Cover art by Cleb Maher.

We’re back with another chapter of Your Halo Story, featuring fond memories from fellow Halo fans looking back on 25 years in the Halo community. Keep up with past entries below:

• Your Halo Story: Chapter 1
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 2
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 3
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 4
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 5
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 6
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 7
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 8
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 9
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 10
• Your Halo Story: Chapter 11

Check out the next batch of fan submissions from our #Halo25Together haul below, and look for even more to come in next month’s mail bag!

Over the course of seven years, now approaching eight, me and my group of friends have been playing every single weekend with very few interruptions. That sounds simple enough, but it started in a simple enough way back when the PC port of Halo: The Master Chief Collection was just announced.

Seven years ago, I was just a casual lurker in a now‑defunct Discord server dedicated to Twitch Plays Pokémon. I sometimes posted casual art or engaged in some comment or other. I was incredibly shy and was always afraid to interact since I didn't know how to approach people.

Then, approaching the anniversary of the Halo games back in the day, and to build up to the release of Halo Infinite (yeah, this was before the delays, ehe…), the main moderator and developer from the community, ScruffyKip, picked some people from his circle and announced that every weekend they were going to go through the Halo games' campaigns. Besides him, some moderators, and a couple of artists, they were inviting people to play co‑op with them.

This was, as I said before, the announcement of the Steam release, so it was interesting to see several people that I saw often in the community have the same console and games as me. I was nervous since they were people I looked up to that had a great sense of management and interaction with the community, but I saw everything line up, so I chose to join them, of course, starting with Halo: Combat Evolved. At the time, I chose to only interact with text messages, as I was not confident with my voice.

This was the first month, and since the first two games were only two‑player, ScruffyKip had a setup that, even though we were streaming on Twitch, also used the Mixer streaming app that was integrated with every Xbox One console back in the day and used the multistream function to show every perspective as we went through the same levels, then streamed all of that over to Twitch. We had a pretty chaotic layout and setup to go through just to show a dozen people in the community us playing Halo, but it felt special with the amount of dedication that was put in by ScruffyKip and the rest of the guys who joined: Pioxys, Deadinsky, Crimson, and me.

It started simple until, going through them, my friends realized that me and whoever it was their turn to play with always finished first, even if we started equally at the same time and on the same difficulty, because I didn't think about it until then, but I was apparently (not to brag) way better at the games. They were surprised by how much knowledge and skill I had about the games.

It was so funny to see the people I looked at nervously for being so highly regarded in the community now asking me for help and advice with the games since they had a lot of trouble, especially in multiplayer.

We are approaching our eighth anniversary, and even though we only return to the Halo games every few weeks, we always come back to talking about the first year of us going through every campaign and how that period changed everything for us. The biggest thing, they say, is that by the time we started Halo 5: Guardians I had finally broken my silence and started to use a mic and actually speak with them, and it helped me break a personal wall I had for so long. Now I no longer feel fear when I grab my mic and talk with people, even strangers online, and that was because the motivation to talk in order to help the teamwork effort sparked something in me.

My friends are the best ones one could ask for, and even to this day they do things that show so much dedication. ScruffyKip even got Jeff Steitzer to record a special cameo to commemorate our time together.

Halo is such a weird game because every entry is so different from the previous one, but they all have the common factor that the experience of playing any of them with friends makes the moment so impactful that the memories stick with you even after so many years.

mesamus

Halo didn't start on a Pelican dropship, or in cryosleep; it began many lightyears ago in the digital trenches of the Halo Waypoint forums. Back then, I was just another eager voice in the crowd, talking about my love of Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo: Reach, whilst sharing my excitement for 343i's takeover from Bungie and what that might look like for the future of the franchise. But I soon found a squad of like‑minded Spartans who became much more than just Gamertags…they became true friends, many of whom I remain in contact with to this day.

Fueled to the eyeballs by that community spirit, I launched my own blog, cheekily titled "You Know You're a Spartan." I also began volunteering as a Halo Waypoint moderator, which quickly became my online hangout. I knew I had a niche, but I never expected it to ignite the way it did. The Halo community quickly embraced me, and then came the moment that changed my life's trajectory forever.

I'll never forget the day an email landed in my inbox from Graeme Boyd…the legendary Acey Bongos himself, then Xbox UK's Social Marketing Manager. He wasn't just saying hello; he was inviting me to Los Angeles to meet and mingle with the 343 Industries team at the E3 2012 presser.

Talk about a level‑up, hey!

From that point on, my career hit terminal velocity. Suddenly, I wasn't just playing the games I love, I was covering Halo on a whole other level. I found myself making incredible memories with titans of the industry like Jessica Shea (BS Angel) and Frank O'Connor (Franklez), to name a few.

