Everything we know about Season 2 of Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite transitions into its second season this May, marking the arrival of its largest update yet. Season 2 looks to bring all-new multiplayer content, with fresh maps and modes, accompanied by a Battle Pass packed with new rewards. The world of Zeta Halo also opens its borders, welcoming friends with the arrival of a 4-player co-op campaign. It’s also set to introduce various new features, taking feedback from its over 20 million players to date.

While Halo Infinite was well received from launch, a lack of new content updates, coupled with the absence of its once-promised roadmap, has seen fans voice frustrations. Season 2 presents an opportunity for 343 Industries to provide its latest title with serious momentum, serving up new experiences via its multiplayer suite. Here’s what we know about Halo Infinite Season 2 so far, including its anticipated release date and what to expect.

Halo Infinite Season 2 release date

Halo Infinite Season 2 is expected to launch on May 2, 2022, marking the arrival of new campaign and multiplayer content. While Halo Infinite developer, 343 Industries, has only committed to a loose “May 2022” launch window for Season 2, the existing Battle Pass provides a firmer launch date. The Battle Pass, Heroes of Reach, displays a countdown to the end of Season 1, also doubling as our expected Season 2 launch date.

With Halo Infinite updates traditionally deployed at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, Season 2 should follow the same schedule, assuming a May 2 launch.

343 Industries previously announced a seasonal approach to post-launch content, with a three-month gap between those milestone releases. And while Season 2 was once slated to launch in early February 2022, the studio later announced a three-month delay into May.

“We made the decision to extend Season 1 to give ourselves more time to ensure Season 2 meets our high quality bar and so we can finish development for Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team,” Halo Infinite creative head Joesph Staten said. The move saw Season 1 stretched over six months, with more events introduced to compensate for the extended runtime.

Halo Infinite Season 2: Where is the roadmap?

Halo Infinite Season 2 marks a time for change, expected to introduce the largest update yet for Microsoft’s hit shooter. The three-month period looks to bring new campaign and multiplayer content, available as a free update to all players, following Season 1’s extended six-month runtime. While 343 Industries previously outlined plans to introduce a roadmap for Halo Infinite content, scheduled for January 2022, the studio has since stated it needs more time to assemble plans.

While details are limited, Season 2’s arrival is expected to expand multiplayer with potential new maps, modes, and playlists, expanding the existing sandbox. We’re also getting a new Halo Infinite Battle Pass and cosmetic rewards, improved with changes reflecting community feedback. Events should also be on the docket, including a new “Fracture,” plus smaller limited-time modes.

Halo Infinite’s campaign also gets its first big update with Season 2, with 343 Industries expected to add cooperative campaign support. The mode will allow up to four players to experience the newest Halo campaign, including the full scale of its open world. While we also expect Halo Infinite campaign DLC in the future, the timeline on when to expect its arrival remains a little less clear.

Halo Infinite Season 2: Co-op campaign update

Co-op campaign also hits Halo Infinite during its second season, allowing up to four players to experience the latest open-world adventure. While Halo Infinite hit store shelves in December 2021, the final package omitted two once-staple modes, co-op Campaign, and the Forge map-building tool.

“Unfortunately, as we focused the team for shutdown and really focused on a quality experience for launch, we made the really tough decision to delay shipping campaign co-op for launch,” Halo Infinite creative head Joseph Staten said in August 2021. “And we also made the tough call to delay shipping Forge past launch as well.”

While Forge remains set for Season 3, 343 Industries has scheduled Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign release date for sometime in Season 2. While that previously translated to a three-month delay on co-op campaign support, recent changes to the Season 2 release schedule now mean a May 2022 release at the earliest. When the Halo Infinite co-op campaign debuts, the mode will launch as a free update for those who purchased the $60 campaign, or with access via Xbox Game Pass.

The co-op campaign will support up to four players over the Xbox network, if previous comments from Jerry Hook, 343 Industries head of design, remain true. However, local split-screen should be limited to two players, assumedly due to hardware limitations. The studio also announced the online campaign will run at a 30Hz tick rate in a recent blog post, denoting the responsiveness of the multiplayer server, identical to the game’s 24-player Big Team Battle mode.

Halo Infinite’s co-op campaign has been playable for “some time,” Staten stated in a November Eurogamer interview. However, the co-op campaign has undergone significant changes in Infinite, in part due to its new open-world structure. Those who played its singleplayer release will have experienced that freedom firsthand, serving up a sizeable slice of Zeta Halo with few strings attached.

