While we’ve long awaited it,Halomovies have never come to fruition for the franchise, at least not as a feature-length theatrical or streaming release. However, there has been a big-budget streaming series that dropped on Paramount+ for fans to compare to the beloved video game. There have also been five other releases, advertised as movies but mostly functioning as miniseries, animated efforts, and other projects created primarily by the gaming studio to promote its newest game releases.
Video game fans have mostly complainedabout theHalostreaming series, which lasted two seasons before being canceled, but the lesser-known and less-seen movies, animation efforts, and miniseries have been much more loyal to the source material.Halois a video game debuting in 2001that follows a military force led by a warrior known as Master Chief battling an alien race set on starting a genocidal holy war. The movies and streaming series vary in loyalty to the original story, and here’s how to watch them in order.
Halo Movies In Order By Release Date
The FirstHaloMovie Came Out In 2007
The firstHalovideo game was released on shelves in 2001,and it took only six years for the first movie based on the game to arrive.However, there were plans even before that to bring the game to the big screen, something that has still never happened. In 2005, Columbia Pictures wanted to make aHalomovie and hired Alex Garland (28 Days Later) to write the script. Microsoft wanted too much money, so most studios passed (viaNY Mag). As a result, the movie was never made and remains unmade as of 2025.
2007
2009
2012
2014
2015
Halo
2022
However, in 2022, Paramount+ secured the rights to create a streaming series based on the game. The only problem is that it wasn’t set in the game’s world, and theHaloshow has its own unique timeline, called “the Silver Timeline.” With that said, there were still five other releases between 2007 and 2015 that took place in the video game timeline, and some of them even connected directly to the games as promotional material for the upcoming story arcs players could play on their own.
Halo: Landfall (2007)
Promo Shorts For HaloGames
The first officialHalorelease, calledHalo: Landfall,arrived in 2007.This wasa collection of three short filmscombined into an anthology rather than a full-length movie. The primary purpose of this release was to showcase the settings and special effects introduced in the gameHalo 3. As a result, it was more about promoting the video game than telling a cohesive story. The third of these shorts was released just before the video game to lead into the gameplay.
The story was a prologue that showed what happened before the events ofHalo 3began. This involved the Human-Covenant War and an ancient parasite known as the Flood. In the game, Master Chief leads the battle against both the Covenant and the Flood. While released separately leading up toHalo 3, all three short films were combined into a single bundle and later released onYouTube’s Bungie channel.They were also sold as DVDs as part of online bundles.
Three years after the promotional short films bundled inHalo: Landfall, an animated movie was released. However, much likeLandfall, this wasn’t technically a feature-length movie either.Halo: Legendswas a series of seven short anime filmscombined into an anthology format.Similar to theAnimatrixmoviesreleased in conjunction withThe Matrix, these films were created by different Japanese animation studios. Each of these stories explores a different part of theHalovideo game world.
ODSTs attempt to eliminate a prophet
An Arbiter wants to leave the Covenant
Spartan-II’s death
A character sacrifices himself to save his squad
Master Chief has to rescue Catherine Halsey
Odd One Out
A Spartan is stranded on a planet with dinosaurs & superhuman children
Origins
Cortana reveals humans history in space
These include stories that detail Master Chief’s origin, the abilities of the Spartans, the rivalry between Spartans and Orbital Shock Troopers, and more. These shorts delve into the hard sci-fi aspects of theHalofranchise, with six of the short anime films considered canon in theHalouniverse. The seventh film, “Odd One Out,” produced by Toei, was considered a parody of theHalovideo game series.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (2012)
The First Live-Action Halo Release
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawnis the first live-actionHalorelease. While there has been no official feature-length movie based on the video game franchise, this was shot as a feature-length film. However, after it was shot, the filmmakers split the story into five episodes and released it as a web series. Its initial release was between Jul 25, 2025, and June 21, 2025. The plot followsa group of UNSC military academy students who are unaware that the Human-Covenant War has starteduntil they are thrown into action.
