Over the past few weeks, we’ve been running our final checks on Matchmaking and each of our launch playlists, and are excited to share the final lineup and a breakdown of these playlists. The launch playlist lineup has received slight modifications from the lineup that was announced over at IGN last month. These changes are as follows:

The Team Hardcore playlist will launch only with Halo 2 Classic tournament-approved game types. Behind the scenes, we’re working to integrate Halo 3’s custom map variant files into the playlist, and they aren’t quite ready just yet. As custom map layouts are extremely important to this playlist and community, we’ll be adding the Halo 3 game types into the list when they can be fully integrated, tested, and brought in.

We are holding on introducing the dedicated Halo: CE playlist. Up until this very day, we’ve been making (and are continuing to make) investments to ensure that Halo: CE’s online/network performance is the best it can be within Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and we’re committed to making additional investments to make this happen. The current Halo: CE experience will be playable in custom games, as well as the Team Slayer and Big Team Battle playlists, but we are holding on the dedicated playlist until we are able to provide the best experience possible. Lastly, due to your feedback over the past few weeks, we’ll be moving the Halo: CE playlist to 2v2 when it launches.

It is also worth noting here that as with all titles in The Master Chief Collection, we are closely monitoring title-specific feedback. For launch, we’ve made investments to Halo: CE to improve general gameplay performance, as well as updated community-requested issues such as the Sniper Rifle reticle size, and more. As stated above, we’re continuing to make updates that will increase the quality of the experience, and we thank you for your patience.

Below, you’ll find the launch playlist lineup for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with a breakdown of which maps and game types will be available within each.

TEAM SLAYER

Eliminate the enemy team across four Halo games: Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 2: Anniversary. Nothing but Team Slayer, 24/7. 4v4.

Game Types: Halo: CE Team Slayer, H2 Team Slayer, H2 Team BR, H2A Team Slayer, H2A Team Slayer BR, H3 Team Slayer, H3 Team Slayer BR

Maps: Battle Creek, Damnation, Rat Race, Prisoner, Hang ‘em High, Chill Out, Derelict, Wizard, Lockout, Ascension, Midship, Ivory Tower, Beaver Creek, Colossus, Zanzibar, Foundation, Warlock, Sanctuary, Turf, Elongation, Gemini, Warlord, Lockdown, Zenith, Shrine, Stonetown, Bloodline, Assembly, Citadel, Construct, Ghost Town, Snowbound, Heretic, High Ground, Isolation, Last Resort, Narrows, Orbital, The Pit, Standoff, Guardian

HALO CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

The official Halo eSports playlist, featuring the Halo 2: Anniversary Halo Championship Series rule set. 4v4.

Game Types: HCS Team Slayer, HCS Neutral Bomb Assault, HCS 3 Flag CTF, HCS 5 Flag CTF, HCS Team Crazy King

Maps: Shrine, Lockdown, Warlord

Team Halo 2: Anniversary

Play a mix of Team Slayer and objective game types on re-mastered maps. 4v4.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Team Slayer BR, CTF BR, Oddball BR, Territories BR, 1 Flag CTF BR, Multi-Bomb Assault BR, Neutral Bomb Assault BR, Ricochet BR, 1 Bomb Assault BR

Maps: Warlord, Lockdown, Zenith, Shrine, Stonetown, Bloodline

Big Team Battle

Battle it out in 16-player warfare with vehicles across Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 2: Anniversary. 8v8.

