First public Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary PC flight begins

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Image credit: 343 Industries)

What you need to know

  • The first public test flight has begun for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on PC.
  • The flight contains Campaign and Matchmaking content, as well as Custom Games and Customization options.
  • There are also a variety of new changes being tested for Halo: Reach in the flight.

The first public test flight for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on PC has begun. Folks who made sure to sign up for the Halo Insider Program should check their emails, including their spam folder, as they will get an email there if they were selected to participate in the flight. The email will contain instructions on how to download and play the test build.

Compared to the minimal account of content the first test flight for Halo: Reach had on PC, this one for Combat Evolved Anniversary is quite loaded. Campaign (both single player and co-op) is available, as well as access to both Matchmaking and Custom Games multiplayer. In addition, the flight is also testing customization options that will potentially be in the full release of the game down the line.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

Source: 343 Industries (Image credit: Source: 343 Industries)

In addition, every part of Halo: Reach except for Firefight is present in the flight as well, and 343 Industries is looking to get feedback on a change made to crouching that allows players to do it while moving. There's also a tweak for the progression system being tried out. For both games, a new Message of the Day widget and Push-to-Talk feature are being tested in the flight.

If you haven't done so already, we strongly recommend signing up for the Halo Insider Program. Doing so is completely free, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to play some Halo for free while helping 343 Industries test out their ports of old Halo games to the PC platform. It's a win-win!

If you want to get your hands on a Halo game right now, though, we recommend the Master Chief Collection. It's available for $30-40 depending on which platform you choose (Xbox One or PC). PC buyers will get Halo: Reach included, while Xbox ones will have to purchase it separately as a $10 expansion. It's worth noting that only Halo: Reach has made it's way to PC officially so far, though. However, the rest are coming.

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.