As the synopsis suggests, this takes place in the early days of the war and is told from the point of view of young soldiers who are unaware of what they are getting themselves into. The lead is Thomas Lasky (Thom Green), a young man who is thrust into a leadership role inspired by John-117. Master Chief is not part of the storyline, but he does make a cameo. This was released as a complete movie on DVD and Blu-ray after its release as a web series.
Halo: Nightfallwas the second live-action release, but it was shot as a short film. Despite its status as a short, it has the most recognizable name of the non-ParamountHaloreleases, withMike Colter (Luke Cage, Evil) starring as Agent Jameson Locke, a Spartan-IV who was a major part of the video gameHalo 5: Guardians. Colter’s appearance is likely thanks to the fact that this is a Ridley Scott production with David W. Zucker producing and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan as the director.
Nightfallis Agent Locke’s origin story, bridging the gap betweenHalo 4andHalo 5. It takes place right after the Human-Covenant War ends, and Locke leads his team to stop the Sangheili Elites from setting off a biological weapon. Locke is not yet a Spartan at this time, but this release shows how he eventually moves into that role.Halo: Nightfallended up released on DVD and Blu-ray and remains the most professional of theHalopre-Paramount releases.
Halo: The Fall Of Reach (2015)
A Miniseries With Flashbacks To Master Chief’s Origins
Halo: The Fall of Reachwas the lastHalorelease before Paramount+ began working on the streaming series. This was also the oldest story in the franchise’s movie and TV releases, asit is based on the very firstHalonovel of the same name, published in 2001. It was made as a miniseries around the same time thatHalo 5: Guardianswas released. This entire series was meant to be an introduction to Master Chief and the Blue Team, which means it took place beforeHalo 5.
However, as an adaptation of the old novel, it is set up for Master Chief and the Blue Team to reminisce about their experiences with the Spartan-II program, which allows the old stories to unfold. This means the miniseries starts with the team in the present day and then shifts into flashback mode, covering their training and experiences before the war. The miniseries was included with theHalo 5: Guardiansvideo game and can also be purchased in bundles on the game’s website.
TheHaloseries that most people have seen is the one that dropped on Paramount+ in 2022. The big problem is that it’s based onHalo,but it has nothing to do with the video game’s storyline. That is because it is a separate timeline from the games and all theHalomovies and shows that came before. This is called the “Silver” timeline, which is necessary because the series changes many things, including the fate of Madrigal and the settlement of The Rubble.
The first season received terrible reviews, and the fan backlash was intense. While the second season had a much warmer reception, it remained separate from the stories gamers had grown to love. However, the improvement wasn’t enough, andHalowas canceled after two seasons on Paramount+. The show follows Dr. Catherine Halsey and John-117 (Master Chief), and the Silver Team during the Covenant War. There are 17 episodes between the two seasons, andHaloended in 2024.
Halo Movies In Chronological Order
There Are Two Halo Timelines In Movies
There are two different timelines in theHalomovies and TV world. The later timeline is theHalostreaming series on Paramount+. While it takes place in 2552, the events mostly occur before the main timeline, which begins years before this series. As a result, although it may seem confusing, theHaloParamount+ series is the oldest in terms of action, but not in actual years. This is becausethe series follows Master Chief during his early days as John-117in the Covenant War.
2552 on the Silver Timeline
Between 2517 and 2525
2525
Halo: Nightfall
July 11, 2025
After that, the timeline becomes easier because the rest of the releases take place in the same timeline and world. While it was last released in 2015,Halo: The Fall of Reachis the first in the main timeline’s continuity because it tells flashback stories about the start of the Human-Covenant War through the eyes of Master Chief and his allies. After this isHalo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, which takes place at the start of the war and follows young recent students thrust into battle.
Halo: Landfallhas a specific date, taking place on Jun 21, 2025. The various anime inHalo Legendsmostly take place after 2552. Finally, the last in chronological order isHalo: Nightfall, which takes place after the war in 2556 and follows the rise of Agent Locke.
