Classic Xbox Halo: Combat Evolved Now Playable in Your Browser

The original Xbox version of Halo: Combat Evolved is now playable in a web browser. This isn't a port of Bungie's iconic 2001 first-person shooter; it's the actual Xbox game running directly in your browser. Following decompilation efforts, AI developer Mitchell Hynes has released Halo in a browser, hosting and maintaining it himself.

Hynes emphasized that this browser version is not Gearbox's official 2003 PC port of Halo: Combat Evolved, which was divisive among fans. He likely wanted to encourage veteran players to give it a try. His tweets quickly gained traction. Just five hours after release, the game had nearly 20,000 sessions, averaging 94 frames per second.

Microsoft, which owns Halo, might not be pleased with the original Xbox Halo appearing in browsers, even though it's free to play. The company recently launched Halo: Campaign Evolved on PC and consoles, and its lawyers could see this browser version as competition.

Some initially thought Microsoft had already taken action when Hynes' website was flagged as "Suspected Phishing." Hynes insisted it was an automatic flag from Cloudflare, not Microsoft, and the ban was quickly lifted.

We're currently in the midst of an AI video game explosion, with viral clips of famous games mashed together and people using tools like Claude to create "mods" faster than ever. Some are using AI to create clones of famous games, while others are releasing versions of existing mods, much to the annoyance of their creators.

For publishers, the potential impact could be existential. Why buy a new Halo game if AI can generate one in minutes? This week, the creator of a viral AI-generated Fallout: New York game took it offline after receiving a cease and desist from Bethesda, which fans celebrated. It remains to be seen how long Halo in your browser will stay online.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has handed the next mainline Halo game to Call of Duty company Activision and gutted Halo Studios in the process.