Fan project runs the original Halo in a browser, with 128-player multiplayer
Developer Mitchell Hynes released an unofficial browser build of Halo: Combat Evolved on October 1; Microsoft has not sanctioned it and takedown risk remains.
- Mitchell Hynes's fan build runs the original Xbox Halo in a browser with co-op and up to 128-player multiplayer.
- GAMES.GG reports about 20,000 games in five hours at roughly 94 fps; Notebookcheck calls performance uneven and says the 128-player mode is untested.
- The project is unofficial, Microsoft has not sanctioned it, and similar fan projects have been removed before.
A fan project by developer Mitchell Hynes lets people play the original Xbox game Halo: Combat Evolved in a web browser with no installation, including split-screen co-op and online multiplayer for up to 128 players. Coverage began on October 1, 2026. The project is unofficial and Microsoft has not sanctioned it.
What it does
- Runs the full campaign of the original Xbox game in the browser, according to Notebookcheck.
- Supports split-screen co-op and online multiplayer. There is no matchmaking: starting a multiplayer game produces a room link that you send to other players.
- Works with mouse and keyboard or a controller, according to reports.
GAMES.GG says the project runs the Xbox executable in a web environment "rather than rebuilding the game from scratch," and describes it as preservation work, not a remake. Reports tie it to a recent decompilation of the original game. None of the coverage reviewed explains the browser technology in detail, or says whether players need their own copy of the game's data files.
Performance and limits
- GAMES.GG reports nearly 20,000 games played in the first five hours and an average of about 94 frames per second. Those figures are as reported and were not independently verified.
- Notebookcheck describes performance as "somewhat uneven" in early testing, and says the 128-player mode is untested by its creator.
- It does not work well on iOS or Android. PC is the recommended platform.
Legal status
Microsoft has not commented on or approved the project, according to the coverage reviewed. Shortly after launch, Cloudflare briefly flagged Hynes' website as "Suspected Phishing," which made it inaccessible. Hynes said it was an automatic Cloudflare action and not a Microsoft takedown, and the flag was lifted. GAMES.GG notes that publishers have pulled similar fan projects before, citing an AI-generated Fallout: New York project that was removed after a cease and desist from Bethesda, and says this one could also be taken down. Readers who want an official version can buy Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Xbox or Steam. We are not linking to the fan build.
Why it matters
The project shows how far browser delivery has come: a console shooter from 2001 now runs from a link, with multiplayer handled by a shared room URL and no account or installer. That is the same distribution model many SaaS and no-code products rely on, and it explains why people can try it within seconds. It also shows the risk of building on someone else's intellectual property. A product that depends on an unlicensed asset can disappear overnight, which is worth remembering for anyone building on third-party content or APIs.
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