My time spent with Xbox remains a highlight reel of my life. Even now, I look back and realize that once a Spartan, always a Spartan. To everyone who was part of that ride: thanks for the memories. I'll never forget ya!

ShadEO9 (Frankie O'Reilly)

At the end of August 2021, while spending time alone on Halo 5: Guardians waiting for a new Halo Infinite flight, I won a Super Fiesta public match on Seclusion. Just after that, I received a party chat invite from one of the opponents: he was 'il signor Leo' (Mr. Leo), leader of the Italian‑English Spartan Company Black Omega. He was surprised by my ability and by the fact that I am Italian.

Leo wanted to test my abilities to join his Spartan Company and challenged me to a 1v1 on the official clan's testing ground. I won, and my opponent, stunned by my skills, called the map's creator himself, ARTEWARS, the most skilled player in the company, to stop me from that series of wins.

I beat him too.

After that game, I was officially in the Spartan Company, and from that day we started a short but incredibly intense series of crazy custom games, Warzone grinds, and tons of fun until the release of Halo Infinite. After Halo Infinite, some guys left Halo and gaming for personal reasons, but I'm still in contact with many members of the company, especially ARTEWARS, who is one of the best friends I've had the luck to find along this great journey that is Halo and life in general.

JhulG19

25 years ago...Truth and Reconciliation/The Library 🫀

HadesSama07

My favorite Halo memory isn't a headshot or a glitch; it's the glow of a CRT TV at 2 AM in 2004. My friends and I spent an entire summer huddled together on the floor, passing a controller back and forth to beat "The Library" on Legendary. Halo wasn't just a sci‑fi shooter to us; it was how we communicated and bonded. Twenty years later, we still shout "Wort Wort Wort!" at each other during friend dinners. Halo gave me lifelong teammates and endless memories.

MJnightF4ll

I first played the Halo: Combat Evolved demo on my grandmother's PC, and it set a fire in my heart that still burns ever brighter. I have made countless friends across this great journey, discovered a taste for science fiction stories of all kinds, and while those days of custom games are long gone, I am still a Halo fan. From the beaches of The Silent Cartographer to the halls of the Silent Auditorium and beyond, Halo remains an irreplaceable part of my life. The books in particular gave me the push I needed to become an author myself. To all Halo fans reading this, good luck out there…it's been an honor.

DHG Maverick ZX

Halo 2 was the first game I remember. A small TV, my brother playing it while an unplugged controller sat in my hands. It was so real; every movement felt real, even if I wasn't the one playing. But a few years later, when Halo 3 came out, it was me playing the game with him in split screen. It was never just a game, it was a childhood. But it was the music that really stuck, and I never knew it. Every note, every subtle beat, evoked emotions, teaching resilience through sound instead of words. It was my inspiration as a person to get into music initially, and it still is the music that drives me to create and immerse myself in arts like music and acting. Because if I can reach just one person as deeply as Halo reached me in my youth, then it will all have become worth it. Thank you all for defining many generations, and I hope you continue to do so in the future.

SluggedKitten50

In the summer of 2019, my family and I attended Halo Outpost Discovery-Chicago, and to this day it remains one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.

The energy inside was electric. Everywhere I turned, people were quoting lines from Halo: Combat Evolved, debating armor permutations, and humming the unmistakable Halo theme.

Halo Outpost Discovery wasn't just an event; it was a testament to the enduring power of the Halo community. It reminded me that Halo isn't just a game series-it's a shared journey, one that continues to inspire and unite fans across generations.

V FAM

How can I explain the love that I have for this franchise? Since I was very young, a cousin was playing Halo: Combat Evolved. He used to call the Grunts "los morros" (the kids) because of how small and funny they were.

I remember begging my parents to buy me an Xbox to play Halo, but in Mexico they were too expensive. Then, when we visited my older brother in the USA, he gave me my first Xbox. Later he sent me some games, and I asked for Halo: Combat Evolved, but my mom brought back Halo 2, and that day my whole life changed.

Halo 2 was the best game of my life. I scratched three discs.

Halo has been my major companion through my life, playing Halo 3 with my cousins on weekends, playing SWAT in Halo: Reach all night long with my best friend Omar, getting all ranks in Halo 4 together, and reconnecting with home through Halo 5: Guardians when I lived far away from Mexico City.

This franchise, this universe, this community is one of the best things that has happened in my life.

Thank you, Bungie. Thank you, 343i. Thank you, Halo Studios. I'm excited for the future.

