Skip to main content

A week of free play, new mode coming to ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ next week

halo 5 high player count halo5torque
Image used with permission by copyright holder
If you own an Xbox One, there’s a pretty good chance you already own Halo 5: Guardians. After all, it’s the system’s most prolific exclusive game. But if you haven’t checked out the Master Chief’s latest adventure yet, you’ll get a chance to do so for free next week — just as a new mode is released.

Starting on June 29 and running until July 5, Halo 5: Guardians will be completely free to play for anyone with Xbox Live Gold membership. The latest free content update for the game, “Warzone Firefight,” will also be released. on June 29. The new mode mixes Halo 5‘s signature multiplayer mode with the “Firefight” of Bungie’s last few games in the series, and also adds the UNSC Wasp vehicle and the “Grunt Goblin” boss. The latter looks like a walking Ghost with fists and an enormous Needler — it’s more than twice as tall as a Spartan.

Recommended Videos

The update also adds three new maps. “Attack on Sanctum” and “Prospect” will be available for the Warzone and Warzone Assault modes, respectively, while “Molten” will be used in the smaller-scale Arena multiplayer. Forge creators can now also design custom levels on “Tidal,” which Microsoft says should rectify the water-shortage problem facing designers right now.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

If you’re more interested in playing the campaign when Halo 5 is free, the update includes something for you, as well. “Score Attack,” a mode encouraging “style and flourish” when defeating enemies, will be available in both online and solo play. Unfortunately, split-screen play is still not supported, but “more surprises” are planned before the update drops.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
PlayStation 5 Pro is coming this November, and it costs a whopping $700
A PS5 Pro standing upwards next to a DualSense controller.

After months of rumors and speculation, Sony finally announced the PlayStation 5 Pro, a premium console with a premium price point for those players who want the best graphics possible.

Unlike the base PS5, the Pro doesn't come with a disc drive and is a lot more expensive at $700. It'll release ahead of the holiday season on November 7, 2024, with preorders opening up on September 26.

Read more
One of the PS5’s best exclusives is coming to Xbox, and it’s still great
Key art for Kena: Bridge of Spirits.

There has been a lot of talk this year about Xbox console exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush, As Dusk Falls, and Sea of Thieves going multiplatform and being readily available on the PlayStation 5 as a result. For once, we're seeing that process work the other way around.

Next week, Ember Labs will release Kena: Bridge of Spirits on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. This game has a reputation as being one of the best-looking PS5 exclusives. Having gone hands-on with its Xbox Series X port, I can say that Kena: Bridge of Spirits is just as good as it's ever been on the new platform. If you never had a chance to try Kena: Bridge of Spirits because you don't own a PS5, this Xbox port gives you the perfect excuse to check out this memorable adventure.

Read more
Personalized spatial audio comes to the PlayStation 5
A still frame from the personalized 3D audio profile creation tool on a Sony PS5.

The latest beta update for Sony's PlayStation 5 console brings the ability to create personalized spatial audio profiles, which should produce more immersive and realistic sound.

The beta software was released on July 25 and described in a PlayStation blog post. Officially, Sony calls the new feature "personalized 3D audio profiles for headphones and earbuds."

Read more