Halo 3: ODST arrives on PC with the Master Chief Collection’s September 22 update, so it stands to reason that Halo 4’s next in line. With one of the most underrated campaign stories in the series, and plenty of weird weapons and lore tidbits to set it apart, 343’s first proper Halo game is anything but forgettable.
So when can PC players get their hands on it?
Halo 4 PC flight testing
Halo 4’s PC port is one step closer to joining the Master Chief Collection. Developer 343 Industries has hinted that live playtests through the Halo Insider program will begin very soon.
“Interested in joining the upcoming Halo 4 PC flight?” 343 tweeted on Tuesday.
“Today’s the last day to get your Halo Insider profile up to date in order to lock in your spot.”
Halo 4 PC release date
Microsoft and 343 haven’t announced a release date for Halo 4 on PC yet, but it’ll likely hit the Master Chief Collection in late 2020 or early next year.
“We haven’t spoken much about Halo 4 yet,” the developer said in a blog post dated August 31.
“But it is also progressing well. We are currently moving toward a Beta candidate and have entered the major bug fixing phase of its development. We are also starting to put our flight plans together for H4 and all these other potential features coming online during that timeline.”
Characters and story
Halo 4’s story begins with Master Chief awakening from a long cryosleep and deals with Cortana’s worsening “rampancy” (when an AI thinks itself to death), ancient world-killing weapons, and fighting an evil alien warlord.
So, for Halo, the usual. But it’s a great time.
Adrienne Barbeau makes an appearance as Dr. Tillson, Steve Downes reprises his role as the iconic Master Chief, Jen Taylor gives a career-defining performance as Cortana, and Keith Szarabajka voices the sinister Didact.
Multiplayer maps
Halo 4’s multiplayer maps are a mixed bag in terms of gameplay, but they’re second to none in the eye-candy department. At least one of them carried over into Halo 5’s arena modes. A couple of the best Halo 4 maps are actually refined versions of ones from Halo 3.
This game includes Abandon, Adrift, Complex, Daybreak, Erosion, Exile, Forge Island, Harvest, Haven, Impact, Landfall, Longbow, Meltdown, Monolith, Outcast, Perdition, Pitfall, Ragnarok, Ravine, Shatter, Skyline, Solace, Vertigo, Vortex, Wreckage.
Missions
Here are the names of Halo 4’s campaign missions.
- Dawn
- Requiem
- Forerunner
- Infinity
- Reclaimer
- Shutdown
- Composer
- Midnight
System requirements
These come directly from Steam (checked September 21, 2020).
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 7
- Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 960T; Intel i3550
- Graphics: AMD HD 6850; NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 43 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Direct3D feature Level 11.1