JefferMuser

Summer 2002. During one of the matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, a strange commercial appeared on my TV. It was an Italian Halo: Combat Evolved trailer. Instantly, the music, the aesthetic, the Elites, and that green guy felt epic.

That same summer, my father bought me an Xbox with the game, and from that magical day Halo became my favorite franchise of all time.

From watching the Halo 2 E3 2003 demo an absurd number of times, to the wait for Halo 3, to the emotional return of Master Chief in Halo 4, through the pandemic and all the way to being excited for Halo: Campaign Evolved, Halo has been the franchise of my life.

Cyrus

When I was a kid, my brothers and I would play Halo 3 constantly. Offline or online! It didn't matter; all that mattered was the memories made. I remember I got my first Splatter Spree using the Ghost on Last Resort. I was unstoppable, and now I'm building my very own life‑sized and drivable Ghost in hopes of debuting it at Halo Fest this year in honor of the 25‑year anniversary of what started it all!

RyRoStudios

I like the Flood as a memory from Halo 1, Halo 2, and Halo 3. I also like the Gravemind. That is my Halo memory.

ICExDEMON#1031

I first played Halo when I was three on the Xbox 360, and my first Halo was Halo: Reach. Now I'm 14, almost 15, playing Halo Infinite and waiting for the new Halo game to come out. No matter what Halo game comes out, and if people say it's bad, I'm going to play it and find all the Skulls and secrets.

Ax4430

In 2006, I visited my dad's house and was presented with a new game to play. Now, I didn't know what the name was, but it came in a steel case with a big number two on the front, which I thought was a stupid cover. Needless to say, I played something else, but the next time I came around, I did give it a try, and to say it rewired my brain chemistry would be an understatement.

After some action-packed deathmatch fun, I found my way to the campaign and was met with this shattered flaming hunk of metal, as an alien ship flies past to reveal a fleet and space station. I was hooked, and those hooks got so much deeper when we revisited that cool-looking character with the silky voice from the intro and got to PLAY as him in this dramatic story of the coolest-looking aliens giving long, dramatic, quotable monologues. I was in love. I'd draw the Arbiter, I'd replay Uprising for hours, and figures of him would be at the top of birthday and Christmas lists.

I had a lot of struggles with dyslexia, but because of that cutscene and the Arbiter, I was suddenly committed to trying to read novels, though the audiobooks were a significant help.

I'd always lived around costumers. I would come along to sci-fi conventions to hang out behind booths. Decades of wanting to make Halo costumes, seeing people in them, and trying my hand at bringing some of my favorite characters to life as costumes, drawings, or 3D sculpts led me to working on movies and TV shows and all sorts of crazy cool stuff.

I'd always been into sci-fi, but at that young age, I hadn't seen anything like Halo. It was a major part of making me who I am, and the initial disinterest in playing something that, in one cutscene, would help set the course of my life is always wild to look back on and is such an important core part of my story with Halo.

Cleb Maher

I think it was Christmas 2016 when I got Halo MCC. At the time, I didn't really play the game much. I was only eight, and I got my first tablet. But when my school was doing a sort of "fun day," my friend brought his original Xbox to play games with. One of the games he brought was the anniversary edition of Halo: Combat Evolved, and when I saw that game, I remembered back from 2016 that I had tried playing a Halo game, so I figured, why not try and play the first one? That sort of sparked something in me where I didn't feel pressured with side missions or an overwhelming story, and when we got to the multiplayer, it felt fun. I didn't feel like I needed to find a power-up super, super quick; it was just simple.

I ended up getting my own original Xbox, and now I have around five Xbox consoles just to play each game on its respective console. Sometimes my buddy and I will have hangouts where we both bring our Xboxes and do LAN parties. That was about three or four years ago, and now I'm starting my own Halo Infinite cosplay. It's weird to go from not knowing anything about a game to being so into it.

C0L0R0

Halo has been my first and biggest love in gaming. I remember being at school in the computer lab, finding ways to install Halo: Combat Evolved so we could play together on LAN. It always felt like we were doing something we weren't supposed to do, hahaha, but we made it work.

After class, we wouldn't even go home to do homework. We'd go straight to these places where you could rent an Xbox by the hour. We'd fill the whole place playing Halo 2 on system link, 16-player free-for-alls, everyone yelling and having the best time.

One time my brother and I snuck out of the house just to go play. We didn't have keys, so we left the door kind of open so it wouldn't lock. Then my mom showed up at the gaming spot saying someone had broken into the house. We got scared and ran out, hahaha. Not sure if it was because of the 'robbery' or because she was about to kill us.

We even told the owner to please save the 30 minutes we had left so we could come back later, hahaha. In the end, no one broke in. My mom just wanted to scare us…and yeah, it worked 😅.

