How to pre-load Halo Infinite on PC, Xbox One & Series X|S

Alec Mullins
Spartan crouching in Halo Infinite multiplayer

Halo Infinite arrives this Holiday season and though there’s no way to fully install the game before the release date, there are a few ways to get ahead with your pre-load process. 

Halo is making its next-gen debut on December 8, but anyone who wants to get a headstart on the install process can get the party started early through pre-installing.

The process is a little different for console players than it is for PC but this option is available for both. While the full game is not quite ready for download yet, there is a 280 MB folder that will get you ahead of the game before release day.

Doing this not only allows you to get into the action faster, but it’s one less headache to worry about on launch. If being the first person into the fight sounds like your kind of thing, these are the steps you’ll need to take to make it happen.

How to pre-load Halo Infinite on Xbox Game Pass

Halo Infinite multiplayer
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free-to-play this year, meaning more people than ever now have a chance to get in on the action.

In order to get started, there are a few things you’ll need to do, but most importantly is to check that you have an active subscription to Xbox Game Pass.

Once you’re sure that everything is up to date just follow these steps:

  1. Boot up your console and go to the Xbox Game Pass menu
  2. Search for Halo Infinite and click on the game’s thumbnail
  3. In the next menu find and press the INSTALL button
  4. Wait for the notification that confirms the download is complete.

If you’re not at your setup, you can also go to Microsoft’s website and initiate the download there through the “Install on my devices” button at the top right of the page.

How to pre-load Halo Infinite on PC

halo infinite aim assist broken afk
The excitement around Halo Infinite’s arrival continues to ramp up as we get closer to release.

For PC players, the installation process is very similar to the console version:

  1. Go to your Xbox Game Pass app
  2. Search for Halo Infinite and select it
  3. Click the install button
  4. Allow the placeholder file to download.

It’s impossible to say exactly when this temporary file will be replaced with the full game, but most preloads are converted sometime during launch week. In this case, that would mean the week of Dec 1-7.

That’s all that you need to know to pre-load Halo Infinite if you’re going to be playing via Game Pass, but if you’re looking to buy the game for yourself, you can check out our preorder guide here

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About The Author

Alec Mullins is an FPS writer focusing on Call of Duty and Apex Legends and their respective esports scenes. He worked at TheGamer before joining Dexerto. On the weekends, you'll find him watching the CDL and jamming to The Mountain Goats. You can find Alec on Twitter @LifeAsAlec