343 Industries has confirmed in a forum post that the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary PC beta will begin next month. Halo CEA will be the second game in the Master Chief Collection to release on PC after the successful launch of Halo: Reach.
Halo: Combat Evolved was first released in November of 2001. An HD remake of the game was released in 2011 for Xbox 360. It was then re-released for Xbox One as part of the Master Chief Collection. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will go through Insider testing before it is added to the collection. This decision was made because 343 want to iron out any bugs before the full launch.
“For this title, we are looking to flight and gather feedback on a wider range of content prior to its launch this year,” Halo developers mentioned in their post. “These areas are focused into the following gameplay elements which will include validating dedicated servers, peer-to-peer connections, crossplay between Steam and Windows version, new UI for customization in H:CE, and the next season’s progression for H:CE.”
All the updates are not just about H:CE. Halo: Reach will be getting some changes too. The studio is trying to implement a new crouch system that will allow players to crouch while moving. Also, “Intelligent Install systems” will be tested which will allow players to be able to download each game separately rather than downloading the entire MCC collection. If you want to test the upcoming games of Halo: Master Chief Collection on PC you can sign-up for the Halo Insider Program over here.
The Master Chief Collection is available for $39.99 on Steam and the Microsoft Store. Xbox Game Pass subscribers for PC will also get the game at launch. Moreover, each game is available for purchase for $9.99.
