Halo Movies & TV Show in Order (Live-Action & Animated)
Halo has always been one of the most popular titles in the world of video games, especially because it is one of Microsoft’s flagship video game franchises. That said, due to Halo’s popularity, there have been movies and animated shows that have been made based on the franchise’s overall plot. And considering that there will be a new live-action Halo series coming out, you might want to watch all Halo movies and TV shows in order.
Halo Movies In Order
Even though there are plenty of people who believe that the upcoming Halo series is the first attempt to adapt the franchise into a live-action show, there have been live-action films based on Halo. In that regard, let us look at all of the Halo movies in chronological order so that you will understand the story.
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (2012)
Halo 4: Forward Dawn takes place sometime during or after 2525. The focus of this movie is a group of students that attend the UNSC military academy just a few months after the war between the humans and the Covenant began. However, as of that moment, the details regarding the war have yet to be released. That means that the core group of students followed by this series doesn’t even know that there is a war against the Covenant.
It was only when the students were thrown into the war themselves that they found out about it. In a way, these students were thrown into a trial by fire, as they were only able to get to know about their enemies in the middle of the war that they didn’t even know existed.
Microsoft released Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn because the people behind the upcoming Halo 4 game didn’t want the players to feel intimidated about the entire narrative of the game. In a way, Forward Unto Dawn allowed new and old players alike to familiarize themselves with the entire plot while getting to know the story’s lore and the characters behind the game itself.
You can check this movie out as one entire film, but the truth is that it is actually a series of different episodes. As such, you can also watch the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn episodes individually if you want to pace yourself.
Halo: Landfall (2007)
Halo: Landfall is actually set somewhere before 2552 in the Halo universe timeline. This is actually a series of short films that were put together to form Halo: Landfall. Unlike other Halo films that allow players to get to know the lore and the story, Halo: Landfall was primarily released so that the players can get to see the kind of special effects that they will experience if they play Halo 3. The entire film is just about seven minutes long, and you can watch it above if you want a quick Halo breather.
The final film of the Halo: Landfall trilogy was actually released just hours before Halo 3 was officially released to the public. But while this film may be quite short, it still belongs to the Halo continuity because it follows Halo 3’s timeline, which is set in the middle of the 26th century.
Halo: Nightfall (2014)
Halo: Nightfall takes place in 2556, which is just about four years after Halo: Landfall took place. Some of you may end up getting confused about the “Nightfall” name in the Halo canon because of the fact that there have been several things that were called Nightfall in the continuity. However, this is a short film that you shouldn’t confuse with the song also entitled “Nightfall.”
This short live-action movie takes place right between Halo 4 and Halo 5, and that means that its events are meant to bridge the two games together so that you will understand what has been happening in between those games. The movie also introduced Agent Jameson Locked, who is one of the main characters of Halo 5: Guardians.
Halo: Nightfall takes place after the war of the humans against the Covenant. It follows the story of Locke, as he and his team are trying to stop the Elites or the Sangheili from using a weapon that can be devastating. Because Nightfall takes place before Halo 5, Locke is yet to be a Spartan. And he eventually finds out that the weapon they were trying to stop is actually a biological weapon that will only affect humans.
Halo Animated Movies And Shows In Order
While there have been a few movies that are based on the Halo franchise (and most of them are quite short), Microsoft focused more on the animated movies or shows about Halo because a sci-fi story such as this franchise is easier to animate than to portray live-action. This is why the animated movies and shows tend to have more content than the live-action movies.
Halo: The Fall of Reach (2015)
Halo: The Fall of Reach is the earliest story in the entire Halo narrative because it takes place between 2517 and 2525. As such, if you want to start watching different Halo movies and shows, The Fall of Reach should be where you should be starting, as it will allow you to get to know more about the Halo lore.
“The Fall of Reach” is actually the title of the very first Halo novel, which was published back in 2001, and that shows you that this is the very first story in the entire Halo narrative. And when Halo 5 was about to come out in 2015, it was important to adapt this story into a series so that newcomers to the franchise could get to know more about the entire plotline.
This series was actually meant to introduce Master Chief to newcomers in the Halo franchise. However, there are plenty of events that take place in flashbacks. As such, because of how far the series goes back in terms of the stories that the characters tend to look back on, it is safe to say that it happens right before all of the Halo games, movies, and shows.
Halo Legends (2009)
Halo Legends, which takes place after 2552, is actually just a collection of different short films that you can watch in digital format, as you may need to purchase its DVD or Blue-ray to see it. However, there are times when it can appear on Netflix or any other streaming service, although it doesn’t stay there for long.
This series follows different stories, which include:
- The Babysitter: An episode that follows the story of a group of ODSTs that are on a mission to eliminate a prophet.
- The Duel: In this episode, the focus is an Arbiter who attempts to leave the Covenant.
- Homecoming: Homecoming is an episode that follows the story of a Spartan-II’s death.
- Prototype: Prototype follows a character that is on a mission to rescue his team. However, he must sacrifice himself so that they can come out of the mess safely.
- The Package: This is a two-part episode that follows Master Chief and other Spartans who are on a mission to rescue Catherine Halsey. She is in the middle of a cryonic hibernation but has been stolen by the Covenant while she was still sleeping in her pod.
- Odd One Out: This is a Halo Legends episode that actually isn’t canon. That’s because it was made to be a parody of the entire Halo franchise, as a Spartan who belongs to Master Chief’s unit is stranded on a planet full of superpowered children and dinosaurs.
- Origins: Origins is the final film on this series of films, as it takes place after Halo 3. It follows the story of Cortana, who is contemplating her own life while the viewers get a bit of insight about the Forerunners and the Flood. Cortana goes on to summarize the story of human exploration and colonization in space as we get to know more about the stories of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo 3.
Halo Franchise In Order (Including TV Show)
Now that you know more about the chronological order of the events of the different Halo live-action and animated movies and shows, let us now look at the overall chronological order while incorporating the upcoming Halo TV series.
- Halo: The Fall of Reach (2015) – Between 2517 and 2525
- Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (2012) – Sometime before 2525
- Halo TV series (2022) – Estimated to take place on 2531 or before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, although it takes place in an alternate timeline.
- Halo: Landfall (2007) – Takes place right before 2552
- Halo Legends (2009) – Takes place after around 2552
- Halo: Nightfall (2014) – Takes place after the war versus the Covenant, which is around 2556
