Team Respawn Blog

Strategy
Halo Wars: Definitive Edition players often ask: does HW:DE have crossplay? Here's the truth about Steam, Xbox console, and Windows Store/Xbox App multiplayer lobbies — and why Play Anywhere doesn't mean shared matchmaking.

Spotlight
How Halo Wars was made: Ensemble Studios' gamepad RTS prototype, Bungie's reaction, the switch to locked base slots, the record-setting demo, and the road to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition and Halo Wars 2.

Retro
What happened to EarthSiege? How the Metaltech mech sim split into CyberStorm and Starsiege, why Tribes ended up as the famous cousin, and whether EarthSiege 2 still runs today.

Guides
Sergeant Johnson Halo Wars 2 beginner's guide: bunker openers, Digging In siphon turrets, the Mantis-into-Colossus mech ball, Mech Overcharge, and Digging in Deep economy.

Reviews
Halo Campaign Evolved impressions after co-op campaign play: Unreal visuals, prequel missions, skull editions, UI issues, and why Master Chief Collection is still the better buy at $50.

Guides
How cheating and hacking work in Halo Wars 2, the six detectors we run on match data, and how rare cheaters are: 99.43% of scanned matches are clean.

Guides
Complete Halo Wars: Definitive Edition unit reference — base DPS, supply cost, population, and upgrade counts for every UNSC and Covenant trainable unit.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,461 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Guides
Learn how to play as The Arbiter in Halo Wars 2.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 194 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved 343 Guilty Spark walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 9 tips for Flood first contact, swamp crash, Fog / That's Just... Wrong / They Come Back skulls, the Tangent II terminal, and shotgun gauntlet notes.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,179 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved Assault on the Control Room walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 8 tips for Scorpion push, Banshee flight, IWHBYD / Angry / Cowbell skulls, the Tangent I terminal, and control structure finale.

Guides
Learn how to play as Jerome in Halo Wars 2.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,018 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved The Silent Cartographer walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 7 tips for island beach landing, Warthog fights, Bandana / Arcophobia / Hip Fire skulls, the Status Update terminal, and Cartographer unlock.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,435 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Spotlight
Touring the Nutritious Edition mod for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition — Captain Born, new UNSC units, quality-of-life tweaks, and where to download it.

Spotlight
Touring the Leader Overhaul mod for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition — four new leaders, overhauled vanilla rosters, Grunt Rebellion gameplay, and where to download it.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved Truth and Reconciliation walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 6 tips for Covenant cruiser assault, stealth Elites, Iron / Endurance Spec / Foreign skulls, the Inquisitor terminal, and Keyes rescue.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,634 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Spotlight
Touring the All the Units mod for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition — the Super Fortress base, dozens of new UNSC units, custom tech, and where to download it.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved Halo walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 5 tips for ring arrival, Warthog sections, Give & Take / Grunt Funeral / Floor Is Lava skulls, the Forgotten terminal, and three-objective valley notes.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved The Pillar of Autumn walkthrough — Legendary co-op main-campaign opener tips for cryo-bay escape, Speed Limit / Magnified / Perspective skulls, the Approach terminal, four-player co-op, and remaster presentation notes.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,576 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved Heavy Burden walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 3 tips for gravity lifts, Seraph space combat, Eye Patch / Grunt Birthday Party / Efficient skulls, the Harmonious Clarity terminal, and closing the prequel arc.

Spotlight
Halo Wars 2 stats lookup (not Halo Wars 1): search any gamertag on Team Respawn for CSR rank tiers, MMR vs CSR, win-rate context, and HW1 vs HW2 disambiguation.

Stats and Analytics
Team Respawn analyzed 118 Atriox 1v1 Ranked openers in the first 2 minutes — double Harvester eco leads both popularity (74.6%) and win rate (59.1%).

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved Boarding Action walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 1 tips for Brute berserk, Gene Forge, Malfunction / Johnny Ammo Seed / Leadhead skulls, The Path terminal, and best weapons.

Walkthroughs
Halo Campaign Evolved The Most Dangerous Game walkthrough — Legendary co-op Mission 2 tips for outdoor arena fights, Temperamental / Recession / Ghost skulls, the Penitent Report terminal, floating platforms, and best weapons.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 community digest from Team Respawn stats lookups: 1,389 new players this week, Captain Cutter tops leader picks, and Team War leads tracked modes.

Stats and Analytics
Team Respawn’s July 2026 sample: 27,914 matches and 6,930 unique gamertags in 30 days — a lower-bound Halo Wars 2 player count, playlist breakdown, and why the game still looks healthy.

Stats and Analytics
HW2 stats week of July 6, 2026: 1,630 new players, 3,317 Team War matches — Captain Cutter tops leaders, Bedrock leads maps in Team Respawn's weekly digest.

Stats and Analytics
HW2 stats week of June 29, 2026: 1,602 new players, 3,286 Team War matches — Captain Cutter and Bedrock lead Team Respawn's weekly Halo Wars 2 digest.

