343 Industries will start Halo Infinite beta testing "as soon as we can"

Halo Infinite
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

The first Halo Infinite beta could be coming relatively soon, according to a new teaser from developer 343 Industries. 

In a recent blog post, which also touches on plans for Halo Infinite cross-play support and the advanced features available on PC, live producer Sam Hanshaw discussed 343's goals for external playtesting on the next Halo.

"We’ve been conducting external flights and playtesting with a very small external group representing a variety of backgrounds," Hanshaw said. "Getting to see folks outside the company experience the game for the first time is a thrill. The feedback we’ve been getting has been heartening in many areas, and impactful in others. Seeing a turnaround in opinion based on changes is truly gratifying. 

"Rest assured, now that we’ve gotten our feet wet over the last couple of months, we’re progressing towards expanding playtesting opportunities as soon as we can, so keep those Halo Insider profiles updated!"

Members of the Halo Insider program are among the first to receive updates and opportunities regarding playtests like betas, as well as surveys and other points of feedback. The staggered rollout of Halo: The Master Chief Collection saw several opportunities for insiders, for reference. Of course, after Hanshaw's tease, we're most interested in the possibility of Halo Infinite beta invites going out sometime in the coming months. 

You can sign up for the Halo Insider program and opt into potential testing opportunities here

Halo Infinite is still scheduled to launch later this year, and according to Spartan Griffin actor Verlon Roberts, we'll see it sometime in November. 

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with 12DOVE since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

Read more
Two Splitgate 2 players shooting each other in a new map
Splitgate was eclipsed by Halo Infinite's launch, and 4 years later Splitgate 2 is back with an open alpha to dance on Master Chief's grave
PS5 30th Anniversary collection on a blue background
Echoing Xbox and Steam, PlayStation rolls out a beta program where you sign up to "test participating games for the PS5 console and PC" plus new features
Mecha Break screenshot showing a a massive winged mech suit mid-air, colored white, pink, and cyan
Mecha Break, the lovechild of Armored Core and Titanfall, gets a closed beta test that you can sign up for now
Elden Ring Nightreign beta
How to play the Elden Ring Nightreign beta
Elden Ring Nightreign art showing knight fighting flaming enemy
Elden Ring Nightreign network test coming in February, giving players an early "portion" of the unexpected "survival action" roguelike
Last Spartan Standing
With Concord in the rearview, Halo Infinite dev is glad it's still kicking "in a climate where games can be shut down with little notice"
Latest in Halo
Halo 3
Halo 3 streamers claim a world record by beating the game's near-impossible LASO challenge in only 4 hours without dying once
halo
Microsoft said "'Nah'" to the Halo x Doom crossover pitched for Amazon's Secret Level, but I'm crossing my fingers for Season 2
Last Spartan Standing
With Concord in the rearview, Halo Infinite dev is glad it's still kicking "in a climate where games can be shut down with little notice"
Master Chief holds a beaming energy sword in our first look at Project Foundry
Almost 100GB of classic Halo content has leaked online, including the 1999 demo from when the legendary FPS was in third person
Halo Wars promo image showing top-down RTS combat
Master Chief's absence from Halo Wars wasn't Bungie's fault, it was a move to make players "care about everybody else" in the RTS
Halo 2
The Halo 2 Arbiter mission that Bungie scrapped 21 years ago has been officially restored as a playable Master Chief Collection mod
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"