Halo 2 PC Is Available Now - Here Are Its Known Issues

Halo 2 launched for PC through The Master Chief Collection on May 12. Developer 343 Industries has now shared some important launch details a list of issues to expect out of the gate. Read on for the full list of what you need to know and when you can start playing. It's available through the Microsoft Store, Steam, and as part of Xbox Game Pass on PC.

In terms of the known issues, there are many, including some that sound quite significant. 343 has issued an update for Xbox One and PC to deal with them.

Some of the bigger issues include the HUD becoming off-center during couch co-op (on Xbox), subtitles being out of sync with audio during cutscenes, and the audio during campaign cutscenes being "much louder" than during gameplay. Some campaign missions will also suffer FPS drops at the start, while gunfire sounds are missing for multiple weapons when using the Scarab Skull.

343 is also warning that bullet registration is "not in parity" with the original game, while the visual effects on snow "do not match legacy behavior." Additionally, and this one sounds like a big deal--"the sun is not rendering on most maps and missions." You can see the full known issues below, as posted on 343's website.

Halo 2 is the third game to be added to the PC version of the Master Chief Collection, following Halo: Reach and the original Combat Evolved. The remaining three entries in the PC collection are coming later, wrapping up with Halo 4. The Master Chief Collection is free for Xbox Game Pass subscribers on PC and Xbox One.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection is developed by one of at least two internal teams at 343 Industries. One of the other teams is working on Halo Infinite, which is a launch title for the Xbox Series X later this year. That system and the game remain on schedule to release this holiday, despite concerns around COVID-19.

Halo 2 Launch Known Issues

Campaign

• On Xbox in Co-op multiplayer, the HUD will become off centered when zooming in
• Terminal videos default to English only
• In-game audio plays while viewing terminal videos
• Subtitles are not present in campaign gameplay
• Subtitles are out of sync with audio when viewing cutscenes
• Users on AMD hardware may encounter missing and/or flickering textures across campaign (such as the Elevator on Oracle)
• Oracle in has several graphical issues including around glass flood tanks, clouds, and lightning effects
• Cinematic audio for in Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary is affected by different audio option sliders.
• Enemy Elites do not dual wield in the Campaign
• Campaign cutscenes are much louder than gameplay
• Some Campaign missions have FPS drops on first launch of the mission
• When having multiple audio devices and swapping between classic and remastered graphics in cutscenes, audio can change output devices
• When using a Ryzen 5 and AMD GPU, large rectangle volumes appear on the mission Oracle
• Blur Cinematics and Terminal videos can have visual issues in non-16:9 aspect ratios as they were rendered at 16:9
• Gunfire sounds are missing from multiple weapons with the Scarab Skull active
• With the Scarab Gun skull active, a hardlock can happen when firing a plasma rifle after swapping weapons with an Elite
• Sentinel lights will display for a short time after death before disappearing
• Some environmental textures appear in lower than expected resolutions
• Music will loop incorrectly on Metropolis while in the Scorpion tank
• Using Nvidia GPUs on Classic graphics, various foliage environment LOD textures are missing
• Gravemind on co-op has hitches and with poor network conditions disconnects can happen
• When swapping between Classic and Remastered graphics music will change to different parts of the track

Halo 2: Anniversary

• Pixilation on shadows can be seen in Anniversary graphics
• Forge map lighting is not appearing correctly
• Performance lowers during games of 3 plots
• Texture resolution is displaying in low quality through various parts of the title
• When looking at the fan on Stonetown, FPS sometimes drops to 45
• Audio is missing when reloading weapons when done quickly
• Primary weapon audio decreases if you are shooting while picking up a secondary weapon
• Decals on the Gauss Warthog turret will detach from the model during the firing animation
• When using newer Intel drivers with onboard graphics, you cannot launch
• Performance in theater films is capped at 60 fps when framerate is set to unlimited
• There are no inversion options in the Settings Menu for dual wielding
• Lighting is inconsistent between Elite and Spartan armors
• There is visible stuttering on objects when strafing with Unlimited Framerate enabled
• Sound effects do not play for the player holding the oddball when playing Hot Potato
• The Hoplite armor is missing a rear armor piece in gameplay

Halo 2

• When using voice chat there is no notification that players are talking
• The music mixing is much quieter in MCC compared to the original
• Team Spawn system does not have parity with original
• Bullet registration is not in parity with the original
• The respawn timer is hidden by the territory capture meter in multiplayer
• Gamma values are excessively blown out compared to legacy
• Super bouncing does not mirror legacy
• Snow VFX do not match legacy behavior on snow weather missions and maps
• The sun is not rendering on most maps and missions
• When playing at higher field of view, textures will appear to pop in more frequently as the LOD distance is shortened
• Banshees turn faster when using Mouse and Keyboard