Stats and Analytics
HW2 stats week of June 22, 2026: 913 new players, 2,627 Team War matches — a quieter week with Captain Cutter still on top in Team Respawn's digest.

Stats and Analytics
HW2 stats week of June 15, 2026: 1,784 new players, 3,144 Team War matches — Captain Cutter and Bedrock dominate Team Respawn's weekly HW2 report.

Stats and Analytics
HW2 stats week of June 8, 2026: 1,187 new players, 2,768 Team War matches — Captain Cutter tops leaders on Sentry week in Team Respawn's digest.

Walkthroughs
A relaxed solo playthrough of A Short Hike — a peaceful open-world exploration game about climbing Hawk Peak to make a phone call.

Stats and Analytics
Weekly Halo Wars 2 digest from Team Respawn lookups: ranked and mode breakdowns, top leaders and maps, campaign tracking, and community search trends.

Spotlight
A peer-reviewed-style field study of super turtle equilibrium on Sentry and Badlands, the Team Respawn dominance coefficient, and five-hour match evidence.

Spotlight
R.U.S.E. is back on Steam via Eugen Systems. Notes from the tutorial mission: tabletop zoom, chip stacks, supply depots, ambush terrain, Ruses, and why the 2026 PC re-release still feels special.

Spotlight
Written companion to the video: Xbox Player Voice, why HW2 matchmaking still works, the Steam plus cross-play ask, crash and balance hopes, old Steam depot activity as speculation, and how voting can help.

Retro
What happened to Medal of Honor? Spielberg’s WWII FPS through EA LA, the 2010 reboot, Warfighter’s failure, VR Above and Beyond, and where to play the series today.

Spotlight
Notes from the first campaign mission on PC (medium): third-person pacing, subsonic ammo, traversal, traps, Fleck cannons, dam objectives, and classic Sniper Elite kill-cam feedback.

Spotlight
Companion notes to the video: Red Team’s role and lore, Forge’s arc and sacrifice, Anders and Cutter, Serina’s six years alone and rampancy—and why the Spirit of Fire crew stops a Covenant Forerunner gambit decades before Halo CE.

Retro
What happened to Crackdown? Halo 3 beta bundle, free on Xbox today, Crackdown 2 and 3’s cloud-destruction pivot, Game Pass, and whether Crackdown 4 could return.

Guides
Install the C&C Online launcher, use Hook to enable your game, launch from Origin or Steam, then sign in and host a Custom Match lobby for multiplayer.

Guides
Age of Mythology Retold relic guide: how relics differ from other Age games, scouting and prioritizing them, and console UI tips for new players.

Retro
Blur on Xbox 360 and PS3: Bizarre Creations’ combat arcade racer, power-ups, no backward compatibility, why there was no sequel, and whether it holds up in 2026.

Retro
Call of Duty Roads to Victory on PSP: WWII shooter with one-stick movement and face-button aiming, three campaigns, and months before Modern Warfare changed CoD.

Spotlight
PlayStation trophies versus Xbox achievements: tiers, Platinums, DLC lists, profile levels — and why raw Gamerscore often fails to tell a story.

Retro
Why RollerCoaster Tycoon (1999) became a late-90s PC classic: Chris Sawyer's one-developer craft, sandbox theme-park management, OpenRCT2 and RCT3, and the legacy in Planet Coaster and Parkitect.

Spotlight
Why Halo Wars 1 (2009) is still the gold standard for console RTS: Ensemble Studios controller design, paint-brush selection, locked base slots, and iconic maps.

Retro
What happened to Army of Two? EA’s co-op shooter trilogy, the aggro system, backwards compatibility on Xbox, why co-op is hard today, and remaster hopes.

Reviews
First impressions of the Ashes of the Singularity 2 demo — a large-scale RTS that blends Command & Conquer, Company of Heroes, and Halo Wars.

Walkthroughs
Heroic co-op Operation Spearbreaker DLC walkthrough for Halo Wars 2: Gatecrashers and Not on My Watch — ODST squad tips, Johnson leader powers, beam dodging, and timed finale strategies.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Watch the complete campaign run.

Walkthroughs
Full Goblin Commander: Unleash the Horde (2003) campaign walkthrough — PS2/Xbox/GameCube clan mechanics, Titan tips, and act-by-act mission notes with video.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of Halo 2 Anniversary. Watch the complete campaign run.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of Halo 3 ODST. Watch the complete campaign run.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of Halo 3. Watch the complete campaign run.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of Halo 4. Watch the complete campaign run.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary. Watch the complete campaign run.

Walkthroughs
Andy and Gus tackle the full Halo Infinite campaign on Legendary in co-op — completing the Storehaus run through mainline Halo (except Halo 5), ~8.5 hours, linear missions plus Zeta Halo sandbox, and mixed verdicts on campaign vs. open world.

Walkthroughs
Legendary co-op playthrough of Halo Reach in MCC—mission-by-mission notes from Andy and Gus, plus overall campaign takeaways.

Walkthroughs
A full walkthrough of the Halo Wars 2 campaign. Watch the complete run.

