When HCS first started in 2014 we were competing on Halo 2: Anniversary which delivered our first season champions in Evil Geniuses along with so many historic moments. Just a year later, we moved onto Halo 5: Guardians which ushered in a new era of competition as well as the Halo World Championship format. And in 2021, the Halo Infinite launch brought Halo esports into a new echelon.
Over the next few months, the HCS will host the 2 planned Majors as well as the almost sold out and highly anticipated Halo World Championship on October 24-26. Once a world champion is crowned in October, the HCS will be retiring Halo Infinite from Official HCS Competition. This means we will still support Halo Infinite and the tournament scene in 2026, but HCS will be moving on from Halo Infinite for official competition following this year’s Halo World Championship.
As the studio continues to shift more and more towards the next era of Halo, we feel this is the right time for Official HCS Competition to move on from Halo Infinite. Year 4 will be the final Official HCS events for Halo Infinite, and now’s your last chance to be part of this momentous chapter of Halo esports history.
In 2021 we launched with a Ranked playlist and tournament maps and modes, as well as observer mode, and partnered team cosmetics – all on Day 1. And that week we announced the full year roadmap with all LAN and online event dates and locations for all regions, with the first tournaments kicking off just 3 days after launch.
We put our all into it – and you all showed up.
To all the players, the fans, staff, and the partners that believed in Halo Infinite and kept supporting the game and HCS, we are deeply grateful for what has been a very special period in Halo’s rich 24-year franchise history.
HCS events have become an important gathering place for the whole community, as well as our studio and developers. You’ve made it all a place where no matter why you love Halo, you can feel at home and you’ve welcomed new Halo fans to HCS who maybe never followed competitive Halo in the past. For the studio, these experiences and lessons with you all have shaped us and the games, now and into the future.
And, now, we’re just a few months away from closing out the 4th year for Halo Infinite – the longest a single Halo esports title has held major competition. And after all this time, players continue to wow us and put on a show for the entire community, and the level of competition continues to rise. We’ve got a few more Major events and of course HaloWC 2025 where we will crown a final champion for Halo Infinite and celebrate the franchise we all love. At HaloWC we will also be crowning the MVP for Year 4, as well as the MVP for Halo Infinite’s entire HCS duration starting from 2021.
WHAT’S NEXT
Looking forward to 2026, while the studio is fully focused on the future of Halo, you can expect there to still be more online and on LAN competition for Halo Infinite. We will be supporting events with prizing and player travel, and even Halo 5 and MCC as we’ve done consistently via side events. We know the competitive Halo community just loves to play and compete, so we will still offer some light competition. And let’s not forget that 2026 is Halo’s 25th anniversary and we plan to celebrate the occasion in style with the whole community. Stay tuned to HaloWC this year where we’ll share the initial details of what’s to come.
So, when will Official HCS competition return for a new title? While we look forward to the day, it will not be in 2026. As always, we will keep the community up to date with the latest and expect another update from us on that front at some point late next year.
On behalf of the HCS team and the whole studio, thank you. We hope you’ll join us for these few historic months of Halo Infinite HCS competition!
