Parents' Guide to

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Violent sci-fi "greatest hits" bundle loaded with features.

Game Xbox One 2014
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 19 parent reviews

age 10+

Still amazing!

I remember playing the original game when it came out. Even now it’s great, I replayed the whole thing and it was just as fun as the first time. Little bit of blood. Almost no language. Some violence but only against aliens. I don’t know what CSM is talking about, the Master Chief is a positive role model. Since when is saving the world not positive?

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
5 people found this helpful.
age 14+

There are PG movies worse than this

Have no idea why this 18 when all other games (except 4 which is the tamest in the series; and that includes the T rated Halo 5) are rated lower.
3 people found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (19):
Kids say (127):

The remastered Halo games have never looked so good -- especially the older ones, which date back many years. Although the core play remains the same, the high-definition graphics, improved lighting, and faster, smoother frame rate will be the first thing gamers notice after booting up. As in previous remakes, such as 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, you can toggle between the new look and the old graphics. That said, the old games still don't hold a candle to today's, but developer 343 Industries did a great job. The sound effects and music have been redone, too, and they sound exceptional on Xbox One. Most importantly, the gameplay feels fresh and fun, whether you're playing against the artificial intelligence or tackling others online, using more than 100 multiplayer maps.

Be warned: You have to wait for a downloadable update to patch the collection, and it's more than 20 gigabytes. This is an unfortunate trend for many of today's Internet-connected consoles, and it's because of a "ship now and fix later" mentality. Matchmaking for multiplayer games will be another update, followed by Halo 4's cooperative "Spartan Ops" mode. If you can get past all this, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a "must-have" disc or download.

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate