Former Dev Reveals Why Halo 5 Guardians Never Launched on PC

Released in 2015 on Xbox One, Halo 5 Guardians has yet to arrive in full on PC, only offering a limited Forge mode that didn’t win over fans. But why did Microsoft decide against a full Windows release?

Why Halo 5 Guardians Never Made It to PC

Tyler Owens, a former 343 Industries build engineer now at APEX Legends, shared insights into the canceled PC port. He explained that while there were initial plans to test the game on PC—including testing the rewards system on Xbox LIVE—the studio ultimately scrapped the idea due to technical difficulties during the porting phase.

I wish but it’s never going to happen imo. I think the port that was being considered ran into significant tech hurdles and was scrapped.

Owens admitted he doesn’t know the exact reason for the decision, but confirmed that complex technical issues played a significant role in halting the project.

In 2021, 343 Industries’ Community Director reiterated the lack of plans for a PC port despite high demand. “We know there’s some demand for it, but as we’ve stated before, not in the cards as the studio is fully focused on Infinite and MCC. Will never say never, but nothing underway currently,” the statement read.

Today, the chance of seeing Halo 5 Guardians on PC seems even less likely, especially as 343 Industries focuses on moving the Halo series to the Unreal Engine, making a return to older titles feel increasingly out of reach.