'Halo Infinite' Launches Free Multiplayer Mode

During the Xbox 20th anniversary event on Monday, the company announced that the free Halo Infinite multiplayer beta has officially launched on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. The game will be accessible via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

In honor of Halo’s 20th anniversary, your Spartan journey officially begins today. Dive into Season 1 of #HaloInfinite, in the multiplayer beta starting today on Xbox and PC!

🎁 https://t.co/WUyHTqp6yp
📄 https://t.co/uCxf7tYDV4 pic.twitter.com/k28WPYTqAO

— Halo (@Halo) November 15, 2021

The beta, which is available to everyone, provides access to all the Season One content, including maps, core modes, Academy features and Battle Pass, three weeks earlier than its previously expected launch. The Halo Infinite campaign is still scheduled to launch on December 8, and all progress made on the beta will carry over into the game’s full release.

In the beta, the Battle Pass UI notes that Season One will last from now until May 2022, a change from the gamer’s previous goal of shipping a new Season every three months. “We made the decision to extend Season One to give ourselves more time to ensure Season Two meets our high-quality bar and so we can finish development for Season Two in a healthy and sustainable way for our team,” Joseph Staten, Head of Creative at Halo Infinite, wrote of the decision.

Halo Infinite will provide more details about the Season One event calendar as well as its Season Two, campaign co-op and Forge release plans in January 2022.

Elsewhere in gaming, the PlayStation 5 shortage will likely get worse in 2022.