Cover art by Lachiebuzzx.

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

We asked for your Halo memories, and you shared stories of triumph, tribulation, and truly sweet sticks. Since we’ve received an overwhelming response worthy of mighty tomes, this chapter features 50 fan submissions from the annals of Halo history, with many more to come in future installments!

Wow... 25 years. Halo came along at a pretty perfect time in my life; I had just settled down in rural Connecticut, working from home as the owner of a web development company. Bungie was a company I'd fallen in love with years before, and suddenly they were huge... and my ability to build web sites that could provide a gathering place for fans, and fan art, fit perfectly with my need to show my love for the developers, the game, and the community.

There have certainly been ups and downs over the past few decades... but the through line was a game I could not walk away from, and a community that seemed to love me as much as I loved them. My life has been shaped, in recent decades, by the Halo franchise - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I play fewer games than I used to - life has a way of filling up, and there really isn't time for everything - but the years I've spent in the Halo community, and the memories I've made during that time, are precious to me. I will never not love this franchise.

Claude "Louis Wu" Errera

Watch on Youtube

LEGIQN

My friend Ted talked us into the invite-only Halo 2 multiplayer demo area of Microsoft's E3 booth. We got to play the infamous Zanzibar multiplayer CTF map demo, which by itself would have been pretty cool, but Sinbad and his entourage of kids showed up. Those little kids murdered us over and over with the dual-wield SMGs while Sinbad cracked jokes and launched the Warthog over our heads with his awful driving.

Zondaro

My cousins had an Xbox when my family only played Nintendo. I remember going over to their house to play Halo 2 and it being such a marvel! I remember thinking the cutscenes with the Arbiter in particular were cutting-edge at the time. It awakened my inner Elite. I later got my first job just so I could buy a 360 and play Halo 1-3. It’s a core memory, right next to beating Ganon in Ocarina of Time and getting first place in Mario Kart 64.

Tsuni244

Halo 5 was my entry point into the series and franchise after Spartan Locke’s armor design won me over into buying and playing the game. Absolutely loved the art style and gameplay of Halo 5, from the design of the Mjolnir armor aesthetics and how the Forerunner structures were made to look to the Thruster system built into the core gameplay.

Wizardwolf1020

I remember playing Halo: CE and Halo 2 when I was five years old at my neighbor's house. Playing as the Elites was so cool and kicked off my passion for Halo. I've played and beaten every game since, and will always have a special place in my heart for this franchise!

Luckygems123456

I have fond memories of going through all the Halo campaigns with my friends and each of us trying to one-up each other on all the lore and behind-the-scenes fun facts for every scene or mission.

D1v1n3Rad1at10n

I remember rushing home from school, turning on the CRT, and playing Halo until my mum came home from work. Good times!

TechnoidAbhi

Hi, I'm Jonathan (or OBLIQUE if you meet me on Halo Infinite). I grew up as a new-age traveler in the UK, with no real access to any technology or home, really. As my parents got better, we moved to South Wales, where I got my first console. When I say "mine," it was actually my younger sister's 13th b-day present. She got an original Xbox with Jetset Radio and Sega GT. I soon found out about Halo: CE and got a copy. I spent many hours with friends playing through the campaign and trying to beat it on Legendary. Halo 2 is where I got my first Xbox console myself. I nagged and talked my mum into getting me the original Xbox (crystal version) and a copy of Halo 2.

This is where my love of multiplayer gaming started. Extremely competitive games of Halo 2 ensued between my friends playing system link for years. We never had an internet connection then, so 2 vs. 2 system-link games would be our go-to. It wasn't long until we learned all the super bounces and had gotten out of every campaign map.

