Halo 5’s mixed reception is probably why developer 343 Industries went back to the drawing board for Infinite. The bare-bones squad commands, boring new characters, and confusing story made many fans dislike the campaign. At least the multiplayer held up its end of the bargain, with fantastic and fluid new movement options that enhanced the already excellent gunplay.

343’s first stab at the franchise woke up Master Chief from his long rest. Despite some nifty, never-before-seen Promethean enemies, Halo 4 felt just a bit too safe considering it was supposed to launch a new series era. At the time, though, Halo never looked so good. The game wrings every last drop of power from the Xbox 360 to give its worlds and characters a gorgeous sci-fi sheen.

The first Halo is a landmark, industry-defining shooter that still holds up well today. The combat has a satisfying methodical pace, the vehicles break up the action nicely, the mix of realistic army guns and wacky needle-shooting space guns keeps things interesting, and the expansive levels feel refreshing compared to today’s linear shooter campaigns. Still, it's an old game, and the campaign's back half gratess with its repetitive environments. 

For its final Halo game, Bungie went back to the beginning. Halo: Reach tells the tragic story of the doomed human colony Reach, and the brave Spartan Noble Team that defended it to the end. Even with you knowing the final outcome, Halo: Reach pushes you to fight harder than ever thanks to upgraded armor abilities, such as Dash and Jetpack.  

The previous Halo campaigns walked so that Halo Infinite could run (or, well, grapple). Infinite reimagines the campaign as an open-world map rather than a sequence of story missions chained together by cutscenes. You can walk, drive, and Grappleshot across Zeta Halo's terrain. Take out Banished bases, discover collectibles, and for the first time upgrade Master Chief's shield and abilities. The story missions and cutscenes are on par with Bungie's original efforts, and the (free!) multiplayer action is a satisfying mix of classic Halo and the more modern mechanics found in Halo 5. This is easily 343's best Halo work, one of the better campaign offerings in the series, and a successful modern franchise refresh.

Halo is a big deal today, but Halo 3 was absolutely massive. The first game in the franchise for the Xbox 360, a console much more popular than its predecessor, Halo 3 was an inescapable, full-blown pop culture event. Fortunately, the game lived up to the hype. The next-gen horsepower delivered an epic and action-packed campaign final. Meanwhile, the multiplayer modes introduced innovative new features, such as saving and sharing replays. It also let you create your own levels in The Forge. 

This is our most controversial pick, but we stand by it. Nothing could top Halo 3 in terms of sheer size and spectacle, so for this budget-priced expansion Bungie went in the complete opposite direction. Halo 3: ODST is a moody side story about real humans, not super-soldiers, fighting the alien Covenant. Connecting these flashback missions is a nonlinear hub world full of rain-soaked streets to investigate, and jazz music transforms the whole affair into a sci-fi noir. Plus, Halo’s combat remains as awesome as ever. Halo 3: ODST is an underappreciated mix of fresh and familiar Halo ideas. 

Now that we’ve all had enough time to get over the cliffhanger ending, let’s admit that Halo 2 is the best Halo game. Bungie learned all the right lessons from the first game to deliver a campaign that entertains from beginning to end. The Arbiter is a fascinating character with a refreshingly alien playstyle (the energy sword!). And by launching alongside Xbox Live, Halo 2’s online multiplayer reshaped how gamers interact with each other on the internet. We cannot overstate its impact.