Summary
It’s no exaggeration to say that theHalofranchise has seen better days. Since the controversial launch of 2021’sHalo Infinite, the series has been put on the back burner by franchise owner Microsoft, which has largely shifted its attention to other major IPs over the last few years. At the moment,Halois in a period of transition. The series' developer, 343 Industries, rebranded itself as Halo Studios late last year and revealed that it would use Unreal Engine 5 for the nextHaloinstallment instead of the in-house Slipspace Engine. Meanwhile, reports suggest thatHalowill make its debut on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles in the coming months, ending the franchise’s 24-year-long Xbox exclusivity.
Although Halo Studios has confirmed that it’s working on multiple newHalotitles, it’s still not clear what exactly these games are. Some insiders have alleged that the company is developinga remake ofHalo: Combat Evolved, but aside from that, fans have been left in the dark about the company’s plans. It’s possible that Microsoft and Halo Studios will announce a newHalogame at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase in June, but fans will likely have to wait a while until it gets released. In the meantime, though, there is a new, unofficialHalogame that they can check out right now.
Spartan Survivors is a New Halo Fan Game That’s Inspired by Vampire Survivors
Despite Being Completely Free, Spartan Survivors Has a Decent Amount of Content in It
Bathrobe Cast, a group of FrenchHalopodcasters, announced in November 2024 that it was working onaVampire Survivors-inspiredHalogame, aptly namedSpartan Survivors. The game features a mixture of roguelike and bullet heaven-style combat, along with a cartoony,Halo-inspired aesthetic.Spartan Survivorshas a roster of nine playable characters, each of which has their own unique weapons, perks, and statistics. Players can choose to step into the shoes of the legendary Master Chief, or they can play as other characters, like the Arbiter and the ODST Ace.
According to Bathrobe Cast,Spartan Survivorscontains 10 different levels, some of which are inspired byfamous campaign levels in the earlyHalotitles. In addition to this, the game includes 5 game modes, 21 weapons, 56 upgrades, 105 evolutions, and 14 perks. AlthoughSpartan Survivorshas a surprisingly ample amount of content for a fan-made title, it is completely free. Players can, as Bathrobe Cast states, expect “hours of mindless fun” from the game.
In Addition to PC, Spartan Survivors is Also Surprisingly Coming to Xbox Consoles
Spartan Survivorswas scheduled to launch on PC via Steam and Itch.io on July 05, 2025, but at the time of writing this article, only the Itch.io version has been released so far. Whilefan games like thisare typically exclusive to PC due to legal issues,Spartan Survivorswill surprisingly be launched on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, as well. The Xbox versions of the game don’t have an exact release date yet, but Bathrobe Cast assures that it will hit Microsoft’s consoles sometime in summer 2025.
Frankly, the fact that an unofficialHalogame is being released on an Xbox console is a big deal. After all, platform holders are typically not that receptive to other companies using IPs that they own. PlayStation and Nintendo, for instance, have not allowedGod of WarandMariofan gamesto be released on their respective storefronts. One would normally expect Microsoft to do the same and prevent a game likeSpartan Survivorsfrom coming to its consoles, but the company has apparently given Bathrobe Cast permission to launch it on Xbox, courtesy of the Xbox Game Usage rules. Fan-made games on Xbox are few and far between, so it’s nice to seeSpartan Survivorsmake the jump to Microsoft’s consoles, especially since it’s aHalo-inspired title.
Halo Infinite
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