Walkthroughs
Halo Wars Definitive Edition co-op Legendary walkthrough: mission-by-mission tips, skull and black box locations, unit priorities, and base defense.

Reviews
After 1,000+ hours in Halo Wars 2: is this console RTS worth buying in 2026? Pros, cons, matchmaking health, and whether it still holds up five years on.

Reviews
2026 Halo Wars 2 leader tier list: Atriox, Colony, and Johnson top S-tier while Yap Yap and Isabel sit lower — every leader ranked with playstyle notes.

Reviews
Halo Wars 2 map tier list for 2026: Sentry and Badlands lead S-tier while Fort Jordan sinks to F — Blitz and Terminus Firefight maps included.

Reviews
A comprehensive review of Terminus Firefight mode in Halo Wars 2. Discover the strategic depth, leader synergies, and what makes this mode worth playing.

Reviews
Top 10 UNSC leader powers in Halo Wars 2: Johnson's Bunker, Jerome's Victory Mine, and Ghost in the Machine lead — a subjective active-power ranking for team play.

Guides
Find every Halo Wars 2 skull location, unlock condition, and effect in this campaign guide — all 15 skulls with mission-by-mission strategies.

Guides
Best Terminus Firefight leaders in Halo Wars 2: Johnson, Pavium, and Anders top the list — 3v3 combos, survival strategies, and wave-clearing builds.

Reviews
Top 10 Banished leader powers in Halo Wars 2: Voridus's Cataclysm, Grunt Dome, and Combat Spoils lead — a subjective active-power ranking for team play.

Guides
New to Halo Wars 2? Learn the basics with these ten essential tips to get you started on the battlefield!

Guides
Ten beginner tips for Age of Empires IV on PC or Xbox: villagers, aging up, army timing, and map awareness — quick video guide for your first ranked or skirmish games.

Guides
This is a Halo Wars 2 tutorial I put together on advanced movement: chaining orders, hold position, control groups, splitting when a beam (or similar power) hits, and squeezing information out of fog of war.

Guides
A guide for the Atlantean civilization in Age of Mythology.

Guides
Egyptians AoM Retold guide: pharaoh economy, monument favor, priest mechanics, barracks-to-stronghold military scaling, and beginner build orders on Xbox.

Guides
Beginner walkthrough for Greeks in Age of Mythology Retold on Xbox/controller: economy, temple and aging, defense, myth units, trade, and Titans—controller shortcuts where they matter.

Guides
Learn how to break the super turtle in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
AoE II villager efficiency guide for Xbox: shorter lumber and farm walks, mill placement, fish traps, and military production habits for console players.

Guides
Learn how to play as Atriox in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Captain Cutter in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Colony in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Kinsano in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Pavium in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Sgt. Forge in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as The Banished in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as UNSC in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Voridus in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to play as Yap Yap in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Learn how to stop air spam in Halo Wars 2.

Guides
Beginner's guide to Age of Empires IV Nomad Megarandom: TC placement, defendable corners, English villager fights, sacred sites, relocation, and team play on PC and Xbox.

Guides
Villagers, aging up, when to add military, proxy and castle drops, starter counters, and trading — a beginner loop for Age of Empires II from Jimbo, Gus, and Andy.

Guides
A short, dense skill guide for Age of Mythology: Retold—economy, relics, military production, water, civ adaptation, trade, TCs, upgrades, scouting, and learning habits.

Guides
PS5 beginner guide for Age of Mythology: Retold — DualSense controls, economy basics, god powers, and first-match habits for players new to console RTS.

Guides
Beginner tips for Age of Mythology: Retold on Xbox — controller basics, economy, aging, and defense so new players can survive their first skirmishes.

Guides
Xbox defensive guide for Age of Mythology: Retold — Century towers, Hades Sentinel, walls vs chokepoints, and when to invest in gold-heavy fortifications.

Guides
Why Arcadia City is the hardest Halo Wars mission: cargo ships win (not civilians), dual-site defense, Hornets, Forge Hog, and Heal and Repair tips.

Guides
Scarab mission tips for Halo Wars (original): pylons, Scorpions and Wolverines, Forge and MAC, reading the beam, and closing on the core.

Guides
Follow-up to basic movement for AoE2 DE on Xbox: chaining villager orders, control groups and production buildings, the Find menu, forward proxy bases, flares, and fast minimap camera moves.

Guides
Walkthrough-style breakdown of getting moving in Age of Empires II: DE on Xbox: villagers, priority presets, early resources, aging up, and controller basics (radial menus, attack move, rally points).

Guides
A comprehensive guide for new players to the world of Age of Empires IV, covering civilizations, resources, and combat. This guide is for the Xbox version of the game.

Guides
Xbox controller guide for Age of Empires IV: camera, villager commands, control groups, and UI shortcuts so console players can compete without a mouse and keyboard.

Guides
Anders Halo Wars 2 guide: Sentinel spam, Protector upgrades, siege Sentinels, and R&D cost reductions for high-risk base-breaking play.

Guides
Halo Wars 2 super turtle guide: best maps (Sentry, Badlands), top leaders like Pavium and Johnson, build orders, and defensive strategies for 2v2.