You can now play Halo: Combat Evolved in a web browser, and it even has multiplayer

A developer has managed to recreate Halo: Combat Evolved, the original Xbox game, and run it successfully in a web browser, according to a recent post on X. The feat is both a technical marvel and potentially questionable from a legal standpoint. Mitchell Hynes, the developer, shared the news on X, describing the browser-based version as working quite well.

Users can simply visit the site, wait for it to download any necessary components, and begin playing with full mouse and keyboard support. The project is based on decompilation work by Bnunu and a fork from team Cybersecurity. One notable feature is the support for 128-player multiplayer, which operates on Windows, Linux, and Android.

The site attracted a significant amount of traffic, briefly going down due to being flagged for suspected phishing, but resumed shortly afterwards. Within just five hours of its launch, the browser-based game saw nearly 20,000 games played across 115 countries. The community has embraced the innovation, with players creating lobbies on the Halo subreddit to compete against each other.

However, the multiplayer mode lacks matchmaking functionality, requiring players to share room links with each other. The servers use peer-to-peer connectivity, so players should ensure their host has a stable connection. While the game loads missions slowly, likely due to internet connection issues on the part of the user, the gameplay itself is smooth with great audio quality.

The developer acknowledges the potential concern that Microsoft, the current owner of Halo, might not appreciate the free way players are experiencing their classic game. Nonetheless, the innovation is welcomed by the gaming community.