Microsoft has surprised everyone by releasing Halo Infinite multiplayer today!

Microsoft surprised Xbox fans today by releasing Halo Infinite multiplayer early. Over the weekend, rumors of an early Halo Infinite multiplayer release surfaced, and Microsoft is now confirming it as part of the Xbox’s 20th-anniversary celebrations.

Everyone can try out Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode in beta today on Xbox One, Xbox Series S / X, and PC, and it’s already live on Windows PC via Steam. Season one is included in the beta, along with all of the core maps and battle pass features. Any progress made in the multiplayer mode will be carried over to the December 8th launch date.

If you’re looking for it on Xbox or the Windows Store, you’ll have to wait a little longer: it’s currently only available as part of the paid Xbox Game Pass, despite Microsoft’s repeated claims that it’ll be free to play on both platforms. However, Halo community director Brian Jarrard tweeted that “the build is still publishing and rolling out,” indicating that this is most likely a glitch.

We had no trouble starting matches on PC via Steam, though they did take a little longer to load than we expected. It’s a 23.7GB download there, and it takes up 26GB once installed.

Halo Infinite’s developers, 343 Industries, first started showing off the game’s multiplayer mode in July. All Xbox players were given access to a multiplayer preview of Halo Infinite in late September. We couldn’t get enough of Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode, and it felt like a welcome return to form. However, if you played the PC beta, you’ll need to rebind all of your controls. The new version seems to use a different client than the previous test flights.

The original Xbox, along with Halo: Combat Evolved, was released 20 years ago on November 15th. During a special anniversary stream commemorating Halo Infinite’s 20th anniversary, Microsoft announced the game’s early multiplayer release.

After more than 81 million copies of Halo games have been sold worldwide, it’s no surprise that the Xbox event today focused heavily on Halo. It’s a popular franchise, with Halo: The Master Chief Collection attracting over 3 million players during its first week on PC and Xbox One.

The full Halo Waypoint blog post about Halo Infinite’s multiplayer launch can be found here, along with a list of game modes and features included and excluded. There’s also a diagram of the PC system requirements.