This is when my best friend and I started getting into 3D art from seeing how the maps were put together after breaking out of them. After this, my mother found a copy of 3ds Max at charity shop and brought it home. My buddy and I spent years from Halo 2 to Halo 3 onwards crafting our skills in 3ds Max learning to 3D-model. Shortly after this I got into Halo: Reach and discovered how powerful the Forge tools were. I would make competitive maps and play them with my friends for days and then months and years. I learned a lot about level design in this process. Shortly after this, I went to university to study 3D modeling and animation with my best buddy, and we had a great time in year 1-2 delving deeper into subdivision modeling and really honing our skills as 3D artists.

My buddy moved on to work at MPC, and I now work as an environment artist at Dovetail Games creating environments for the Train Simulator World franchise and other exciting, upcoming titles. I can say for sure Halo will always be a big part of my life and has shaped me as the person I am today, always progressing my artistic skills. and always excited for the next Halo session with my friends. glhf <3

OBLIQUE 4305

Back in June 2001, we got our first hands-on look at Halo Combat Evolved. A dark room filled with UK game store managers got our first look at Mission 2, "Halo." The cutscene started out, and we were hooked. Twenty minutes later, the lights went up to huge applause and cheering. We were witnessing the birth of a new gaming universe.

We then got hands-on with Halo and we were hooked. Then we were blown away by the multiplayer map Blood Gulch and knew something big was happening. Five midnight launches later for all the games in the Halo universe created lifelong memories. Thanks to Bungie and 343 for all the great times. Heres to the next chapter of Halo.

Daddydixon74

When I was just ten years old, I went to my oldest brother’s house to spend the night. He knows I’ve always been a gamer. During that time, I had a Nintendo 64 and a PlayStation 2. It was nighttime, and he showed me his Xbox console that was just released a couple months earlier. I didn’t know what an Xbox was. He then popped in the first game, Halo, a game I also never heard of. He booted up the game and started Halo split-screen campaign. I instantly fell in love with starting in a ship in outer space, and the quick escalation of the fighting within minutes of the first level. After that day, I convinced my parents to buy me an Xbox and Halo. I’d spend countless hours on the campaigns and multiplayer, and I share many memories of the Halo games with not only family but my friends as well during sleepovers. I would go on to compete in a Halo tournament in my closest city and reach the semi-finals when I got older. Also spending countless hours learning and discovering Easter eggs and glitches… mainly in Halo 2. Those are some of my Halo memories and what makes Halo truly special to me. I’ll forever be a Spartan.

Jake

My name is Jacob. I am 28 years old. Halo: CE is the first game I ever played. I was three, almost four years old. Sat in my Dad’s lap as he played. Every now and then I’d touch the controls and move around, but still, it’s one of my earliest memories. A few years later, I would spend every day after elementary school playing three-player split-screen with my two younger brothers, fighting over who would get the large screen between the three. It was a daily ritual almost. Eventually I’d play Halo 3, still to date my favorite game. It was the first time I played multiplayer. It was the first time I fell in love with the Halo community, downloading all sorts of maps off of the old Bungie website. I’ve played every game since. Even playing countless hours of Halo 5 multiplayer in high school with one of my best friends, getting well over level 100. Halo has always been an integral part of my life.

Bubba J FTW

Watch on Youtube

I was at E3 the year they showed Halo 2 for the first time. I showed the vendors at the booth my Halo collection, and they said you're going in on the front row, first viewing. One of the greatest days of my life. I have forever been immortalized as the "holy s***" kid for shouting when the Master Chief hijacked the Ghost.

x soyo x

Watch on Youtube

Playing "Ice Road Truckers" on custom games in Infinite and I (who was the gunner) and another Spartan (who was the driver) had a very "close call" moment with the Infected.

