Microsoft Has No Plans To Bring Halo 5 To PC

Halo 5: Guardians launched exclusively on console, and there it will stay. Microsoft has reiterated its previous stance that it has no plans to bring the full version of the most recent Halo entry to PC. This was confirmed by community manager John Junyszek during a fifth-anniversary livestream event for Halo 5, where he also reminded fans that Halo 5 is already sort-of on PC through the free Halo 5: Forge client.

This lets players create their own maps and modes, while it also supports Custom Games with friends. There is also a Custom Games browser, but full matchmaking support and the campaign, of course, are not included in the package.

The full version of Halo 5 isn't scheduled to come to PC, nor is Microsoft planning to add the game to The Master Chief Collection on PC or Xbox, Junyszek said.

"In case you did not know, Halo 5: Forge is on PC. It comes with Forge and Custom Games, with a Custom Games browser for free on PC right now. We don't have matchmaking or campaign," Junyszek said. "There is a desire for Halo 5 to join ... The Master Chief Collection, but that is not currently in our plans for MCC right now."

Developer 343 Industries continues to support Halo 5 with special in-game events, like the ongoing double XP birthday celebration. However, the studio is not working on an update to the game for Xbox Series X, though the game will have faster load times when played through backwards compatibility on the console. The Master Chief Collection is getting a Series X/S update, however, bringing up to 120 FPS support and other features when played on the next-gen hardware.

While Halo 5 might not be releasing on PC, Microsoft has reaffirmed that all of its future first-party games will release on PC, and that includes Halo Infinite in 2021. A specific release date for that game remains unknown, and while some tidbits continue to be shared about it, Infinite just lost director Chris Lee.