Matthew DeCarlo
It’s been a long wait for Halo: Master Chief Collection to launch on Windows after being announced earlier this year, but you’ll finally be able to suit up as the infamous Spartan once again if you’re a PC gamer with the release of Halo: Reach today.
Being that most of the Halo games have been Xbox exclusives, the upcoming Master Chief Collection for PC will be the first time that many Windows-based gamers will be able to play the popular sci-fi first-person shooter franchise. Originally released on the Xbox One in 2014, the Master Chief Collection includes high-definition redesigns of six Halo games for only $40.
Now five years later, the Master Chief Collection is being ported to PC and Halo: Reach is the first title to arrive, launching today on Steam, the Microsoft Store, and Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass for PC subscription service. The title can be purchased individually for $9.99, you can buy it as part of the full collection for $40, or you can play it by signing up to Microsoft’s Netflix-style service for $4.99 a month (the first month is only $1). As of writing, The Master Chief Collection is the best-selling product on Steam, with Halo: Reach at number three.
Note that if you’re reading this post immediately after publishing, Halo: Reach may not be out just yet. The title is scheduled to launch at 10PM Pacific time on December 3 and know that if you purchase the game before that time, you won’t be able to pre-download any of the data. The floodgates are being opened for everyone at the same time, and the game weighs somewhere around 20-25 GB so prepare to twiddle your thumbs if you have a slow connection.
Along with being remastered and polished for PC, complete with support for 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, an employee at developer 343 confirmed on Reddit yesterday that you’ll be able to mod the game. The developer mentioned mod support earlier this year and while that’s not entirely ready today, 343 says there’s a workaround that lets you disable the game’s anti-cheat engine and tinker with the campaign and custom modes (modded files aren’t allowed in online matchmaking).
Hi! We’re still working to improve this down the road, but for now you will have an option when you launch to bypass anticheat. This will allow you to play around with campaign and customs but not allow you to play any match made games. I highly suggest making a copy/backup of anything you modify so you’ll be able to switch back and forth easily.—343 Employee
