The free multiplayer experience that is part of Halo Infinite is now available, weeks ahead of the game’s full release, Xbox celebrates by dropping more than 70 games into the backwards compatible catalogue, and the battle is on between Battlefield 2042, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and Halo Infinite.

Halo Infinite multiplayer gets a surprise early release

On Monday, 343 Industries, the developers of Halo Infinite, announced the release of the multiplayer mode of the game.

It’s free to play on Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and is a part of the larger Halo Infinite game that will be released on December 8.

The multiplayer experience is being called a beta, but any time players put into the game now will carry over when Halo Infinite officially releases.

The November 15 surprise was significant because on that day, 20 years ago, the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, was released as a launch title for the original Xbox game console.

Xbox celebrates 20 years of awesome

In a 30-minute livestream on the internet Monday, Xbox celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of Microsoft’s first game console. On November 15, 2001, the Xbox was put into the hands of gamers who lined up at midnight events for their chance to see what the business solutions company could do for video games.

During the presentation, Xbox announced that more than 70 original Xbox and Xbox 360 games were being made playable on the Xbox Series X/S through backwards compatibility (and a number of them are part of the Game Pass subscription).

This includes the entire Max Payne and F.E.A.R. series, Advent Rising, and Red Dead Revolver.

While the games are old, they are getting visual improvements across the board, and the better your system and display, the better the bump.

Power On: The Story of Xbox is a six-part documentary series about the conception and development of the Xbox that releases on December 13.

You can watch the entire Xbox Anniversary Celebration here.

Battlefield 2042 releases Friday

Battlefield 2042, published by Electronic Arts, is now available for gamers with early access. The first-person shooter experience, available for PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, officially releases on Friday, November 19.

The game is multiplayer only; there’s no single-player narrative campaign. But that doesn’t mean there’s no story here. The game is built around the story of our near-future in which climate shifts have dramatically impacted the political landscape.

Up to 128 players can play on next-gen consoles and Windows computers in the Conquest sandbox. Other modes include Breakthrough, with two teams battling for supremacy, and Hazard Zone, which has four-person squads scrambling for collectibles scattered around a map in a race against the clock.

There’s also the Battlefield Portal which provides fans with the chance to build their own Battlefield experiences and play in those created by others. EA has prebuilt levels based on classic Battlefield games including Battlefield 1942 and Bad Company 2.