Halo 3 is a 2007
first-person shooter video game developed by
Bungie for the
Xbox 360 console. The third installment in the
Halo franchise, the game concludes the
story arc begun in 2001's
Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in 2004's
Halo 2.
Halo 3's story centers on the interstellar war between twenty-sixth century humanity, a collection of alien races known as the
Covenant, and the alien parasite
Flood. The player assumes the role of the
Master Chief, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier, as he battles the Covenant and the Flood. The game features vehicles, weapons, and gameplay elements not present in previous titles of the series, as well as the addition of saved gameplay films, file sharing, and the
Forge map editor—a utility which allows the player to perform modifications to multiplayer levels.
Bungie began developing
Halo 3 shortly after
Halo 2 shipped. The game was officially announced at
E3 2006, and its release was preceded by a multiplayer beta open to select players who purchased the
XBOX 360 game
Crackdown. Microsoft spent $40 million on
marketing the game, in an effort to sell more game consoles and broaden the appeal of the game beyond the established
Halo fanbase. Marketing included cross-promotions and an
alternate reality game. The game was released in September 2007.
Halo 3 grossed US$170 million in its first day of release, and $300 million its first week. More than one million people played
Halo 3 on
Xbox Live in the first twenty hours. To date,
Halo 3 has sold in excess of 14.5 million copies. The game was also the
best-selling video game of 2007 in the U.S. Overall, the game was very well received by critics, with the Forge and
multiplayer offerings singled out as strong features; however, some reviewers criticized single-player aspects, especially the plot and campaign layout.
Halo 3 is frequently listed
as one of the greatest video games of all time. A prequel to the game,
Halo 3: ODST, was released worldwide in September 2009. A sequel,
Halo 4, released in November 2012, was developed by new studio
343 Industries.
Halo 3 was re-released as part of
Halo: The Master Chief Collection for the
Xbox One in November 2014 and for
Microsoft Windows in July 2020.
Build Date | Build Number |
---|
Mar 07 2007 | 08117.07.03.07.1702.delta |
Mar 08 2007 | 08172.07.03.08.2240.delta |
Mar 09 2007 | |
Aug 10 2007 | 11729.07.08.10.0021.main |
Aug 20 2007 | 11856.07.08.20.2332.release |