Halo’s First Appearance on PS5 Won’t Be What Anyone Expected

While Microsoft has ported numerous exclusive titles to PlayStation 5, such as Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 5, one major series is still missing: Halo. Despite the success of these titles on PS5, fans are still holding out hope that Halo will come to Sony’s console in some form. There have been numerous leaks and rumors pointing toward an eventual PS5 appearance for Master Chief, but Microsoft and Xbox have been silent about this. However, a new announcement may see the Halo series make the jump to PlayStation 5 in an unexpected way, and it may be happening sooner than you think.

Fans have long speculated that Microsoft would port either Halo: The Master Chief Collection or Halo Infinite to PlayStation 5. Both have good arguments. The first four mainline Halo games are bundled together in The Master Chief Collection along with Halo: Reach and Halo 3: ODST, offering PS5 players the iconic story that made the series what it is today. On the other hand, Halo Infinite is the latest title in the series, featuring the best work of (formerly) 343 Industries and the actively supported Halo game.

However, neither of these will be the Halo series’ first appearance on PS5. Helldivers 2 first surprised players by announcing it would release on Xbox Series X/S on August 26th. While this is great news, the latest trailer from Arrowhead Game Studios has generated even more hype. Helldivers 2 is teasing the first appearance of Halo on PlayStation 5 and it may be very soon.

Halo in Helldivers 2 Shows PlayStation and Xbox Can Work Together

At the end of Helldivers 2’s “Bring the Boom” trailer, Arrowhead Game Studios teases content from Halo 3: ODST. The theme for the game can be heard as a drop pod comes in from orbit. With the timing of this lining up with Helldivers 2’s upcoming Xbox debut, it seems very likely Halo will be added to the game. This marks the first time Halo will appear on PS5 in a major way. As unlikely as it was for Helldivers 2 to come to Xbox, it bringing Halo to PS5 was even less expected.

This does not mean that Xbox won’t release another Halo game on PlayStation 5. In fact, leaks from grunt.api indicates that two Halo games will come to PlayStation 5. From these leaks, it seems it will be two new games and not a port of a mainline or spin-off Halo game. However, this does not necessarily mean this is true, as there have been numerous leaks on this subject.

Regardless of how Halo comes to PlayStation 5, this marks the beginning of a new generation for gaming. Sony announced recently that it would be focusing less on hardware, and porting its cooperative multiplayer shooter appears to be the first step in this. While Sony has already released its exclusives on PC, it is now following in Microsoft’s footsteps by releasing first-party games on Xbox. This collab likely would not be possible if Sony hadn’t decided to bring Helldivers 2 to Xbox.

This opens the door for even more ports. Sony is known for its highly praised first-party titles throughout the years. God of War, The Last of Us, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Ghost of Tsushima are critically acclaimed games that may now be released on Xbox. The depth of how Sony supports Xbox remains to be seen, but fans are hopeful more games will arrive.

Does PS5 Even Need Halo?

Truthfully? No, PlayStation 5 does not need Halo, and it has proven this over the years. While it has not had a direct competitor to Halo, other games have filled this role. The Killzone series satisfied a similar experience, and Helldivers 2 has become one of the premier shooters for Sony on PS5. Marathon is also on the horizon, featuring the original creator of Halo, Bungie. Even outside of exclusives, the PS5 has had plenty of options for multi-platform shooters to fill this void.

Even Microsoft seems to agree. Rather than port over Halo: Combat Evolved or another game in the series, it decided to port Gears of War: Reloaded. There is nothing wrong with the Gears of War series, but Halo is easily one of the most important IPs under Xbox’s umbrella. Choosing not to release this series on PlayStation 5 and opting for another instead speaks volumes.

One could argue that Xbox is testing the waters with Gears of War: Reloaded. But even if this were the case, Halo has proven to be more popular and to have more widespread appeal than Gears of War. It also doesn’t make sense, considering one is an FPS while the other is a TPS. Halo would almost be guaranteed to perform well on PS5 and bring it to a wider audience.

If Microsoft were to bring Halo to PS5, it would have to be an already existing title like Halo Infinite or Halo: The Master Chief Collection. These games have enough appeal and validity to get people to purchase them on PS5, especially if crossplay is included. Releasing a brand new Halo game would be uncharted waters and a risk for Xbox and PlayStation.

Only time will tell how Xbox moves forward with Halo. Helldivers 2 releasing on Xbox is a major milestone in itself, but bringing Halo to PlayStation 5 is an incredible feat. PS5 players are hopeful that Master Chief makes the journey, but there is no official announcement as of yet.