As mentioned in the Season 4: Infection Patch Notes, the underlying systems related to the installation of the Halo Infinite Campaign have been updated. This article will address questions players might have about how this changes access to the Halo Infinite Campaign.
What is the “Campaign Installation Change”?
Since launch in late 2021, the Halo Infinite Campaign and Multiplayer experiences shared many of the same files and systems. This has allowed for a smaller installation size since the game did not require a Campaign version and a Multiplayer version of each shared asset.
With the launch of Season 4 in June 2023, the Campaign and Multiplayer experiences will no longer share these assets. This change will increase the installation size of the entire Halo Infinite experience and it necessitates a loading screen between the Multiplayer and Campaign menus.
Why is this change being made?
Separating the shared assets between the Halo Infinite Campaign and Multiplayer experiences reduces the potential that a change in one experience would impact the other experience. In other words, developers working on future Multiplayer updates will be able to improve and adjust different aspects of Multiplayer while Campaign remains a consistent and stable experience for all players.
Is the Halo Infinite Campaign now a separate game in my library?
No, the Halo Infinite Campaign is still listed within the Play tab of the Halo Infinite main menu.
If the Halo Infinite Campaign is installed, selecting Campaign on the main menu will initiate a loading screen that leads to the Campaign menu. Similarly, selecting the Multiplayer button on the Campaign menu will prompt another loading screen that leads back to the Multiplayer menu. Players on PC may see Halo Infinite appear to close then relaunch during this process.
If the Halo Infinite Campaign is not installed, players will be prompted to purchase or install it.
Will the Campaign menu function the same way?
The Campaign menu will function almost identically to how it did before, with some minor changes. When loading into Campaign, players will see a loading screen prior to entering the Campaign menu. Players on PC may also see Halo Infinite close then quickly reopen during this process.
Due to the separation in shared files and systems, the Campaign menu now operates independently of the Multiplayer experience. This means that player customizations such as Emblems, Nameplates, and Spartans are no longer visible in the Fireteam menus.
How does this impact Fireteams who try to access Campaign?
Players are still able to create and invite players to a Fireteam for Network Co-Op, however, they will not be able to switch between the Campaign and Multiplayer menus together. Fireteams switching between the Multiplayer and Campaign menus will need to leave then re-form their Fireteam.
To create or join a Fireteam for a Network Co-op session, players must first load into the Campaign menu then invite others to join their Campaign-based Fireteam or join another player's Campaign-based Fireteam. Similarly, a Fireteam that wants to switch from playing Campaign to playing Multiplayer must first load into the Multiplayer menu.
Will my Campaign progress be affected by this change?
No, any progress that players have made in Campaign will be unaffected by this change.
How long will it take to load between Multiplayer and Campaign?
Load times between the Multiplayer and Campaign menus will vary depending on different Xbox consoles and PC specifications. On average, the loading screen between Multiplayer and Campaign lasts for approximately 15 seconds.
After installing Halo Infinite or updating the graphics driver on PC, the first loading screen upon launching the game may take longer than normal. With this installation change, the longer initial loading screen will also extend to the first time players access Campaign after installing the game or updating their graphics driver. Players will not experience this longer loading screen on subsequent launches unless they update their PC graphics driver or if the game is uninstalled then reinstalled.
How does this impact settings, particularly those used in both Campaign and Multiplayer?
Settings shared between Halo Infinite Multiplayer and Campaign will maintain their selections when transitioning between the experiences.
The Settings menu itself will appear almost identical between Campaign and Multiplayer, however, there are a couple of minor functional differences:
- The Visual Language option in the Accessibility tab is only available in Multiplayer's Settings menu. Any changes to this option in Multiplayer will carry over to Campaign.
- Some options which use sliders in Multiplayer may appear as dropdowns in Campaign.
Additional differences between the Multiplayer and Campaign settings may be introduced as more updates are released for Halo Infinite Multiplayer.
One other notable difference is that the Manage Game menu is inaccessible in Campaign. The Manage Game menu must be accessed via the Control Panel menu in the Multiplayer experience. This menu is used to install or uninstall content such as Campaign, language packs, and the HD texture pack.
To access the Control Panel in Multiplayer, press the gear icon in the bottom right corner or use one of the following shortcuts:
- Press Menu
on an Xbox controller
- Press ESC or F1 on keyboard
What is the installation size for Campaign?
With this change, installing the Halo Infinite Campaign will require the following approximate amount of disk space per platform:
- PC: 32 GB
- Xbox Series X: 34 GB
- Xbox Series S: 26 GB
- Xbox One X: 30 GB
- Xbox One or Xbox One S: 23 GB