Shadowbeast4251

I got into Halo mostly because of Red vs. Blue, but it was when I borrowed a friend’s copy of Reach that I really fell in love with Halo.

huskerlego

My childhood was way too simple, like "a box of rocks" simple lol. Though I would love to play with my dad on his Xbox 360 and he was a true stereotypical Halo fan. Mainly when I was about 3 or so I would remember him sitting on the couch in the living room and I would always trip over the cord and eventually would mess him up to the point that his controller would disconnect and he would give me THE look lol. Especially when I was 5-6 (I think), but joining him was always a fun occasion, however in Halo I have core memories of me on the ground laughing because of friendly fire, while we would play games like Halo 3 or Reach, but it genuinely does brings me to tears when I say this but memories of when I would be with him and we would laughing our heads off because of the weirdest stuff, it was just a simple time. And most fans' stories say how basic their lives are… but I don't believe them. The world is on fire right now and all I ever want to see is my memories and life before it all got complicated. Halo is a game that gives me peek behind the curtain of my head and into a simple life.

Graham Tibbetts

Halo came into my life with Halo 3, but over time I understood that it wasn't just a science fiction story, but a mirror of many of my own battles. There were times when I felt depressed, sad, without the will to go on. Moments when simply getting through another day felt like a lost cause. And yet, Halo was always there.

In Halo: Combat Evolved, I learned that waking up alone, without fully understanding what's happening around you, doesn't mean you're lost. Sometimes you just have to take the first step, even if you don't know where it will lead.

In Halo 2, I understood that the world isn't black and white, that even the "enemies" carry their own history and their own pain.

With Halo 3, the beginning of everything for me, I learned that even when everything seems to be over, there's always one last mission, one last attempt, one reason to keep fighting.

ODST kept me company on silent nights, when I felt alone. It taught me that you don't have to be the strongest to endure, that getting lost in the darkness is also part of the journey.

In Reach, I understood sacrifice: that not all stories have a happy ending, but they are still worthwhile. That falling while defending something important is also a form of victory.
Halo 4 spoke to me of humanity. Of what it means to feel, to lose, and still to keep going. It reminded me that even the strongest get tired.

In Halo 5, I saw the internal struggle, the conflict between who we are and what is expected of us, and I understood that questioning yourself doesn't make you weak.

And with Halo Infinite, I learned that even if the world is broken, you can always start again. That even after everything, there is still hope.
Halo taught me to endure when I didn't feel like going on. To move forward when I felt empty. To understand that being broken doesn't mean being finished. It wasn't just a game. It was a refuge, a silent companion, a voice that told me: "Hold on a little longer." Halo is a part of me.

Because when I couldn't go on… Master Chief kept going, and I kept going with him.

Happy 25th anniversary, Halo.

Manuelsr117

What Halo means to me is deeper than a game it's a way of life for me. It's been there in my dark times and has created friends that helped me push through it all. The community keeps me going, the universe keeps me going, the hype of new games keeps me going.

kidskull51

My earliest memory was during Christmas time. My parents got me a couple small gifts like toys and such. My Sega Genesis broke and stopped working so I wasn't playing many games, so that Christmas they also took out a big box. I opened it and it was an original Xbox with Halo: Combat Evolved. I was so excited and didn't know anything about it. Me and my dad booted it up and we played through it and beat it together that week. Ever since then I play every Halo religiously.

Emanuelsamaan

From the many nights with Halo 2 and great company, to Halo 4 and chill, I've been with the franchise since the beginning. So many great memories passing time, talking trash, and having fun! This old Spartan can keep up with even the best of them still in Halo 5!

BetterUThanI

Christmas day, 2001. I was 11. My life was changed. I fell headfirst, hours and hours on Delta Halo killing the Covenant by the thousands in Halo 2. Very little online but the little I did was a blast.

But Halo 3… The campaign alone I spent thousands, maybe millions, of hours in campaign finding skulls and Easter eggs my first night on Xbox Live. I couldn't stop playing. I was on till my mom yelled at me to sleep haha. In and out of clans, getting into game lobbies with pro players, competitions online…all the memories of late nights gaming. All the people I met, all the friendships I made, and lost – it all shaped me into who I am today. I spent all my middle and early high school years just on Halo.

