The majority of first-party games released on Xbox One this generation have been console exclusives, meaning they also arrive to PC. Only a handful of Xbox One games are true exclusives, but 343 Industries’ ambitious Halo 5: Guardians is one of them. That could change soon, however, if the game’s new box art is any indication.
Head to Amazon right now, and you’ll notice that the Halo 5: Guardians cover has been tweaked. It still includes the same image of Spartan Locke and Master Chief, but instead of saying “Only on Xbox One” at the top, it now says “Xbox One Console Exclusive.”
Twitter user AllGamesDelta pointed out the change over the weekend, noting how Xbox One games that also released on PC, such as Quantum Break, have sported this banner.
New Halo 5 boxart hints at incoming PC release https://t.co/W0XQGKxWVr pic.twitter.com/98fbidOaRs
— AllGamesDelta (@AllGamesDelta_) September 9, 2018
The box art also specifies that the game supports 4K resolution on Xbox One X, added in an update when the console launched last year. Halo: The Master Chief Collection has also received considerable updates — including a major one earlier this year — but it doesn’t appear to have had its box changed like Halo 5.
A few months ago, an error on the Microsoft website made it appear that Halo 5 was coming to PC, with 343 Industries’ Frank O’Connor saying it wasn’t actively being worked on. The box art situation could be similar, but with Microsoft planning to release the upcoming Halo: Infinite on PC in addition to Xbox One, we wouldn’t be surprised if its predecessor finally makes the jump, as well. A limited version of the game’s Forge mode is available on PC, and it actually does let users play around with the combat.
If Halo 5 were to come to PC, it would only leave a tiny number of games as true Xbox One exclusives. These include the excellent Sunset Overdrive, as well as the racing game Forza Motorsport 5 and the compilation Rare Replay. All current Microsoft-published games have released as part of “Xbox Play Anywhere,” giving users the opportunity to play on either system with just one purchase, as well as transfer their save data back and forth and compete with users on the other platform. It has helped to keep communities alive in games like Sea of Thieves, where players can team up and form parties even if they are not all on the same system.
