Halo 2, released on November 9, 2004, for the Microsoft Xbox, is a landmark first-person shooter (FPS) by Bungie, published by Microsoft Game Studios. The sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, it sold 8.46 million units globally, earning critical acclaim (Metacritic: 95/100) for its gripping campaign and revolutionary Xbox Live multiplayer. Set in 2552, players control Master Chief and the Arbiter, battling the Covenant and Flood across Earth and Delta Halo. X posts in 2025 laud its iconic multiplayer maps like Zanzibar and its soundtrack by Martin O’Donnell.