I remember one night all the time with these Forge guys, this guy and I were fighting with swords like Star Wars and the Forge guys were building and taking away platforms. That went on for hours! Or my first win in a competition FFA through GameBattles. Won a few bucks too! Or my first MLG event in Florida. I still have that ticket somewhere… Halo has been the biggest part of my life for 25 years. Sweat, tears, laughing, and yelling… Falling in love a few times all because of Halo.

Here's to 25 more years!

SAMURAI#6173

I was seven when I first stepped into the boots of the Master Chief. In my crush’s basement, on her old-school console, we jumped into “Halo” - level two of the newly-released-to-Xbox Combat Evolved. Back when you differentiated your save files by the color of Spartan armor. And that original live menu featuring the ring!! That classic music!! Beautiful… My first shooter and the one, the series, I keep coming back to year after year and of which I will never tire.

Here’s to another 25, Halo. Thank you for everything <3

BigTuna2832

Squad up. Take on the world. Repeat. 😇🎮

PHXSTR

Too young to hold the original Xbox controller, I used to tilt the stick and race my elder brother off the map in the mission "Halo" on Halo: CE.

A Wise Pleb

I was in my Senior year in high school when the original Xbox came out and Halo: CE was a part of the three-game package at Electronics Boutique. I will never forget booting up the Xbox and hearing that amazing Halo theme the very first time. I’ve been gaming since I was 4 years old and I never heard or saw anything like Halo before. Many good memories resulted with this franchise with countless hours playing alongside my friends. I am very excited to see Halo: CE again this year.

SSA Predator

I think one of my best gaming moments was finally earning the Achilles Armor. After such a long grind—fighting through challenges and pushing myself—it felt incredible to unlock it at last. Of course, it was a team effort. For me, it’s one of the most iconic armors in the entire Halo franchise. It took a lot of time and effort, so when it returned in Halo Infinite, I was genuinely excited. And I have to say, the Serpent (Aztec) Armor has also been fantastic. I absolutely love it!

PATERCUI

I want to share a story of the best Warthog team in Halo 3. Not an opinionated "best" but the actual best as ranked by H3 wheelman. It was an old site that tracked vehicle related stats for Halo 3.

It was a married couple in their late 30s. Oh Sheep Dip and Ice Devil 13. As a teenager online I can't overstate how important it was to me that I had role models in my life and these two were certainly that. I wish more of their videos had survived but only a couple did. They were beasts on the Hog, Ice was the gunner and his wife was the driver. I've seen them mow down entire teams 4 times over by themselves in BTB. Ice once shot the hatch off a Wraith and killed the driver inside before he could get a 2nd shot off. This was during a 20+ killing spree on Valhalla when their flag was in front of the enemy base and they had to wait for their team to spawn back in, cross the map, and return their flag. They were also terrifying on the Brute Prowler and had even invented "The Piglet" where Ice could rip a machine gun off a turret, stand on back of a goose, and Sheep would drive him around at a decent speed.

Vehicles don't get enough love in Halo since Reach and I was always hoping for BTB to make it into the big leagues so I could apply to be on a team. Heck, I even got in a game with Naded once and he was hyper focused on killing me out of the Scorpion the entire match. I can thank Ice and Sheep for all that and I have countless other vehicle related stories as well.

Sadly, Ice Devil passed away due to cancer and Sheep got on less and less so she could focus on her 3 kids. I haven't heard from her in over a decade now. I hope she's doing well.

Here's a link to one of the few videos I can find of them.

Watch on Youtube

And here's a video of The Piglet:

Watch on Youtube

There's so much focus on being on your own two feet in Halo, so I hope I can try and shine some light on the outstanding vehicular play that the series had. As a former BTB co-clan leader in Halo: Reach, vehicles are near and dear to my heart for the part they play in this epic series.

VADA DA ARBITER

Shortly after Halo 2 was released, our local Walmart hosted a massive tournament that drew about sixty players. My brother, two of my cousins, and I participated. It was right after Thanksgiving and the tournament took place in the parking lot. In Illinois, it's pretty cold out by that time, but the experience was one I'll never forget. I placed second and one of my cousins finished first.

