Since Halo: The Master Chief Collection contains the anniversary editions of both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, Halo 3 is the oldest game in the bunch. But despite being a game from 2007, Halo 3’s multiplayer remains the most popular.
Halo 3 meant a lot to the single-player narrative of the series, promising the anticipated conclusion to Master Chief’s story (at the time). Still, many Halo players were in it for the multiplayer. When the beta was released on Xbox Live, over 820,000 unique users latched onto it, clocking in over 12 million hours in just four weeks, according to a 2007 Microsoft press release. Four months later, Halo 3‘s final release didn’t disappoint.
Bungie knew its demographic well: competitive FPS fans who loved a challenging firefight, fast-paced gunplay, addictive matches, killstreak medals, and flashy colors. The allure has hardly changed in all the years since, even making the Master Chief Collection Steam’s top-selling game at one point in 2019. Gunplay and killstreak medals were a part of the franchise from the beginning, though, so something about Halo 3 apparently made it special. According to Halo player base tracking site SpartanFinder, it’s still the reigning champion in the popularity department. Its allure comes from more than reliving fond memories; Halo: CE, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 2 multiplayer scratch the nostalgia itch just as effectively, but Halo 3 has a stronger core.
Halo 3 Perfected The Halo Multiplayer Formula
![Halo 3 Is Still The Most Popular Halo Multiplayer](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Halo-3-multiplayer-screenshot-halo-master-chief-collection.jpg)
There’s a special rhythm to playing Halo 3. It straddles the line between the game mechanics of its predecessor, Halo 2, and its successor, Halo Reach. New equipment like bubble shields, trip mines, and gravity lifts shook up the formula just enough; even 343 Industries’ Halo Infinite will still use equipment, an evolution of the successful element Halo 3 first introduced. Halo Reach took equipment a step further, introducing armor abilities like the jetpack, and Halo 4 added a sprint mechanic. For many players, these were steps too far from the classic formula – unneeded fluff added to the Halo 3 ideal they most respected.
Halo 3 also doubled down on the series’ competitive aspects, being the first game in the franchise with achievements, a player ranking system, MLG multiplayer modes, and a separation of casual and competitive lobbies. While the Master Chief Collection makes all Halo 3 armor customizations accessible from the start, the original made multiplayer armor customization a signifier of player accomplishments related to these competitive aspects. These bragging rights may be diminished in The Master Chief Collection, but Halo 3 is still the series pinnacle of harmony between freshness and familiarity, striking a balance in both its presentation and the minutiae of its PvP.