Skip to main content
If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Here's when Halo 2: Anniversary unlocks on PC, and all the known issues

Sherif Saed avatar
News by Sherif Saed Contributor
Published on

Halo 2 comes to The Master Chief Collection on PC this week.

As previously announced, Halo 2: Anniversary, including the original Halo 2, will both arrive on PC on Tuesday, May 12. The games will be available as part of The Master Chief Collection, and standalone in a bundle.

Over the weekend, developer 343 Industries confirmed a few remaining details about the launch. The games will be available to download beginning 8pm PT, 11pm ET, 4am BST (May 13) across Steam and the Windows Store.

This week's update also introduces Theater mode for both Halo 2: Anniversary and Halo: Reach, as well as add new customisation options for Halo 2 and the Anniversary remaster. The Forge map-creating tool is still being worked, and won't be part of this update.

Unfortunately, Halo 2: Anniversary has a long list of known launch issues, which 343 outlined in a blog post. Some of these are minor, such as subtitles out of sync with audio, while others, like the sun not rendering on most maps and missions in base Halo 2, are a bit more concerning.

We've rounded up all the known issues below for you. Have a look at the included issues so you're not surprised come launch.

Cover image for YouTube video
Watch on YouTube

Campaign

  • On Xbox in Co-op multiplayer, the HUD will become off centered when zooming in.
  • Terminal videos default to English only.
  • In-game audio plays while viewing terminal videos.
  • Subtitles are not present in campaign gameplay.
  • Subtitles are out of sync with audio when viewing cutscenes.
  • Users on AMD hardware may encounter missing and/or flickering textures across campaign (such as the Elevator on Oracle).
  • Oracle in has several graphical issues including around glass flood tanks, clouds, and lightning effects.
  • Cinematic audio for in Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary is affected by different audio option sliders.
  • Enemy Elites do not dual wield in the Campaign.
  • Campaign cutscenes are much louder than gameplay.
  • Some Campaign missions have FPS drops on first launch of the mission.
  • When having multiple audio devices and swapping between classic and remastered graphics in cutscenes, audio can change output devices
  • When using a Ryzen 5 and AMD GPU, large rectangle volumes appear on the mission Oracle.
  • Blur Cinematics and Terminal videos can have visual issues in non-16:9 aspect ratios as they were rendered at 16:9.
  • Gunfire sounds are missing from multiple weapons with the Scarab Skull active.
  • With the Scarab Gun skull active, a hardlock can happen when firing a plasma rifle after swapping weapons with an Elite.
  • Sentinel lights will display for a short time after death before disappearing.
  • Some environmental textures appear in lower than expected resolutions.
  • Music will loop incorrectly on Metropolis while in the Scorpion tank.
  • Using Nvidia GPUs on Classic graphics, various foliage environment LOD textures are missing.
  • Gravemind on co-op has hitches and with poor network conditions disconnects can happen.
  • When swapping between Classic and Remastered graphics music will change to different parts of the track.

Halo 2: Anniversary

  • Pixilation on shadows can be seen in Anniversary graphics
  • Forge map lighting is not appearing correctly.
  • Performance lowers during games of 3 plots.
  • Texture resolution is displaying in low quality through various parts of the title.
  • When looking at the fan on Stonetown, FPS sometimes drops to 45
  • Audio is missing when reloading weapons when done quickly.
  • Primary weapon audio decreases if you are shooting while picking up a secondary weapon.
  • Decals on the Gauss Warthog turret will detach from the model during the firing animation.
  • When using newer Intel drivers with onboard graphics, you cannot launch.
  • Performance in theater films is capped at 60 fps when framerate is set to unlimited.
  • There are no inversion options in the Settings Menu for dual wielding
  • Lighting is inconsistent between Elite and Spartan armors.
  • There is visible stuttering on objects when strafing with Unlimited Framerate enabled.
  • Sound effects do not play for the player holding the oddball when playing Hot Potato.
  • The Hoplite armor is missing a rear armor piece in gameplay.

Halo 2

  • When using voice chat there is no notification that players are talking.
  • The music mixing is much quieter in MCC compared to the original.
  • Team Spawn system does not have parity with original.
  • Bullet registration is not in parity with the original.
  • The respawn timer is hidden by the territory capture meter in multiplayer.
  • Gamma values are excessively blown out compared to legacy
  • Super bouncing does not mirror legacy.
  • Snow VFX do not match legacy behavior on snow weather missions and maps.
  • The sun is not rendering on most maps and missions.
  • When playing at higher field of view, textures will appear to pop in more frequently as the LOD distance is shortened.
  • Banshees turn faster when using Mouse and Keyboard.

Read this next