Following the release of Season Five: Reckoning and the highly anticipated Forge update, there has been a significant increase in players for Halo Infinite.

According to IGN, the first-person shooter developed by 343 Industries has experienced a surge in players on Steam after the launch of Season Five on October 17. SteamDB statistics reveal that the game’s concurrent player count rose to over 18,000, the highest peak since the release of Season Two: Lone Wolves 17 months ago. This boost in popularity comes after months of a steady player count of around 7,000.

The Power of Season Five

The release of Season Five is not the only factor contributing to Halo Infinite’s renewed popularity. 343 Industries also introduced exciting updates to the Forge toolkit, an essential feature that allows players to utilize the game’s sandbox for map editing and custom game modes.

With the latest patch, players can now utilize NPCs from the main campaign, including UNSC, Banished, and Forerunner units, to populate the maps and create unique PvE experiences.

The response from players has been overwhelming, with some taking the Forge update to new heights by recreating other games within the Halo Infinite sandbox. The results are truly impressive, as showcased by GamesRadar+.

The Creativity Unleashed by Forge Update

A Twitter user named DanTheBloke demonstrated their latest creation, a Pokémon battle arena featuring NPC fighters on each side. The NPCs have their own hybrid Poké Balls containing aliens, complete with health bars. The center of the arena even features the iconic Pokémon logo on the grass.

Meanwhile, a Reddit user recreated the final mission from Halo: Combat Evolved, and another user on Resetera turned the first-person shooter into a MOBA-style game. Remarkably, the latter user accomplished this feat with no prior experience in Forge coding, completing the build in just 90 minutes.

Success of Season Five: Reckoning

Undoubtedly, Season Five: Reckoning has been a resounding success so far. The latest updates to the Forge toolkit have made the sandbox feature accessible even to newcomers, allowing them to unleash their creativity.

If you’re new to the Halo series, check out our ranked list of the best Halo games. And if you’re in the mood for something different, we’ve also compiled a selection of the best FPS games and the top PC games available to play in 2023.