Halo Infinite will let you use your PC to host cross-platform LAN parties

343 has frequently said Halo Infinite is as much a PC game as it is an Xbox console flagship. In a new video posted this afternoon, the developer went over precisely what it means by that, and what to expect from the first Halo to come to PC at launch.

The PC overview video runs over a lot of the work 343 is doing to make sure Infinite plays smoothly on desktops at launch. To be expected, you've got granular visual options, minimum/maximum framerates, and plenty of tasty features for those of you with ultrawide monitors.

But more excitedly, you'll be able to use your home PC to set up impromptu LAN parties—and with the game natively supporting cross-play, that means running home or university CTF matches with your pals on Xbox One, Series S/X, Steam or Windows.

"Especially for folks my age who grew up with original Halo, especially folks who grew up with LAN parties, I wanted desperately to, when this game launches, go have a LAN party with my friends," said principal software engineering lead Mike Romero.

343 also explained how ranked matchmaking will work with different input methods. There'll be separate queues for gamepad and keyboard/mouse players, with a combined pool for folks who aren't scared of potential balance issues between platforms.

The latter half of the video largely speaks about a few hardware partnerships 343 is making, the most notable being Master Chief's personal RX 6900, which are so limited you can't actually buy one. Halo Infinite itself is set to launch on December 8—and while the singleplayer appears to be coming in real hot, I'm very excited to dip back into those phenomenal big team battles.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.