FORCE Alejo COL

I had an Xbox 360 thanks to my dad, and it gave me so many great memories, but everything really changed for me with the release of Halo 3. It was the first Halo I ever played at launch, and I was completely hooked. It was amazing. I even had a rough time with it (metaphorically speaking; the level where you have to rescue Cortana is terrifying) all the way up to that final mission.

I also played co-op with my cousin, Arbiter and Master Chief together, all the way to the end, and we had an incredible time. And it was Halo Wars that finally made me fall in love with that legendary universe and its characters.

Lyn Veil

So I started on Halo Infinite, and I played with my dad and brother, and I killed my dad 12 times with an Energy Sword, so yeah :)

Boobooskie

Halo 5: Guardians was the first shooter I was truly obsessed with. I put hours and hours into Halo 5: Guardians, and I met some great friends through multiplayer that I still know today. I started playing it when I was 13. I'm 23 now, and it remains one of my favorite games of all time! Blue Team forever <3

Ameiy

Tudo começou quando eu tinha apenas 7 anos de idade.

Em casa, ao ver o computador do meu irmão mais velho ligado, algo chamou minha atenção. Entre vários jogos, um em especial brilhou aos meus olhos: Halo CE. Foi ali que comecei minha primeira “campanha”, ainda tão novo. Eu ficava um bom tempo admirando o menu principal, acompanhado por aquela trilha sonora inesquecível.

Os cenários, a iluminação, o ambiente… tudo em Halo era simplesmente fascinante. Era impossível não se apaixonar por aquela obra de arte.

Com o passar do tempo, meu irmão acabou vendendo o computador, e eu fiquei um longo período sem jogar.
Anos depois, aos 15, minha mãe me deu um novo computador. E a primeira coisa que fiz foi voltar para Halo.
A partir dali, o resto é história. Joguei praticamente todos os títulos da franquia e continuo acompanhando até hoje.

Agora, sigo ansioso pelo futuro da série. Aguardo ansiosamente pelo Halo: Campaign Evolved, desta vez, no Playstation 5.

Sou grato por fazer parte dessa jornada. Que Halo continue vivo por muitos anos.

Um grande abraço a todos.

Mateus Ezequiel Krenkel

Back in early 2004, I went over to my cousin's house, and he wanted to show me his Xbox. The first game he showed me was Halo: Combat Evolved. We were both on the Pillar of Autumn when it was attacked, and I felt a thrill that I've never gotten from a video game before. After we escaped and landed on Halo, I looked up at the horizon and saw the ring reaching up through the sky. I was blinded by its majesty. Paralyzed. Dumbstruck, even. We proceeded to spend hours exploring and seeing what all this new world had in store. From that point on, I was obsessed and begged to play every time I went over to his house.

That Christmas, I woke up to some presents under the tree. After ripping them open, I was graced by the presence of an Xbox, Halo CE, and Halo 2. I played both of those games with my dad and cousins.

When Halo 3 came along, I got it for Christmas along with my Xbox 360. I made so many online friends and real friends at school because of the game. I spent many nights playing the campaign, matchmaking, playing in Forge, and messing around in custom games and Theater. This series means so much to me and has been a huge part of my life. I'm happy it's still a big part of my life, and I am excited to see what else it has in store.

DrMichael64

Back in 2004, I had just turned four. After my dad had picked my sister and me up from school, he told me he got me a new game rental to play for the weekend from Game Crazy.

When we got to his apartment and settled in, he turned on the original Xbox, slapped a Duke controller in my hands, put Halo: Combat Evolved in, and said, "Have fun."

It has been 21 years since then, and I have never stopped having fun with Halo.

Ricardo Tipton - Chamoruguy

When I was a child, I dreamed of owning a console and enjoying the campaigns from Halo CE to Halo 4. Now that I have a console, I can enjoy the saga whenever I want.

Ws iD1sxster

When I was six years old, I first played Halo CE when it came out on day one. I had managed to convince my parents I needed it. My friends all loved the game immediately. However, for me, it was another story.

I fell in love with the stories, the characters, and the lore. Deep diving into books, endlessly obsessed with the world and the history. It helped me get through rough times in my life. I learned a lot from Chief.

Halo gave me a way to escape from the world, even if just for a moment. Halo saved me. Still to this day, I remember the LAN parties, the midnight releases, and long all-nighters with my friends. Treasured memories, always. It doesn't feel like it's been 25 years, and it still amazes me when I think about it.

Thank you to everyone who had a hand in crafting every story, game, book, and more. You gave me something that can never be replaced. Memories…experiences more valuable than anything.

