Halo Infinite’s Forge Mode has leaked — here’s how to play it early yourself

In the time since the Halo Infinite campaign co-op beta launched earlier this month, several Halo players have managed to gain access to a work-in-progress version of the game’s upcoming Forge mode that was included in the beta build, but was not intended to be playable. As a result, several Halo Infinite Forge leaks have spilled online, giving fans a close look at what they can expect from the latest iteration of the franchise’s beloved level editor.

If you have access to the co-op beta build and are interested in trying out Forge yourself before the beta ends on Aug. 1, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know. This includes an overview of what Forge mode is, a guide on how to access and play Forge early, details about whether or not you can carry your Forge progress over to the full game when the mode officially comes out, and more.

What is Halo Infinite Forge mode?

Put simply, Halo Infinite’s Forge mode is a tool that allows players to tweak existing maps or make entirely new ones using hundreds — perhaps even thousands — of terrain pieces, geometric objects, props, decorations, placeable visual and sound effect emitters, weapons, vehicles, and more. You can even change the color and texture of many of the objects you can place down. Additionally, players also have the ability to tweak and change a map’s weather, skybox color, cloud position, and numerous other options.

New in Infinite’s iteration of Forge is Object Scaling, which gives players the ability to scale an object up or down, increasing or decreasing its size. This feature can also be used on individual axes, stretching and contorting the selected object to create unusual shapes should your vision for your map call for them.

Weapon Combining and Vehicle Welding, both of which were glitches in Halo 5: Guardians’ Forge, have also been made official features in the Halo Infinite version of Forge. The former allows you to give one weapon a different weapon’s damage and projectile type (a Battle Rifle that shoots Skewer rounds, for example), while the latter makes it possible to attach objects or vehicles to another vehicle, “welding” them together.

Infinite’s Forge also has significantly more advanced scripting capabilities than previous versions of the mode did. For instance, it’s possible to create scripts that make objects dispense powerups, automatically flip vehicles upright when they tip over, and spawn in “airstrikes” that drop explosive fusion coils on the map when activated.

How to play Halo Infinite Forge mode early

The process of accessing Forge mode in the Halo Infinite co-op beta isn’t too difficult to accomplish, but it does require some precise timing. Note that currently, it’s only possible to play Forge on the PC version of the beta, though we expect a method of accessing Forge that works on Xbox consoles will be available soon (more on that in the section below). Here’s what you need to do to play Forge early:

1. In your Steam library, select Halo Infinite — Insider.
2. Select the Play button.
3. When prompted to do so, sign into the Xbox account you use for Halo Infinite.
4. When the loading screen shows “Accessing data centers for best connection,” immediately disconnect your PC from the internet.
   • Pulling your Ethernet cable is the fastest and easiest way to do this.
   • You won’t be able to use Forge unless you disconnect at this exact moment (refer to the image above).
5. When you load into Halo Infinite’s main menu, reconnect your PC to the internet.
6. On the main menu, select the Community tab.
7. Select My Bookmarks.
8. Select Forge UCN.
9. Select Custom Game.
10. Immediately press down on your controller or keyboard to go as far down in the menu as possible.
11. Next, press up on your controller or keyboard once.
12. Then, press the A button on your controller or the Enter key on your keyboard.
13. Select Local Area Network.
14. Wait for your PC to appear, then select it.
15. Afterwards, press up on your controller or keyboard until you see “Map details” in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
16. Either press the A button or the Enter key.
17. Select a map to play on.
18. Once again, press down on your controller or keyboard to go as far down in the menu as possible.
19. Finally, press the A button or the Enter key.

If done correctly, you should load into a Forge lobby on the map you selected. Note that if you’re struggling to get this method to work correctly, there’s also an alternative way to access Forge that’s much easier, but also requires you to download a third-party software and manipulate some files. There’s a small chance your account could get banned if you use this approach, so we strongly recommend using the safe method above. If you want to use the easier (and riskier) method, the tutorial video below covers the process.

Can you play Forge early on Xbox?

Unfortunately, we’re not aware of any way that players using an Xbox console can currently access Forge mode through the Halo Infinite campaign co-op beta build. However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way. 

Surasia, a Halo community member known for leaks and datamining, recently announced in the comments of their “Play Forge Early” video we linked above that they’re working on a tutorial on how to play Forge on Xbox. Hopefully that means that console users will get a chance to try out Forge before the co-op beta ends on Aug. 1. We’ll update this article when Surasia creates their tutorial, or if another method of playing Forge early on console is discovered. 

Can you carry over Forge projects to the full game?

While it would be awesome if you were able to save progress made in this early version of Forge and carry it over into the full live game version of the mode when it comes out, it’s unfortunately not possible. This is because the campaign co-op beta build of Halo Infinite isn’t connected to the live version of the game at all, and as such, none of what’s in the beta — including both saved campaign co-op progress and Forge creations — will transfer to the full version of Halo Infinite.

With that said, playing Forge early is still worth it, as it will give you a chance to learn its controls and UI ahead of the Forge open beta planned for September 2022 as well as the finished version of Forge expected to arrive in Season 3. Therefore, we recommend playing around with it if you’re planning on Forging in Halo Infinite often.

Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free to play and available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PCs. It’s not without issues, but regardless, there’s a lot of fun to be had in 343 Industries’ latest title — and Forge will make the experience even better. It’s definitely one of the best Xbox games available right now if you’re looking for a new shooter to jump into, especially if you snag the excellent campaign as well.