Game Types: Halo: CE Team Slayer, Halo: CE CTF, Halo: CE Team King, H2 BTB Team Slayer, H2 1 Flag CTF, H2 1 Bomb Assault, H2 Multi-Flag CTF, H2 Crazy King, H2 Muti-Bomb, H2A BTB Team Slayer, H2A Team BR, H2A 1 Flag CTF BR, H2A 1 Bomb Assault BR, H2A Crazy King BR, H2A 3 Plots BR, H2A Gungoose CTF, H3 BTB Team Slayer, H3 Multi-Flag CTF, H3 Multi-Bomb, H3 1 Flag CTF, H3 1 Bomb Assault, H3 Territories, H3 Team Crazy King, H4 BTB Slayer Pro, H4 CTF

Maps: Sidewinder, Hang ‘em High, Blood Gulch, Ice Fields, Death Island, Danger Canyon, Infinity, Timberland, Gephyrophobia, Burial Mounds, Zanzibar, Coagulation, Headlong, Waterworks, Containment, Relic, Terminal, District, Uplift, Stonetown, Bloodline, Avalanche, Last Resort, Longshore, Rat’s Nest, Sandtrap, Standoff, Valhalla, Wreckage, Harvest, Shatter, Vertigo

(H2A) Rumble Pit

Challenge seven other opponents on re-mastered maps. This is your fight and yours alone. 8-player Free-For-All.

Game Types: H2A Slayer, H2A Slayer BR, H2A Crazy King, H2A Juggernaut, H2A Oddball

Maps: Warlord, Lockdown, Zenith, Shrine

*Note: As previously announced, the Rumble Pit Playlist will focus on Halo 2: Anniversary at launch, and integrate / move to additional games post-launch.

Halo 2 Classic

It’s back. A mix of the most popular Team Slayer and objective game types from the original Halo 2. 4v4.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Team Slayer BR, 1 Flag CTF BR, Crazy King, Team Ball BR, Neutral Bomb, Multi-Fag CTF, Multi-Flag CTF BR, Team Snipers, 1 Bomb Assault, 1 Bomb Assault BR, Multi-Bomb BR, 3 Plots BR

Maps: Lockout, Ascension, Midship, Ivory Tower, Beaver Creek, Elongation, Colossus, Gemini, Zanzibar, Foundation, Warlock, Sanctuary, Turf

Halo 3

A selection of fan-favorite Team Slayer and objective game types from Halo 3. 4v4.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Team Slayer BR, Multi-Flag CTF, Multi-Bomb, Team Crazy King, Team Ball, Multi-Flag CTF, 1 Flag CTF, 1 Bomb Assault, Territories, Neutral Bomb

Maps: The Pit, Construct, Heretic, Assembly, Blackout, Citadel, Cold Storage, Ghost Town, Guardian, High Ground, Isolation, Last Resort, Narrows, Orbital, Standoff

Halo 4

A mix of Team Slayer and objective game types from Halo 4, on a selection of small to medium-sized maps. 5v5.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Legendary Slayer BR, Team Crazy King, Team Ball, Extraction, CTF

Maps: Haven, Adrift, Abandon, Solace, Monolith, Landfall, Skyline, Pitfall, Vertigo

Team Hardcore

A collection of tournament-approved game types from Halo 2 and Halo 3. The Battle Rifle is your primary weapon. 4v4.

Game Types: H2 Hardcore Team Slayer, H2 Hardcore Team Ball, H2 Hardcore CTF MidWar, H2 Hardcore Assault, H2 Hardcore CTF Sanctuary

Maps: Lockout, Midship, Sanctuary, Warlock, Beaver Creek

SWAT (Rotational)

Aim for the head! A collection of SWAT game types on our favorite maps from Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 2: Anniversary. Players have no shields and are equipped with rifles. 4v4.

Game Types: H2 Team SWAT, H2A Team SWAT, H3 Team SWAT, H4 Team SWAT, plus a sampling of SWAT Objective game types from each game, including CTF and Crazy King

Maps: Lockout, Ascension, Midship, Ivory Tower, Beaver Creek, Colossus, Warlock, Sanctuary, Turf, Elongation, Gemini, Zenith, Lockdown, Warlord, Shrine, Adrift, Haven, Landfall, Monolith, Skyline, Pitfall, Vertigo

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We'll see you online in just a few days, and are looking forward to hearing your feedback on playlists, map and game type selection, and more, as we'll be updating Matchmaking based on player trends and community feedback - leave us your thoughts in the discuss link below.