I could never quit Halo…were it so easy.

No…I think we're just getting started.

l MasterKief l

I was playing competitive 2v2 when my teammate left, and it was just me versus two players. I got them into a hallway, threw a grenade behind them, punched them, and then the grenade finished them off!

AlaskanKraken

Eins der bestens spiele der welt!

Kleemann90

That part when Master Chief is walking down the New Mombasa bridge with the huge Covenant Scarab in the distance, and Sergeant Johnson brings a Pelican with a tank, saying, "Oh, I know what the ladies like."

(You guys definitely know what I like. You're doing Halo right!)

#Halo25Together, Forever!!!!!!

Halo is part of me. I was seven when I played this game. I first started on Halo 3 with my stepdad. Halo is what I am. Deep down in my heart, Halo is real. I played all of them. Halo 3 and CE gave me the best memories, all on the 360. Halo is my favorite shooting game. I love it with all my heart. It's who I am. I really have nothing much to say but thank you for making me have a beautiful childhood.

LandHalo3105

I remember playing Halo 3 for the first time when I was nine, and when I got to the Flood part, I was scared and probably sh*tted bricks. Sadly, I don’t have videos of me playing Halo 3.

TristyB00432

It all started with a little mismatched MEGA Construx Spartan I called "Dummy" from 13 years ago. From then on, I collected Halo MEGA Construx, and on Christmas 2024 I got an Xbox Series S, MCC, and Halo Infinite, and finally got to play the games.

Itotino

Hello everyone! My first memory of playing Halo goes back to when I was just three years old. My uncle handed me an Xbox controller and showed me the game. When the menu popped up, he said, “My son, this is Halo. You’ll play as this awesome, cool guy! Let’s play.” That was all it took for me. I was hooked, and I knew Halo would be a game I’d play for years to come.

The first game I played was Halo: Combat Evolved, and later came Halo 2, Halo 3, and beyond. Halo 3 is especially memorable for me because I spent hours just replaying the levels. Of course, I didn’t have Xbox Live back then, but once I got an Xbox One, I made so many friends online. I really enjoyed the multiplayer in Halo 5, which is probably my favorite in terms of multiplayer, and the Master Chief Collection was a blast too. Playing MCC gave me even more opportunities to connect with friends and dive into the games I loved.

I really hope the upcoming remake can capture those same moments and introduce a new generation of players to Halo. Honestly, I’d love another MCC version or something that includes every game, even Halo 5 on PC/MCC 😅.

Serpentinight now MMX MEMPHIS

When I was eight, my brother and I had the idea to beat Halo: Reach together on Legendary difficulty, and it was the best idea we ever had. A couple of minutes later, we started and finished the game four days later.

Runner205

Halo did more than give me a game to play. It gave me the life I have now. It might sound like a stretch, but it is the truth.

Back in Halo 4 SWAT, I matched with a random player who ended up becoming one of my best friends. After the match, I sent him a message asking if he wanted to play more, and he said sure. We played almost every day for a couple of weeks with no microphones, just running games together all the way through Christmas. When we finally got headsets, it felt like everything opened up. Through him, I met more people, and eventually every Xbox friend I have today can be traced back to that one match.

It has now been 13 years. Over that time, that small group of players turned into a circle of friends I respect, appreciate, and consider family. When I got married in 2023, four of them flew out to be there with me. Two of them, including the friend I met in that Halo 4 match, stood beside me as groomsmen.

I would not have any of that without Halo. No other game has shaped my life the way this franchise has. I wanted to share my story as a way of showing my appreciation for everything Halo has given me: friendships, memories, and a community that became part of my real life.

LgndKiller

Been here since Xbox launched. Halo 3 was PEAK. Halo 5 was where I logged the most hours! 🙌😎💖

AlphaDevil#4668

My favorite and most storied Halo memory takes me back to senior year of high school, circa 2008. We went to a vocational high school. Across the hall from my class was the Electrical shop. We all got the bright idea to have our friends from Electrical run an enormously long Ethernet cable up into their ceiling, out into the hallway, and into our shop. This was all under the guise of checking the wiring for the lights in the classrooms and hallway. It took about a week to get everything set between both rooms.

On that Friday, both of our shops checked out two TVs on rolling carts from the library each, and four of us brought in our Xboxes. What followed was the most legendary Halo 2 LAN battle of our lives. Eight on eight, shop vs. shop. Kids were running trash-talk notes between the rooms all day. Alliances were formed. Friendships were tested. The whole school knew, but we never got in any trouble.

The funny thing is, I am now a teacher in that very same classroom all these years later. I checked, and the Ethernet cable is still there, waiting for another battle.

