During Gamescom 2021’s Opening Night Live, 343 Industries revealed the Halo Infinite release date, along with the multiplayer mode’s opening cinematic. Halo Infinite will release on December 8, with Microsoft also introducing a special edition Halo-themed Xbox Series X, as well as an Elite Series 2 controller. The goodies are meant to celebrate the Halo franchise and Xbox’s 20th anniversary. The news also serves in confirming earlier leaks that had mentioned the title was set to release sometime in December.

Halo Infinite multiplayer’s season one cinematic intro puts ‘Commander Agryna’ at the center of the stage. The character is a Spartan that acts as the player’s trainer – having been previously rescued by a group of Spartan soldiers during an invasion. The scenes light a fire in her eyes, eventually leading her towards taking arms up herself.

The game’s multiplayer mode will have an ongoing story that will shift and evolve as additional seasons are introduced to the game. Every player will be regarded as a leader of a new generation of Spartan soldiers – with every one of them fighting for humanity’s sake.

Halo Infinite Release Date: Day 1 On Game Pass

343 Industries is likely hoping that the reveal will counterweigh the negativity surrounding their announcement from last week: Halo Infinite‘s Co-op mode for its campaign won’t arrive until Season 2. Players can expect Co-op to release around 3 months after the game’s launch, while Forge mode has also been delayed until Season 3 (around 6 months after launch).

The developers haven’t yet announced when the next testing phase for the multiplayer will be – although they did confirm that there will be at least one more. The next flight will also include the Big Team Battle mode. As usual, you need to be a Halo Insider in order to be eligible for flights.

It’s also worth remembering that Halo Infinite will be coming out on Xbox Game Pass day one, while the multiplayer mode will remain free to play.

Halo Infinite‘s release date is set as December 8, 2021, on the Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.