It's bittersweet because my cousin passed away almost a year ago, and that was one of my fondest memories with him. Between Halo: CE through Reach, we spent countless hours playing together over the course of several years, and I'll always be thankful for those memories. RIP, Corey.

megadp16

Eighteen years ago, I got my hands on a copy of Halo 3. I was a little late to the party as it was my introduction to the series. As I met more friends we all played it together. But there was one girl, a sister of my buddy's, a few years older than me that would destroy us all at it. I would practice all the time to try and get better than her. But she would still mop the floor with me.

Halo started it off as a rivalry against who would become my best friend. I knew I couldn't beat her, so I had to have her on my team always. We still play through the series at least once a year together.

We just celebrated six years of marriage this month and I know I couldn't have picked a better partner to fight the Covenant and save the world with.

FullMettleMouse

My favourite memories of Halo come from spending countless hours with my friends I met online playing Halo: Reach back in 2011. We’d play so much together we decided to create a clan and play versus other groups online, but the banter over months of gaming and tons of late nights playing Forge game modes I will forever cherish.

If any of my old R3D teammates read this, know I hold all those days dear, and you’ll always be lifelong friends to me.

Kengy473

From watching my father play Halo on the Xbox 360 while I sat on the couch in my diaper, to playing Halo 2 legendary myself on my computer. This franchise has truly followed me everywhere throughout my life, and I wouldn’t be the man I am without it. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to all the devs who have ever worked on the franchise.

TensiveMedusa78

It’s Christmas 2007 my 3 brothers and I wake up to a brand-new Xbox 360 elite console with Halo 3 already booted up and 4 controllers ready to go. We spent the whole day playing Team Slayer with our dad, who had never played before. The years that followed were very much the same.

Halo has always held a special place in my heart. My dad passed away 13 years ago, and one of the things I miss most is playing Lone Wolf with him, taking turns to see who could perform the best.

Ninja II Focus

When I was fifteen my mother give me 250 dollars and I put all my savings to buy my first Xbox 360. My dream was to have my own console to play Halo anytime because all my childhood I visited game places to rent one hour of Halo 2 and 3 a week.

When I got my Xbox 360 Halo 4 edition, I was the happiest boy on earth. I played all Halo saga so far, and when Halo: The Master Chief Collection was released, I bought my Xbox One. Of course, I played H5 and Infinite. Now I'm 27 and I can say that Master Chief and The Arbiter have been my superheroes all my life.

Infinite NGL

Watch on Youtube

I’ve been playing Halo since I was only three years old. I was born and raised in Russia. There, Halo is an extremely rare game that almost nobody plays, especially considering the fact that decent internet only became available around 2016.

Now I’ve been living in the United States for a long time. I’m almost 20 years old, and ever since the first time I touched Halo, it has never left me — and I’ve never left it either. I’ve even met Steve Downes and Jen Taylor in Los Angeles. I’ve completed every Halo game on Legendary difficulty, more than once.

However, my biggest achievement is having five accounts at Rank 152 in Halo 5. Despite the fact that many people dislike Halo 5, I consider it the best entry in the series. At first, I reached Rank 152 on one account, but after some time I decided that wasn’t enough. Why not try to do it again? Since then, I’ve continued playing and developing my accounts until they all reach Rank 152.

I am also the owner of the Master Chief Team Spartan Company. The Halo games mean an enormous amount to me and my family. With this message, I’m not trying to brag about reaching the highest rank on five accounts. I simply want to let the developers know that their work has tremendous meaning for me, and I believe for hundreds of millions of other people as well.

Halo has been with me through both the best and the worst moments of my life and has never let me down.

ciefmaster117

I was French pro player when I was 16 years old and I played in MLG for in Halo: Reach. I earned a contract and I was paid around 250 dollars.

