Halo Fans Mourn the Final Day of Halo 3

Today, the Xbox 360 online services are being shut down for classic games, leaving Halo fans reminiscing and mourning the loss of the classic series.

Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, Halo Wars, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo: Spartan Assault, and Halo 4 are all impacted, with the campaigns and single-player content still playable but the online matchmaking left behind. Other online services like challenges and file sharing will also be turned off.

You can see the full sunsetting plan below, courtesy of a post on Halo Waypoint.

Halo games on the Xbox 360 are losing their online services. this graph shows the services that'll go and stay.

Matchmaking is switched off for: Halo Reach, Halo 4, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST. 
Fileshare is switched off for: Halo Reach, Halo 4, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST. 
Service record is switched off for: Halo Reach, Halo 4.
Challenges are switched off for: Halo Reach, Halo 4.
Player Customisation is switched off for: Halo Reach, Halo 4.
MOTD is switched off for: Halo Reach.
Extras are switched off for: Halo 3: ODST.
expand image
Credit: 343 Industries

Of course, with games like Halo: The Master Chief Collection available on Game Pass, all is not lost for superfans. It's just not going to be the same for a lot of folks.

In light of this, the Halo subreddit has been reminiscing about their treasured time with these games, with heartwarming tributes to the friends they made and good times they had.

User PoloSword enjoyed hopping onto the servers with some random people for one last time, undoubtedly one of the formative gaming experiences for many of us.

SgtBeanboi set up something of a shrine to the Xbox 360 versions of Halo. Lining up their Master Chief helmet and poster alongside all five disc versions of the lost Halo generation, it's a fitting tribute to such a renowned series and fun to see such dedication after so many years.

Finally, in a shockingly emotional video, user Sir_Entity showed a final game in which a ceasefire seemed to have been called. Both teams sat in the sea, teabagging and shooting into the sky. Why is this so heartwarming?!

Not to worry though. Plenty of folks have made the jump to Halo Infinite, and it's not too late to get on the hype train. Whether you're struggling to find all the skulls in the campaign, or you're curious as to which are the best Halo Infinite guns, we'll have you covered at every angle.