Halo Infinite has previously been shown to be one of the biggest multiplayer launches ever on Steam, and it seems to be holding strong after nearly a week. News has come out now from @BenjiSales on Twitter that Halo Infinite player numbers on PC are triple that of Battlefield 2042’s, its main competition.
Of course, considering 2042’s release, this isn’t much of a surprise. The game has the lowest player rating of any Battlefield game on Steam, with players criticizing a lack of balance, multiple bugs, and a host of other issues. Halo Infinite, in contrast, only has progression as a big sticking point among many players, which 343 Industries is even now working on adjusting.
Another factor in the success of Halo Infinite might be the fact that its multiplayer component is free-to-play, meaning the game is supported by players buying season passes (which unlike passes in other games don’t run out) and other microtransactions, none of which are pay-to-win, striking a good chord with players.
Halo Infinite player numbers are likely also because of Halo being one of the grandaddy first person shooters. Halo first arrived in 2001 on the original Xbox and has been consistently solid in the multiplayer component, rather than being released yearly like Call of Duty or constantly having technical issues like Battlefield.
Either way, it seems that 343 Industries has hit pay dirt with Halo Infinite, and the numbers will likely only get higher when the campaign portion of the game releases on December 8, even though players will have to pay for that in order to experience the next part of the Master Chief’s story.
With all of the different armors that we’ve been shown, all of the new weapons and maps to fight on, and the added addition of things like the Repulsor and the Grapple, 343 has definitely ensured that Halo Infinite player numbers will probably be high for a long time.
You can play Halo Infinite’s multiplayer right now on PC, or get the full release on December 8. Battlefield 2042 is also now available on Xbox One, Playstation 4, PC, Xbox Series X, and Playstation 5.