Kyros9723654

Halo has been a huge part of my life, and it’s thanks to it that I have lifelong friends. My cousin, whom I wasn’t particularly close to, became practically a brother to me because of our late-night Halo sessions. We even drove to another city just to attend his first midnight sale, which was Halo: Reach. All those hours spent playing Halo brought us closer with each match we played.

I met my closest friend at a New Year’s Eve party. He happened to be playing Halo, and we met that night. We played a few games together before exchanging Gamertags. Since he lived in a different city, we stayed in touch by playing Halo almost every night, even on school nights. A few years ago, I was his best man at his wedding.

Halo has given me so many great memories. I hosted Halo LAN parties in my garage, which I had set up specifically for those nights. They were incredibly intense, but we all had a blast. My only tattoo is a Master Chief tattoo.

Next year, I’m getting married, and my friends decided the best way to celebrate my bachelor party was by attending Halo Fest. We’re celebrating the 25th anniversary the right way, surrounded by all my fellow Halo fans. :)

UrNumb3rsUp

My Halo story started in 2001 with the first Halo version, when my colleagues and I received the Xbox with Halo: Combat Evolved. Since then, I have been hooked. I have played every Halo game afterwards and have or had all Xbox consoles ever built (still own my original Xbox).

Dyce2908

I didn't know what Halo was… All I knew was that the guy behind the counter squinted at me like I didn’t belong there. “You got ID?” he asked, eyeing the M-rated label like it might burn through the case. I fished my wallet out, heart thumping like I was doing something forbidden. He scanned it, shrugged, and slid the game across the counter. I held it in my hands like a secret.

Halo: Combat Evolved. The cover looked like a sci-fi fever dream: green armor, alien ships, explosions in the sky. I had no idea what I was getting into.

Back home, my cousin was already waiting. “You got it?” she asked, eyes lighting up. I nodded, and we tore into the plastic like kids on Christmas morning. No trailers, no reviews, no expectations. Just two curious minds and a console humming with potential. We popped in the disc. The screen faded to black, then those voices, that chant, ethereal, ancient, like monks singing in a cathedral orbiting a distant star.

We looked at each other, wide-eyed. “Yo… what is this?” she whispered.

We didn’t talk much after that. We were too busy fighting through alien hordes, flipping Warthogs, and marveling at the ringworld stretching into the sky. I didn’t know the lore, didn’t know who Master Chief was, didn’t even know how to reload properly but I knew I was in love. That night, Halo wasn’t just a game. It was a rite of passage. A shared myth. A memory etched in plasma fire and choral echoes. Every time I hear that music, I’m back there, controller in hand, cousin by my side, stepping into a universe I never saw coming.

Redsevensunn

Halo was always special, but the one of the best memories was when we'd play Forge in Halo: Reach. Me and a few buddies would take things like the big light grid and start flinging us off of it, killing each other or launching us to the other end of the Forge map. We'd laugh at the absurdity, maybe try to get revenge, but at the end we would be satisfied. That fun you can have with your friends is what makes Halo so special and, in some ways, very important to me.

Copperlilac

Halo: Combat Evolved was my first true "wow" moment in gaming. I replayed the Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 campaigns constantly growing up. Countless split-screen sessions, attempting to find Skulls, and running missions over and over seeing how fast I could defeat Tartarus, since I didn’t have Xbox Live yet. Those campaigns became a core part of my childhood, including opening up Halo 2 on Christmas morning.

Halo 3 and Halo: Reach were the greatest online experiences I’ve ever had, with Reach being the peak. Late nights playing SWAT with DMRs on Sword Base, endless Grifball matches, and memories of Big Team Battle on Sandtrap in Halo 3. I met complete strangers through Halo who eventually became regular online friends at the time.

FredLV

My brothers and I were given an Xbox for Christmas 25 years ago and we each had a game hidden under our pillows. Under mine was Halo: Combat Evolved. I was entranced from the start. I loved the setting, the design, the story, the twist of the Flood and what Halo truly was. I couldn't get enough. So much so that I didn't stop at the games, when I found out there were books too, I had to read them, and once I did, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to create a world just as captivating as Halo. A story to get lost in.