JohnnyRootbeer

I'm currently 32, and Halo: CE was my very first Xbox game. I was a little behind on getting it only because my family couldn't really afford a new next-gen console at the time, and my dad was more of a PlayStation fan. But one day, my father came home and told me to close my eyes and come out to the kitchen. As I opened my eyes, all I saw was a brown cardboard box.

Then he went on to explain, "There was an abandoned trailer, and I was given permission to go in and take anything I'd like. I thought you would like what was in the box."

So I opened the box, and my eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. Halo: Combat Evolved, an original Xbox, and a couple of controllers. And since then, I've never looked back from the Halo franchise.

My first paycheck I ever got, I bought the Halo 3 Special Edition two weeks before I even got the console on my second paycheck (Halo 3 Special Edition, of course). Halo has, and always will, live forever in my heart rent free.

The Firmien

This is one of my favorite games to play. I have each edition of Halo and have always loved the missions the platform offered.

Retrotrippi8

Honestly, my favorite Halo is Halo 3. After seeing Johnson's death and realizing that all that remained was our escape, that day my best friend and I jumped into the Warthog full of adrenaline. Even everyone in the gaming room shared our excitement. Crashing and getting back behind the wheel was incredibly epic and full of emotion.

Thank you for being part of my life and the lives of my children.

LONG LIVE HALO AND THE GREAT JOURNEY.

D0N FR3DY L3AL

It was the year 2008. I was 10 years old when a cousin invited me to his house so we could play a video game that his father had bought him called Xbox. It came with a disc that said Halo: Combat Evolved. I saw a green soldier with a machine gun, and it immediately caught my attention.

During vacation, I went to my cousin's house every day to play Halo CE. The following year, my uncle gave him a new game as a gift: Halo 2. We were excited to see the Master Chief again, now with a submachine gun in each hand. We played it until we knew the story by heart, but we knew there was more.

A year later we learned about the release of the Xbox 360, which brought with it the highly anticipated Halo 3. Because of our financial situation, it was impossible for us to get a console to continue the story that had won us over years before. To play Halo 3, we visited video game stores in my country known as "nintenderías." We saved the money our parents gave us so we could go there and learn even more about the Halo universe.

P4P4L4CH0117

...and even better with good friends!

More than a story, these are memories. Good moments, afternoons and nights playing with the bros. We got angry, we laughed. We said it was the game's fault, but we still searched for another match. What memories, honestly. The best moments. And I still play it. (Master Chief forever!)

Davlomon

I live in an area where Halo isn’t the most well-known game franchise because consoles aren’t widely used as a gaming platform.

Many years have passed, but my earliest vivid memory of this game dates back to the start of school, when I was just beginning first grade. After the first day of school, I came home and saw my dad playing Halo CE on PC. I remember really enjoying the gameplay, but the plot remained a mystery to us due to the poor-quality translation. I also recall how we would constantly get lost on the maps, confusing the corridors. In general, the first two parts that were ported to PC were remembered by me as good games with a storyline that I didn't understand, and I played the levels in the second part in different orders, just having fun.

It's been almost 20 years since those memories. This year, I've come closer to Halo again. I've decided to revisit these games and understand what I've missed. Thanks to the Master Chief Collection, I've been able to play through the entire Bungie trilogy on my PC. The story of humanity and the story of John-117 in the Bungie and Halo Studios games have inspired me. No matter how dire the threat or situation may be, no matter how terrible John's tragedy may be, they continue to fight.

John's story reminds me of an ancient epic. And I love this epic story, so I get closer to it by playing the next games, replaying the ones I've played, and playing mods made by the community.

Demi1877

Myself and my best friend Josh have known each other since we were both five years old. Now we are both in our mid-30s, and we've seen the Halo story grow with us. I sadly was in an abusive relationship for over a decade, where I was manipulated from playing Halo or any games like that. I was also estranged from my best friend because of this relationship for over a decade.

When I finally came out of my abusive relationship two years ago, I finally managed to speak to my long-lost best friend. It was like no time had passed! One of the first things we arranged was to play Halo (now Halo Infinite multiplayer and MCC), and we were reminded of all the fun, laughs, and excitement of our youth.

Halo has defined much of our growing up, the story for me and the game design. Though we live in a much harsher and more critical time, I'm glad we will always have Halo to celebrate and come back to.

ChiefFinch116

Well, Halo was the first game I ever played. If I could relive the first time I played Halo, I would rather than anything.

Ghost Boy#3050

My first encounter with Halo was sneaking into the computer room at school to play CE with my brother. Those Plasma Pistol overcharge + melee combos were devastating.

