PCGame

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition

Accessible sci-fi RTS with base building and large-army battles

Ensemble Studios, Behaviour Interactive, 343 Industries · Published by Xbox Game Studios · Released Apr 20, 2017

Strategy

Reviews
Very Positive
92% of 9,176
Recent reviews
Very Positive
88% of 51 in 30 days
Players
252
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Verified
Last update on Steam
9 years ago
Jun 5, 2017
Minimum PC
R5 M240
4 GB RAM · 12 GB disk
Full requirements

What is Halo Wars: Definitive Edition?

This real-time strategy game is set early in the war between the UNSC and Covenant. You build bases, produce and command ground and air units, and fight through a campaign or online multiplayer battles, with co-op play also available.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy base building and commanding large sci-fi armies
  • +you prefer straightforward, accessible real-time strategy
  • +you want campaign, multiplayer, and co-op options

Not for you if...

  • −you expect deep strategy and highly precise unit control
  • −you prefer complex PC-focused mouse and keyboard controls

What players say

92% of 9,176 reviews are positive · 88% of 51 in the last 30 days

Players praise the campaign, Halo setting, approachable battles, and campaign co-op. Common complaints describe the strategy as shallow and the controls, pathfinding, and unit AI as clunky; recent players also report campaign bugs and co-op crashes. Some players say online multiplayer is sparsely populated.

Players over time

▼ -33% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 394 players on Oct 4, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 2026252
Nov 6, 2026211
Nov 5, 2026198
Nov 4, 2026193
Nov 3, 2026221
Nov 2, 2026194
Nov 1, 2026230
Oct 31, 2026220
Oct 30, 2026173
Oct 29, 2026179
Oct 28, 2026158
Oct 27, 2026196
Oct 26, 2026223
Oct 25, 2026228
Oct 24, 2026231
Oct 23, 2026218
Oct 22, 2026213
Oct 21, 2026193
Oct 20, 2026234
Oct 19, 2026276
Oct 18, 2026265
Oct 17, 2026254
Oct 16, 2026212
Oct 15, 2026216
Oct 14, 2026259
Oct 13, 2026263
Oct 12, 2026327
Oct 11, 2026285
Oct 10, 2026266
Oct 9, 2026290
Oct 8, 2026277
Oct 7, 2026318
Oct 6, 2026330
Oct 5, 2026352
Oct 4, 2026394
Oct 3, 2026345
Oct 2, 2026293
Oct 1, 2026336
Sep 30, 2026332
Sep 29, 2026371
Sep 28, 2026359
Sep 27, 2026365
Sep 26, 2026330
Sep 25, 2026262
Sep 24, 2026225
Sep 23, 202694
Sep 23, 2026236
Sep 22, 2026217
Sep 21, 2026189

How many players finish Halo Wars: Definitive Edition?

23% of Steam players have unlocked «Forging a Way to History», the achievement for finishing the main story.

Share of everyone who owns the game on Steam, including those who barely played it. Updated weekly.

Screenshots and trailer

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition screenshot 1

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition system requirements

Minimum: R5 M240, 4 GB RAM, 12 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run Halo Wars: Definitive Edition?

Tell us your graphics card once and every game page will answer this for you.

Set up my PC →

Minimum

OS
Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or higher
Processor
Intel Core i3 or Equivalent
Graphics
Intel HD Graphics 4200 NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M AMD Radeon R5 M240
Memory
4 GB RAM
Storage
12 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11

Recommended

OS
Windows 10 64-bit
Processor
Intel Core i5 or Equivalent
Graphics
NVIDIA GTX 560, 650, 750 AMD HD 5850, 6870, 7790
Memory
8 GB RAM
Storage
12 GB available space
DirectX
Version 11

Does Halo Wars: Definitive Edition have co-op or multiplayer?

Yes: co-op online; PvP online. It also has a single-player mode.

Does Halo Wars: Definitive Edition run on Steam Deck?

Verified Yes, Verified by Valve: it works on Steam Deck out of the box.

  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Shows Steam Deck controller icons
  • In-game text is legible on Steam Deck
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Full controller support
Platforms
Windows
Achievements
75
Steam features
Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards
Languages
Full audio: English, French, Italian, German, Japanese, Russian. Text only: Spanish - Spain, Czech, Hungarian, Korean, Polish, Traditional Chinese.

Does Halo Wars: Definitive Edition use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Nov 6, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Recent updates

Games like Halo Wars: Definitive Edition