Tyler Owens, a former developer for Halo 5, stated that a PC port for the game is not forthcoming. Owens noted that the development of a PC port was mired by technical challenges that prevented its release. However, fans continued to hope for a PC version despite having their hopes crushed in 2021.
Halo 5: Guardians is a first-person shooter game developed by 343 Industries and published by Microsoft. The game was initially released on October 27th, 2015, and became popular among some gamers. Despite the game’s reactive success, it is the only Halo game without a PC port.
Ex-developer shuts down possibility of Halo 5 PC version
I wish but it’s never going to happen imo. I think the port that was being considered ran into significant tech hurdles and was scrapped.
— Tyler Owens (@heytred) October 27, 2024
Tyler Owens, a build engineer for Apex Legends who was involved in the development of Halo 5, gave his opinion on the game’s PC version. In response to a user who had said they were “down bad” for a Halo 5 true PC port, Owens noted that it is “never going to happen.”
Owens added that the PC port being considered by the developer at the time was scrapped after being affected by significant tech hurdles.
Another user referenced Halo 5: Forge and asked Owens if the game’s frame rate being linked to its physics was part of the technical challenges faced during the development of the PC port.
Halo 5: Forge is a free version of Halo 5 released for Windows 10 PCs in 2016 with limited features that did not include the campaign and multiplayer modes. Owens responded by stating that it seemed plausible and that he was not privy to high-level details due to his limited role at the time.
Halo 5: Forge was only limited to 60 frames per second, as this was the frame rate that allowed it to play smoothly on Xbox’s hardware. Since PC users often have systems with different frame rates depending on their system capabilities, Forge still required the physics engine to stay in sync with the frame rate, potentially limiting performance on high-end machines.
Owen’s response highlighted the difficulty 343 Industries faced when trying to get the game to work on PC without disrupting gameplay.
Gamers keep their hopes up for a Halo 5 PC version
Despite repeatedly having their hopes crushed, gamers continue to hold onto hope for a Halo 5 PC version. In 2021, Brian Jarrad, Halo’s community director, denied rumors of the game being in the works and stated that development was solely focused on Halo Infinite and The Master Chief Collection.
However, Jarrad also noted that gamers should “never say never,” leaving them hopeful that their request for a PC version will be delivered.
“I hope there’ll be something very special next year for the 10th anniversary of Halo 5: Guardians (like a PC release maybe 😏😎)!”
Since Halo 5’s 10th anniversary is approaching, gamers have continued to wait for more news, speculating that a Halo 5 PC game will suit the commemorative occasion.
Many gamers have continued to call for the PC version of the game in place of Halo Forge. In some cases, gamers have gone as far as stating that they will boycott any future Halo games if the port request goes unanswered by the developer.