22 years later, and I'm still in love with the franchise as a whole. I've suffered through every first-person Halo game on Legendary (CE Flood and Halo Infinite Harbinger were ridiculous), and I was blown away when I read my first Halo novel (I started with The Cole Protocol and then frantically scrambled to consume as many as possible).

The politics within the Covenant were so fascinating, as was the Forerunner backstory. The concept of the Mantle of Responsibility (at least the Librarian's interpretation of the concept) resonated with me.

I assume the Mantle of Responsibility for my family: providing for, caring for, and protecting them. And I have Halo to thank for that mindset. Halo has literally made me strive to be the best person that I can be.

P.S. Bring back Armor Lock.

BUGGERYWODA

Back in 2013, when I was four years old, I played Halo: Reach for the very first time, and I had a blast! I remember playing on the giant Forge map and messing around with my cousins.

Crash112867

He was inspiring. He was a hero. We were losing a game, and he gave a speech over chat that we were Spartans. He told us to fight to the last man, to fight for humanity, to fight for the UNSC. He was the bravest.

We did end up winning in the end, barely by like 20 points.

Colin brown

Gosh, where do I start? My sister and I played this for countless hours for many years growing up, and it was so fun. From playing co-op and completing missions quickly to joking around and killing each other while not in a PvP setting 😂.

Same story with my cousin. We'd be up late into the night playing this game when we had no business being up that late and just having a blast. Not to mention keeping ourselves awake with Mountain Dew, snacks, you name it.

Halo rocks. Thank you to everyone who's been involved in that whole franchise!!! Hard to believe it's been 25 years. Looking back on that now and being 29, it's hard to believe how much time has gone by.

xxsniperxx#4277

I still remember how, while playing the campaign of Halo: Reach, I earned a betrayal achievement for killing my co-op campaign partner more than 15 times.

xFelixBlaiXx

When I was about five years old in 2016, I remember getting an Xbox One. I was extremely excited. I could finally play games like Minecraft, Sonic, and others legitimately for the first time. But the game that stood out the most to me was Halo.

A couple of months into the new year, my aunt, uncle, and cousin came over to hang out. My dad and uncle were playing Halo 5: Guardians in the living room while my cousin was upstairs. I sat there watching them, completely drawn in. It was the Blue Team mission, and I had never seen anything like it before. It was probably the first shooter I ever seriously thought about playing.

I remember when my dad got to the part with the Hunters slithering along the windows and got hit by a fuel rod cannon and knocked into armor lock. He handed the controller to my uncle, who easily defeated them. I asked if I could play. My uncle looked at my dad, and my dad said, “When you’re older.”

So when I was about 10, I finally got to play Halo for the first time. It was amazing. After that, I beat Halo 5: Guardians, then went on to beat Halo: Reach as well.

Halo didn’t just stick with me. It became something I shared with the people around me. In fifth grade, my friend even made a whole slideshow about the Covenant species, their enemies, and what Spartans and ODSTs are. That’s how big of an impact this universe had on us.

And just a couple of months ago, I took it upon myself to go even further. I played through every single mainline Halo game in chronological order. Experiencing the full story like that made me appreciate the franchise even more.

To this day, Halo holds some of the best gaming memories I’ve ever had. I can’t fully express how much this series means to me. Please protect it.

DrdinoKing

The first time I ever played Halo was Halo: Reach. It was fun, and then I got to the end and cried... Halo is amazing.

Squashelon

Back when Halo: Reach was first released, my friend group and I decided that we were all going to get it. Out of the seven of us, four were actually able to buy it. I was one of the ones who couldn't, so after a few days of sitting around waiting, the richest of our group decided to buy us the game.

It brought us closer together as a friend group, but when Halo: Reach stopped being popular, we split up. I wish that y'all would make another game like Reach or a remaster.

GreenGreak2984

Halo Quelle Mémorial

What a wonderful game. I've been playing it since I was very young and have never stopped. Here in Switzerland, there is still a great community that plays today, and that makes me happy.

OBÉLIX0389

I'm 25 years old. I was born on the same day and year Halo was born. I've been a fan for a long time and love being a part of this franchise. Thank you for such a great 25 years of Halo.

Spartan117#7427

25 Years??

I remember when I was five and playing Halo: Reach... Please go back😭😭😭

Advocado7312

The first time I played Halo, I was four years old and my dad and I went to rent it from Blockbuster. We spent the entire weekend playing it. I remember that feeling of starting the menu with the ring lighting up and giving that feeling of mysticism, as well as playing the levels together with my dad every day. That's when I fell in love with that universe.

unith 0 Z

It was the game I played since I was 10, and it has been one of my favorite games ever since.