“It’s the most expansive world we’ve ever made, a lot of player choice about how to address certain missions. It’s just a much bigger problem set when it comes to playing together with your friends,” Staten said. While 343 Industries has shifted its focus to addressing concerns around existing Halo Infinite multiplayer content, co-op campaign support is on track for this spring.

Halo Infinite Season 2 news and leaks

Halo Infinite Season 2 is expected to introduce new maps and modes into its free-to-play multiplayer offerings, akin to DLC packs from older titles. With Halo Infinite heavily criticized for its limited content, offering just a handful of playlists at launch, Season 2 represents the first opportunity to change the narrative.

While Halo Infinite has received several new playlists since launch, including Fiesta, FFA, and SWAT (also known as Tactical Slayer), a ton of legacy game types remain absent in early 2022. Season 2 presents an opportunity to rotate in staples like Snipers, King of the Hill, Assault, or Infection, or introduce new modes that shake up the Halo formula. We also exclusively reported on an all-new “newcomer-friendly” mode outsourced to Texas-based co-developer, Certain Affinity, although it’s unclear when this will hit the title.

We also understand at least five new multiplayer maps are in the pipeline, with early images surfacing online following Halo Infinite’s launch. Upcoming maps reportedly include Bath Salts, Cataract, Forbidden, Beltway, and Solitude, as named in a recent post from @leaks_infinite on Twitter.

Thumbnails pulled from these supposed prototypes represent the “blocking out” stage of development, reflecting early map layouts without textures. However, the images tease new locations like underground cave networks and Forerunner structures, likely to inject further variety in the available arenas.

343 Industries doesn’t plan to add map remakes to Halo Infinite, according to past interviews, although some future maps might take cues from existing locales. Halo Infinite multiplayer level designer Cayle George stated one-to-one ports “don’t work well” with the Halo Infinite sandbox. The studio instead drew inspiration from some aspects of earlier games. At least in the short term, don’t expect any past fan favorites to reappear in Halo Infinite.

Halo Infinite Season 2 is also expected to debut new cosmetics, both through battle and event passes, as well as the in-game store. We could see 343 Industries introduce a fourth armor core, presenting a new foundation for further multiplayer customization.

We understand Halo Infinite’s next armor core could be “Iron Eagle,” as reported by @halonoticiasmx on Twitter. Multiple full-body images of the unannounced armor core have surfaced online, defined by a thicker silhouette, while seemingly drawing heavy inspiration from industrial gear. We don’t have any official word on availability, but it could be on the docket for Season 2.

Various other unreleased cosmetics have also appeared through game files, including a series of new visors, as posted by @leaks_infinite on Twitter.

Season 2 will also bring various tweaks and changes to the complete Halo Infinite experience, with Halo Infinite’s ranking system set to see improvements alongside general bug fixes. While Halo Infinite received a mid-season update in late February, reactive bug fixes, like those impacting Cyber Showdown cosmetics, will arrive alongside Season 2.

Halo Infinite Season 2 Battle Pass

The next Halo Infinite season will also introduce the Season 2 Battle Pass, the latest tier-based progression system, accompanied by a new collection of multiplayer awards. 343 Industries introduced Halo Infinite’s first 100-tier pass at launch, offering various Halo: Reach-themed armor, coatings, and other exclusive cosmetics. With Season 2 expected to adopt a similar format, its arrival should further diversify the customization options available in Halo Infinite.

343 Industries has also outlined plans to implement changes to the second Battle Pass based on feedback gathered during its inaugural season. That includes the ability to earn in-game Credits, an opportunity that wasn’t presented in Season 1, despite similar systems in other popular shooters. Titles like Call of Duty and Fortnite offer comparable solutions, allowing players to “earn back” their investment in the premium pass, rewarding back Credits to use on skins and other shop purchases.

“Thanks to your continued feedback, we are happy to confirm Credits will be earnable in Season 2’s Battle Pass, 343 Industries design head Jerry Hook said. “That means you will be able to earn Credits as part of your Halo Infinite progression. We’ll have more to share on this as we get closer to Season 2.”

While 343 Industries hasn’t detailed how it plans to implement earnable Credits, we’re expecting a similar feature akin to similar titles in the space. With the current premium Battle Pass available for 1,000 Credits, priced around $10, the change should allow players to earn a similar total back through gameplay.