Editor's take: Halo was arguably the defining / flagship franchise for Microsoft's Xbox. The first game in the series, Halo: Combat Evolved, was an Xbox launch title and helped Microsoft sell 1.5 million consoles in less than two months. Without it, Microsoft's entry into home consoles might not have been nearly as successful as it was.
Halo 3 is heading to the PC as the next installment in Halo: The Master Chief Collection and will be available to play from July 14.
Halo 3 originally launched on the Xbox 360 in September 2007 as the final game in the main Halo trilogy, following the original Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001 and Halo 2 in 2004. Notably, the third installment included a map-editing tool called the Forge that let players add or remove objects like weapons, vehicles and crates to multiplayer maps as well as the ability to record gameplay footage and save it locally.
The third installment in the Halo franchise will be available on Xbox Game Pass for PC (beta) as well as through the Microsoft Store and on Steam. A quick check on Steam shows Halo: The Master Chief Collection retailing for $31.99, a 20 percent discount over the usual $39.99 rate.
In related news, developer 343 Industries is expected to share more information about its next entry in the franchise - Halo Infinite - during the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase on July 23. Most expect the game to arrive as an Xbox Series X launch title this holiday season.