Palace Convention Center.

Next up, our partners at Spacestation Gaming are once again hosting the community in Utah for the HCS Major Salt Lake City 2025!

SSG know how to throw a party, and we’re excited to see the awesome event and show that they put on for everyone once again this year. As with every Major you can expect another $250,000 prize pool for the 4v4 and plenty of side tournaments for all players and fans to participate in. 

Be sure to join us on August 1-3 at the Salt Palace Convention Center for what’s sure to be a great tournament and a great time!


HCS MAJOR HOSTED BY FAZE

HCS Major hosted by FaZe Clan. Early Fall.

In our final Major of the season, we’re once again joining forces with FaZe Clan for what will be the main HaloWC qualifier and the most critical event of the year.

We’re still putting together the final details on this one, but keep your calendar clear in the early Fall time frame. We’ll be working hard with FaZe to get the details out in the coming weeks and months. Be sure to follow @HCS and @FaZeEsports for the latest!


HALO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

Halo World Championship 2025. October 24-26. Seattle Convention Center.

Finally on October 24-26, the Halo World Championship is once again coming home to Seattle, Washington!

The Halo World Championship will determine not only who gets the lion’s share of the $1,000,000 prize pool but, more importantly, the title of the best Halo team in the entire world! And once again, the HaloWC is the home for all fans in the Halo community, not just HCS fans. You can expect the triumphant return of the Community Stage with special guests and dev panels galore, as well as fun festival-like activities for everyone to enjoy.  We’re also working on introducing some new elements to HaloWC as well as working on layout design changes to spice things up compared to prior years.

We hope to see you there!


HCS 2025 FORMAT

For Year 4 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.  

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

To see more details about the format and rules – see the HCS 2025 Handbook and Code of Conduct here:

HCS 2025 HandBook
HCS 2025 Code of Conduct

HCS 2025 TOURNAMENT DATES

Mark your calendars!

Here are all the official HCS 2025 tournament dates.

Note: Dates are subject to change. Keep it locked on @HCS on socials for the latest info.

North America

Road to Arlington
- Mar 1-2: Open #1
- Mar 8-9: Open #2
- Mar 15-16: Open #3
- Mar 22-23: Pool Play Qualifier
- Apr 18-20: Major #1

Road to Dallas
- Apr 26-27: Open #4
- May 3-4: Pool Play Qualifier
- May 23-25: DreamHack Open

Road to Salt Lake City
- Jun 7-8: Open #5
- Jun 21-22: Open #6
- Jun 28-29: Open #7
- Jul 12-13: Pool Play Qualifier
- Aug 1-3: Major #2

Road to [TBA]
- Aug 16-17: Open #8
- Aug 23-24: Open #9
- Aug 30-31: Open #10
- Sep 6-7: Pool Play Qualifier
- Early Fall: Major #3

Halo World Championship
- Oct 24-26: Seattle, WA
Europe

Road to Arlington
- Mar 2: Open #1
- Mar 9: Open #2
- Mar 16: Open #3
- Mar 23: Pool Play Qualifier
- Apr 18-20: Major #1 (NA)

Road to Dallas
- Apr 27: Open #4
- May 4: Pool Play Qualifier
- May 23-25: DreamHack Open (NA)

Road to Salt Lake City
- Jun 8: Open #5
- Jun 22: Open #6
- Jun 29: Open #7
- Jul 13: Pool Play Qualifier
- Aug 1-3: Major #2 (NA)

Road to [TBA]
- Aug 17: Open #8
- Aug 24: Open #9
- Aug 31: Open #10
- Sep 7: Pool Play Qualifier
- Early Fall: Major #3 (NA)

Halo World Championship
- Oct 24-26: Seattle, WA (NA)
Mexico

Road to Arlington
- Mar 2: Open #1
- Mar 9: Open #2
- Mar 16: Open #3
- Mar 23: Open Bracket Qualifier
- Apr 18-20: Major #1 (NA)

Road to Dallas
- Apr 27: Open #4
- May 4: Open Bracket Qualifier
- May 23-25: DreamHack Open (NA)

Road to Salt Lake City
- Jun 8: Open #5
- Jun 22: Open #6
- Jun 29: Open #7
- Jul 13: Open Bracket Qualifier
- Aug 1-3: Major #2 (NA)

Road to [TBA]
- Aug 17: Open #8
- Aug 24: Open #9
- Aug 31: Open #10
- Sep 7: Open Bracket Qualifier
- Early Fall: Major #3 (NA)

Halo World Championship
- Oct 24-26: Seattle, WA (NA)
Australia / New Zealand

Road to Arlington
- Mar 2: Open #1
- Mar 9: Open #2
- Mar 16: Open #3
- Mar 23: Open Bracket Qualifier
- Apr 18-20: Major #1 (NA)

Road to Dallas
- Apr 27: Open #4
- May 4: Open Bracket Qualifier
- May 23-25: DreamHack Open (NA)

Road to Salt Lake City
- Jun 8: Open #5
- Jun 22: Open #6
- Jun 29: Open #7
- Jul 13: Open Bracket Qualifier
- Aug 1-3: Major #2 (NA)

Road to [TBA]
- Aug 17: Open #8
- Aug 24: Open #9
- Aug 31: Open #10
- Sep 7: Open Bracket Qualifier
- Early Fall: Major #3 (NA)

Halo World Championship
- Oct 24-26: Seattle, WA (NA)

WHERE TO WATCH

In 2025, 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.


HCS 2025 MAPS & MODES

HCS 2025 Official Maps and Modes

Based on player feedback, as well as our ambition to provide new content for players to enjoy and master in Year 4, we’ve made some significant changes to the HCS map and mode rotation.

ADDED

- Origin Slayer 
- Origin CTF 
- Aquarius Neutral Bomb Assault 
- Fortress Neutral Bomb Assault 
REMOVED

- Empyrean CTF 
- Fortress Slayer 

In addition to maps and modes, we've also made updates to the Halo Infinite Sandbox, such as:

  • Decreased Strafe Acceleration
  • Weapon/Grenade tuning and placements
  • Power-up placements
  • Added new jumps to certain maps

For full sandbox update details, check out the Spring Update 2025 blog!

Spring Update 2025

PARTNERED TEAMS

HCS 2025 Partnered Teams

Before the HCS 2025 Season kicks off, we'd like to bid farewell to Quadrant and Sentinels and thank both of them for their immense contributions to the Halo scene. We hope to see them don the Spartan Mjolnir armor once again in the future!

As we head into another year of competitive Halo, we would like to now welcome both TSM and Shopify Rebellion to the HCS Partnership program!

Welcome TSM to the HCS Partnership Program!

TSM are a storied esports team across many games and genres, and we’re excited to have them not only join Halo for the first time but also the partnership program.

Welcome Shopify Rebellion to the HCS Partnership Program!

For Shopify Rebellion, they’ve really impressed us with their involvement in HCS thus far and, over the years, they have not only invested in fielding a competitive roster but also fostering a community in the Halo scene as well.

We’re very excited to have both of these amazing teams as part of the program!

And of course, for our returning teams in Cloud9, Complexity, FaZe Clan, OpTic, and Spacestation – we thank for your continued support and partnership in the Halo esports ecosystem. We cannot wait to see what you all have in store for the community in 2025!


LETS GO!

Once again, thank you to everyone who has supported the Halo Championship Series for the last 10 years. We’re excited to kick off the 2025 season with you all!  

For all the latest on the HCS, be sure to follow us on X and Instagram!

@HCS on X
@HCS on IG!