I'm still working on that one, editing a children's fantasy as I type this. And if I ever find that I'm lacking inspiration I can always turn to Halo and find that excitement that set me on my path. (I recently replayed through all of the Halo games with my fiancée, and her reactions made me feel like I was playing again for the first time!)

Halo is more than just a game for me. Over the last 25 years Halo has shaped my life. It's been my hobby, a place to escape to, a place to socialize, a community, and a home. Halo will always be my favorite game.

Jake

This year marks 25 years since the Halo universe was born.

My story with this franchise began when I was ten years old back in 2004, when my father made a surprise to me with an Xbox and Halo 2. The first time I launched the game I closed it as soon as I saw the first Covenant troops come to me.

I hadn't opened the game for weeks or months. Then I gave it one more chance, and that's when my life changed. Forever.

I played only Halo 2 till 2012. Thousands of hours playing Halo 2 made me become one with it. In Italy, the internet was not so spread back then. Worst of all, I live in the most forgotten region of this nation (still, I love it anyway).

Once I learned of the existence of a new Halo coming out in 2012 (Halo 4), I knew I had to play all the other games and read all the books and comics of this franchise. That's when my friends did what my dad did before them: they surprised me with an Xbox 360 on May 2012.

In the months that separated my birthday and the release date of Halo 4, I did what I said I would do. I played all the other games, read all the books and comics that were released till that day. I was ready.

During the summer of 2012 in Italy started the advertising campaign with the 17K UNSC GROUP. I joined the group when there were only 40 people (later it became the largest Halo community in Italy).

One year later, I decided to apply as a staff member for the 17K and I was largely welcomed in it (I love you all guys). Thus I started helping the community, writing news and guides. In 2016 I also had the opportunity to meet Martin O'Donnell IRL in Rome and sing the Halo main theme live with him (ngl I cried a lot).

Later on, I also applied as Twitch and Mixer (r.i.p.) moderator for the official Halo channels, and I got in. During the latest years, that flame that burned in every single player started to fade a bit, but it's still there, waiting to be rekindled once more.

One of my dreams is to bring on Twitch the whole Halo saga with my knowledge of its universe, and I will! We will come back for Halo: Campaign Evolved, and I can't wait for it!

Pelux94

Watch on Youtube

When you take out a brute in mid-air with the DMR on Tsavo Highway.

M4ST3RCH13V

Watch on Youtube

This is my Halo collection. I started it after Halo 2 was released.

dj5

Saturdays we would LAN party and have the best fun in Halo 2.

Makinghist0ry

How do you summarize 25 years or memories? A question I often think about with Halo. It started for me when I was eight or nine. The journey began when my parents bought my first Xbox with Halo: CE. My parents had just finished building my room. I had no internal walls, no carpet, but that didn't stop me plugging the Xbox in, munching on quality street, terrified as I ran away from the Flood. This was just the beginning.

My biggest memories circle around the years of Halo 3. My parents had bought me the Halo 3 Xbox Console (which was a huge thing, as it was financially rough for my family at the time). From rushing home to jump online and join the double XP weekends, playing through the night with my best friend, to helping random people from around the globe to obtain the Vidmaster achievements. It also marked the beginning of collecting Halo merchandise and items (which is somewhat challenging living in England).

My entire gaming journey started with Halo and is still heavily dominated by it. It shaped childhood memories, nostalgic conversations with close friends, and it inspired me to become a content creator and interact with the Halo community as a whole. It's continued to be a blast and I'm looking forward to what the future holds for the Halo universe.

Mangermouse

"They’re tough but not…" Pelican falls. "Scarabs!"

killerozz

I bought Xbox on day one. It was March 14th, 2001, the OG Xbox launch date in my country, Spain. It was an expensive console, so I could only choose one game to play right after getting home. Halo: CE was the choice.