AbdielNP6800

For me, it had to be the time I had a private session on Halo 3 as an 11-year-old in 2007. I didn't know any of the BXR or MLG strategies, but I sure as hell had fun with the amount of creativity in Forge and playing custom modes like Fat Kid.

Melraik

Distorted Vision

A Halo journey into the Covenant. A witness to true destruction. Before the Internet was available, it was just a four-player battle on the Xbox itself.

smoaky

Master Chief and I have known each other since we were young children.

Ms.MasterChief

I only started playing games very recently, like early 2025 recently. Halo CE was my first game, and I played CE, 2, 3, and 4. Now I know one thing, aliens are total babes. Thel 'Vadam is a babe, and I love him. I love lizard people.

stinkiiz

When I first got my OG Xbox and put in Halo 1, the memories started.

Brutaldwolf

When I was really little, I remember my sister introducing me to video games. The two that stuck out the most were Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2.

I remember playing through them and being fascinated by the music, atmosphere, gunplay, and everything else. I remember seeing beautiful lakes, deserts, African megacities, and alien ships as I played through the missions.

Then a cutscene rolled. It showed Master Chief boarding a ship where he was confronted and asked why he was there. Chief then replied with the most iconic one-liner: "Sir, finishing this fight."

The credits rolled, the music played, and I jumped off the couch screaming that I had beaten it. I ran and told my sister, who congratulated me.

From that day on, Halo 2 and the franchise as a whole were cemented as the greatest video game experience of all time for me.

FlamMan594

When I was around six, I got an Xbox 360 for Christmas with Halo 4. My dad and I enjoyed playing split-screen together. We never got very far, not even to freeing the Didact, but we had fun and it was my introduction to Halo.

I know Halo 4 is not a super-loved game, but it will always hold a place in my heart.

Ma Mak Cool

Halo: Combat Evolved was probably the first game I have ever played in my life. The few memories I have of when I was a child are me playing Halo CE and Halo 2. Without noticing, Halo started to be part of my life. Every single day when I came from school I would play Halo, repeating the same missions, knowing the dialogues by memory, and knowing every Easter egg.

I was never a guy with too many friends, neither a multiplayer gamer, especially because my classrooms were pretty empty and my friends weren't the type that would hang out. Months before finishing high school, something happened that changed my life.

I entered a depression that still haunts me until this day. I have episodes that come and go. But the only thing that has kept me distracted, happy and enjoying life, is Halo.

Halo has always been there for me. Even when I lost my friends, the love of my life and moved to another country, losing everything and everyone—Halo has been there, holding my hand. My entire life I have been purchasing all the Halo merch I can, learning all the lore my brain can process, playing the games non-stop and even winning an official Halo contest on Instagram.

I also met Steve Downes and Jen Taylor two years ago, the nicest humans I have ever met, and it was a dream come true. They both shared beautiful words that I still remember and warm my heart. But probably the most important news in my life is when I saw the Foundry trailer, when Halo Studios confirmed Halo: Campaign Evolved. I just hope you can imagine my happiness when I saw the news.

With this news, I finally decided to share my love of Halo I started my page EvolvedHype; "Evolved" for Halo: Combat Evolved, and "Hype" for the excitement I have for this franchise. The photo I'm attaching it's just some of my favorite things I have collected over the years.

Thanks so much, Halo, for being there for me, for all the good memories I have, and for being there when no one else was there for me.

Egan Bar

When I was in junior and senior high school, my church hosted a New Year's Eve lock-in for several years. There were movies, bounce houses, and video games to entertain everyone. One of those games was Halo. A room was set up with linked Xbox consoles, and during my first year I was 13 years old.

Being one of the only girls who played competitively, I gained a reputation for holding my own against the boys, adults and kids alike. By the time I was 15, I was well-known, and one of the things I remember hearing was an adult leader asking, "Do you know how many people want to be on your team?!"

I don't remember the context all these years later, but I do remember the fun and joy I had playing Halo 1 and Halo 2. To this day, Halo 2 remains my favorite game of all time.

Foehammer22 (formerly)

We’ve been floored by the overwhelming response to Your Halo Story. Since we still have countless fan stories to share in future installments of this series, the submissions portal is now closed—but we invite you to help celebrate Halo’s iconic legacy with new video quizzes and community polls in the monthly Anniversary Angle.

Whether you’re a battle-hardened Spartan or a Halo rookie, we hope you’ll join the fun by sharing your Halo story through our official submission form, on social media using hashtag #Halo25Together, in our official Discord server, or on r/Halo with the #Halo25Together tag.