Huge Halo: MCC Update Is Out Now, Adds Series X Enhancements, Cross-Play, And Brings Halo 4 To PC

While Halo Infinite might have been delayed to 2021, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is still going strong and getting new updates. The latest one has arrived, and it's a big one, bringing with it Series X/S updates and cross-play, while Halo 4 has arrived on PC.

This is a very large update, weighing in at more than 41.53 GB on Xbox One. The Steam version is around 25.4 GB and the Microsoft Store/Game Pass for PC edition is no larger than 47.95 GB.

The big-ticket item is the Series X/S enhancements, which include up to 4K/120fps for those with compatible screens and devices. You'll be able to get 120fps support in campaign and multiplayer on both next-gen consoles, while 4K is limited to the Series X version; Series S runs at 1080p. You also get improvements to split-screen multiplayer and the ability to change the field of view settings, which is not often available in console games. Read more about the next-gen updates here.

Additionally, the update brings cross-play to The Master Chief Collection across Xbox and PC. Players can choose their preferred input device when launching the game after the update, and this can be changed at any time.

This new update also brings Halo 4 to PC for the first time through The Master Chief Collection. This is an especially big deal because it is the sixth and final game in the collection on PC, following Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 3: ODST. (343 has said it has no plans to incorporate the most recent game, Halo 5: Guardians, into MCC.) You can buy each game individually or through a bundle. It's also available through Xbox Game Pass.

What's more, Season 4 is now underway in The Master Chief Collection. This includes more than 70 new cosmetic items to unlock, including new weapon and vehicle skins.

The new MCC update also fixes a number of issues across each game, so you can expect a better experience the next time you log in. You can see the full patch notes below, as posted on the Halo website.

As for when we may see more of Halo Infinite, it probably won't be soon. Microsoft has ruled out a new video at The Game Awards in December, but we will get a high-level update on the game soon.

Halo: MCC November 17 Update

Install Size Version

Steam

• Max size of 25.4 GB

Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC

• Max size of 47.95 GB

Xbox

• Max size of 42 GB

New Features

• Halo 4 is now available on PC!
  • Halo 4’s Forge mode now includes “Thorage” content – this means new features, a higher budget, dozens of new items, and more
  • Per-piece armor customization and “global” weapon skins for all loadouts are now available on all platforms as well
  • PC players can now jump into Cross-Game Playlists in Campaign
• Crossplay and input-based matchmaking for multiplayer are now available on both Xbox and PC
  • While players will be prompted to select their preferred input device upon their first launch of the game, this option can also be changed at any time from Settings menu while in the Main Menu
• This update also brings Xbox Series X|S enhancements to the Collection
  • Please refer to this Halo Support article for additional information on these enhancements and how to enable them
• Season 4 is here with 70+ new customization choices – including new nameplates, weapon and vehicle skins for Halo 3, and weapon skins for Halo 4!
• Interpolation improvements for Halo: Reach, Halo 2: Anniversary, and Halo 4 when running at 60+ FPS
• Player Emblems are now visible in gameplay for both Halo: Reach and Halo 4
• Video settings can now be set on a per-title basis in the Settings menu
• Players can now select their preferred servers in the Network tab of the Settings menu
• Text Chat has been improved with a new Text Chat Availability option and auto-moderation

Resolved Issues

Global

• Players will no longer be returned to the main menu while loading into online multiplayer matches in Halo 3: ODST
• Unlocked customization items no longer appear locked while the Season menu’s data is being retrieved, this will reduce the occurrence of erroneous exclamation point notifications next to already unlocked items
• The Weapon Skin menu for Halo 3 will now accurately display the appearance of the highlighted weapon
• Nameplates in the Season Rewards menu are now the correct size and resolution
• The Magnum is now named correctly in both the Halo: CE and Halo 3 Customization menus
• Dare’s visor color is now consistent between the Halo 3: ODST Customization menu and in-game
• Various localization improvements have been implemented throughout the menus
• The "View Maps in this Playlist" menu now always displays a count of maps
• Fixed an issue where maps would often be duplicated or displayed incorrectly in the “View Maps in this Playlist" menu after matchmaking
• Added dynamic scaling to names on Challenge progress notifications to resolve text clipping issues

Halo 4

General

• Increased volume of the switch grenade audio cue, making it audible once more
• The amount of time needed to trigger the hold or toggle behavior of zooming in with a weapon has been adjusted
• The correct sound effect now plays when performing a melee attack on objects and walls

Campaign

• Accessing a Terminal now plays the video in-game rather than the Halo Channel app
• The skybox in the mission “Reclaimer” has been upscaled and is now more clear

Spartan Ops

• Spartan Ops Episodes now play in the menus rather than the Halo Channel app
• Added support for Spartan Ops to PvE challenges

Multiplayer

• Weapon audio no longer cuts out after firing in the Sword Room on "Pitfall"
• The correct emblem is now shown when starting a Free-For-All match
• Custom emblems now appear on armor in gameplay
• Some maps are no longer brighter than normal when playing local split screen on Xbox One consoles
• Fixed an issue where shadows from forge objects were not displayed appropriately
• Fixed an issue where various toy objects such as Golf Balls and Dice would despawn almost instantly
• Fixed various issues where incorrect or duplicate power weapons were present in matchmaking
• Fixed an issue which led to instability and, sometimes, network disconnects from matches played on Forge maps

Halo 3: ODST

General

• Fixed an issue causing incorrect shadows to appear on some objects on Enhanced graphics

Firefight

• Fixed an issue causing multiple sound events to fire instead of one, leading to repeated voice dialogue of covenant enemies and player actions

Halo 3

Multiplayer

• Improved how weapon skins on battle rifles appear in gameplay
• The multiplayer weapon "dirtying" strategy has been returned to MCC, realigning with legacy behavior

Halo 2: Anniversary

General

• The amount of time needed to trigger the hold or toggle behavior of zooming in with a weapon has been adjusted

Forge

• Held objects now move smoothly when playing with framerates above 60 FPS
• Non-host players can now use the Toggle Rotation Axes function as expected
• The Edit Mode Controls window in the Pause menu now lists the binding for Toggle Rotation Axes
• Fixed an issue where 'Toggle Rotation Axes' displayed in English while in other localizations

Halo: Combat Evolved

Campaign

• The “All According to Plan” Achievement can now be unlocked as expected

Halo: Reach

General

• The game will no longer freeze when a headset is unplugged during gameplay
• The correct emblem will now appear on the player’s armor in both cutscenes and gameplay
• Adjusted centered-crosshair viewmodel position to be more in line with the other titles
• Fixed various culling artifacts present on first person view models when crosshairs are centered

Theater

• In Forge films, players will no longer appear stuck in place after editing an object’s coordinates

Forge

• Non-host players can now use the Toggle Rotation Axes function as expected
• Fixed an issue where 'Toggle Rotation Axes' displayed in English while in other localizations