Microsoft is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved with a blockbuster surprise today. Indeed, the Season 1 of Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer mode is launching today as an open beta on Xbox, PC, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, three weeks ahead of the game’s official release on December 8, 2021.
“Players can enjoy the Season 1 content including all maps, core modes, Academy features, and Battle Pass, and all of their progress carries over into the full Halo Infinite launch on December 8,” the Xbox team explained today. The beta client can be installed through the Microsoft Store or the Game Pass app on Xbox consoles, while PC gamers can install it from the Xbox app or Steam.
It’s important to note that the store listings for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer and Campaign modes are separate on digital storefronts, and you can’t use the previous Halo Insider client to access today’s open multiplayer beta. It’s also worth reminding that Xbox players don’t need an active Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass subscription to play Halo Infinite multiplayer online.
This release includes eleven different multiplayer modes between Arena and Big Team Battle, and you can learn more details about the different game modes on this page. Today is a really exciting time to be a Halo fan, and this open multiplayer beta is a great time to build excitement for Halo Infinite ahead of its release on December 8.
