Microsoft announced today that Halo Infinite is now available for pre-installation. While the game won’t be playable until December, those who are excited for it and have Xbox Game Pass can go ahead and install it now, though it won’t really do much from the looks of things. It’s more of a symbolic gesture to acknowledge how hyped fans are for the game. But you know what? I am hyped.
The Xbox Wire post reads: “Your Spartan journey in Halo Infinite begins December 8, 2021, on console and PC. Xbox Game Pass members can pre-install Halo Infinite now to get ready to play on day one here!” The “here” links to the Microsoft store page where you can pay for the Halo Infinite campaign (the multiplayer will be free to play). The game can be pre-loaded on both PC and console.
According to Polygon, what users are actually downloading is a placeholder file that’s 280.2 MB in size. It’s not the actual game, and I doubt downloading it will save anyone much time when it comes to December 8 and we can get the actual game. My hope is that the game will roll out for pre-loading in patches, so by the time it hits midnight on December 8, we can just boot the damn thing up and play.
The release date of December 8 was revealed at Gamescom, and it’s almost a full year after the game’s original intended release date simultaneous with the launch of the Xbox Series X/S. The campaign and the multiplayer will be available to download separately, so it’s not clear if the pre-load file contains info for both or one only. Developer 343 has had to reassure gamers recently that, despite the fact that they haven’t shown anything of the campaign, it’s complete and ready to go for when the game launches.