What came after changed my way of playing video games forever. I learned that adventures could be enjoyed alone, but also with friends. Halo: CE was the beginning of something bigger, inviting me to make friends beyond my city and, ultimately, giving purpose to a passion that got me to work in the video games industry as a journalist who, 20 years later, became IGN Spain's head and more.

My memories between these points are just unique but always outstanding: getting to know friends that later became work colleagues, meeting my wife while working on video games, visiting game studios all around the world (Blizzard, Microsoft in Seattle, Bungie, 343 Industries, Epic Games, Konami, every COD studio).

All that wouldn't have happened without Halo. Without Master Chief and Cortana my life would have been extremely different and NORMAL. Now, my story is just almost as outstanding as John-117's story. It's funny that my name is Juan too.

Thank you for making my life like this. Thanks for this wonderful journey.

xcast

Years ago I first played Halo: CE with my brothers, which slowly turned into a big LAN party as time progressed. When Halo 3 came out, my house was never a dull moment. Brothers would have friends, and friends would become close family, but as years progressed and tragedy struck as we lost many good Spartans, the memories made are just pure gold in a dark day.

I look back at how much Halo was a huge part of my family and I cant help but laugh and smile at the sleepless nights and towers of Game Fuel and pizza boxes. Those are the nights I would never change.

Thank you, Halo, for the memories—and you keep making them. So let's jump feet-first into one hell of a good time shall we.

Dragons Wrath

When I was five, Halo 3 had come out, and my cousins and I played it over and over. For some reason, it never occurred to us that there were previous games in the series, so this was it for the longest time. We didn't understand how to set up multiplayer either, so campaign is where we stayed. Maybe a year later, my mom and I are shopping, and I find an Xbox Platinum Hits copy of Combat Evolved… in the bargain bin. Suffice to say, I was excited for another Halo game. First thing I did when we got home was pop the disc into my Xbox 360… with no hard drive. Convincing my mom to buy a $10 game was hard. Convincing her to buy me a ~$150 hard drive for my console? Yeesh. Anyways, this brought me back to my uncle's house, where they DID have a hard drive for their 360. That's what I get for trying to fly solo.

My cousins and I boot up the game, soaking in the atmosphere… I'm lying. We were so excited, we literally spammed the A button until we were in the campaign. Now, there were three of us for two controllers (this was true for Halo 3, as well). So the idea was always "swap the controller on death", and man, we swapped a lot on "Pillar of Autumn." Our feeble, young minds couldn't comprehend the "labyrinth" that was those stone-gray corridors. It took us a long time to get off the ship.

On the next mission, "Halo," we were already spoiled by Halo 3, the "open" world was just another playground for us. We got all the way to the first emitter tower, where Sergeant Johns—I mean "Sniper Sergeant" greets you. Then all hell broke loose. Something clicked for us kids, because after we cleared out the waves of Covies, we started blasting the marines with the mini nukes of the game, the frag grenades! And once we were done there, we started laying into each other, splattering with Warthogs, back-smacking immediately upon respawn, and killing the player trying to progress through the mission!

We never finished the mission. The years progressed and I eventually did get a hard drive for my new Xbox 360 Elite Slim (the skinny, black one). I have been playing Halo ever since. It's always been around in my life.

I wanna finish with this: In May of 2025, I had my bachelor party. My two cousins were two of my groomsmen (one of them was one of my two best men). We had two Xbox Series X consoles, and I put together a LAN party for the first time in my life. That was the best. Thanks for all the memories I didn't list here, Halo.

SUPERN0V4 EMP

I remember taking my Xbox over a friend's house for Halo. We would connect four units together and have four people on each one playing local squad-based games until 2-3 a.m. It was the best.

Lance Mason

Growing up, this game united us as Spartans, from long CTF matches on Sidewinder to co-op completion of the story. What a wonderful journey it has been.

NaMReH

All year long, we’ll be inviting Halo fans to share their favorite Halo memories, celebrate Halo's iconic legacy, and vote on community polls to help us tell the whole Halo story.

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.