Halo: The Master Chief Collection Is Coming To PC, Each Game To Be Sold Separately Within The Package

Confirming rumors, Microsoft officially announced Halo: The Master Chief Collection will be coming to PC later this year. Microsoft says the PC edition was "built specifically for the PC audience," but it remains to be seen what kind of PC-specific features are being implemented.

Microsoft did confirm that Halo: MCC for PC will contain campaign and multiplayer support, so it sounds very similar to the Xbox One edition. However, whether or not there is cross-play support is unknown. Also unclear is if people who already bought the Xbox One edition will get the PC edition at no cost like Xbox Play Anywhere titles.

In a statement, 343 said it was "critical" to ensure that Halo: MCC for PC is a "first class" experience that doesn't suffer from the same kind of issues that the Xbox One edition did.

"The team is passionately committed to ensuring that all of the features, bells, and whistles expected in a modern PC title are included with MCC," 343 said.

To that end, Microsoft is adopting a unique release schedule for Halo: MCC on PC. Each title within the game will be released one by one. According to 343, this will allow the studio to ensure that "each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, rather than having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed."

This process will begin with Halo: Reach with the ensuing releases following in chronological order--Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (campaign only), and Halo 4.

"Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and Halo 4 will each be available for individual purchase within MCC as they become available," reads a line from Microsoft's news release.

The wording there suggests that each title will be sold separately within the overall MCC package. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed as much to GameSpot. "Each title will be available separately download and purchase. We'll have more to share in the future," a Microsoft representative told us.

For Halo: Reach specifically, players will get campaign, multiplayer, and Firefight, though it's not immediately clear if these are combined into one purchase or each sold separately.

Microsoft said it will share many more details about Halo: MCC in the time ahead, so keep checking back for more. 343 is working on the PC edition alongside outside studios Splash Damage and Ruffian.

Halo: MCC for PC will be available through the Microsoft Store and Steam, though pricing for each title was not announced. Whatever the case, 343 said each game within Halo: MCC for PC will "evolve and grow over time with community input."

The collection originally launched on Xbox One back in November 2014, and the initial launch did not go so well with the game suffering from serious server issues. Those problems have been fixed, and the game is in much better shape today, and Microsoft continues to update the title on a regular basis as it also works on the brand-new Halo game, Halo Infinite.

Halo: MCC on Xbox One includes Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 2 Anniversary, as well as Halo 3 and Halo 4. Halo 3: ODST was later added to the package as a measure of thanks to the community for sticking with the game amid its issues.

Halo: MCC coming to PC is a big deal. While Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 were released on PC, subsequent titles never were. Microsoft previously acknowledged that fans want to see more Halo games for PC, and this move--along with Halo Infinite being confirmed for PC--seems to be a strong signal that Halo once again has a home outside of Xbox.