How to watch the Halo Championship Series

Halo esports is back in a big way with Infinite.

Image via Microsoft/343 Studios

Halo Infinite is here and the Halo Championship Series isn’t far behind, bringing Halo esports back in a tremendous way for the 2021-2022 season.

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343 Studios is teaming up with the biggest names in tournament competition, such as FACEIT, ESL, DreamHack, and EsportsEngine to help relaunch the competitive Halo scene with the excellent new free-to-play multiplayer of Infinite.

Throughout the year, there will be eight in-person events across all four HCS regions (NA, EU, Mexico, Australia/New Zealand). The year of competition will culminate in October 2022 at the Halo World Championship with a massive $1 million prize pool.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2021-2022 season for the Halo Championship Series.

HCS 2021-2022 prizing

Image via 343 Industries
  • Majors: $250,000
  • Supers/Regionals:
    • NA: $125,000
    • EU: 100,000
    • ANZ/MX: $50,000
  • Halo World Championship: $1,000,000

HCS 2021-2022 schedule

Image via Microsoft/343 Studios
  • Nov. 20 to 21: NA Open Series
  • Nov. 27 to 28: NA Open Series
  • Dec. 1 to 2: NA Kickoff Qualifier
  • Dec. 2: Pool Play Roster Lock – Raleigh 2021
  • Dec. 13: Open Bracket Roster Lock – Raleigh 2021
  • Dec. 17 to 19: HCS Kickoff Major Raleigh 2021 (Split 1 begins)
  • Jan. 2: NA Open Series
  • Jan. 6: NA Pro Series
  • Jan. 9: NA Open Series
  • Jan. 13: NA Pro Series
  • Jan. 16: NA Open Series
  • Jan. 20: NA Pro Series
  • Jan. 23: NA Open Series
  • Jan. 27: NA Pro Series
  • Jan. 29 to 30: NA Regional Qualifier
  • Jan. 31: Roster Lock – Anaheim 2022
  • Feb. 11 to 13: NA Regional Championship @ DreamHack Anaheim 2022
  • Feb. 20: NA Open Series
  • Feb. 27: NA Open Series
  • March 13: NA Open Series
  • March 20: NA Open Series
  • April 1 to 3: NA Open Championship
  • April 11: Roster Lock – Kansas City 2022
  • April 29 to May 1: HCS Major Kansas City 2022 (Split 1 Finals)
  • May 2 to 22: Player Break
  • May 23: Split 2 begins
  • May 29: NA Open Series
  • June 2: NA Pro Series
  • June 5: NA Open Series
  • June 9: NA Pro Series
  • June 12: NA Open Series
  • June 16: NA Pro Series
  • June 19: NA Open Series
  • June 26: NA Open Series
  • July 10: NA Open Series
  • July 23 to 24: NA Super Qualifier
  • July 25: Roster Lock NA Super 2022
  • July 30 to 31: NA Super Open Bracket
  • Aug. 5 to 7: NA Super 2022
  • Aug. 14: NA Open Series
  • Aug. 21: NA Open Series
  • Aug. 26 to 28: NA Open Championship
  • Sept. 5: Roster Lock HCS Major Orlando 2022
  • Sept. 23 to 25: HCS Major Orlando 2022 (Split 2 Finals)
  • Oct. 20 to 23: Halo World Championship 2022

For the schedules for Europe, Mexico, and Australia/New Zealand, check out this Halo Waypoint post.

HCS maps and modes

Image via 343 Industries

Slayer

  • Live Fire
  • Recharge
  • Streets
  • Bazaar
  • Aquarius

Capture the Flag

  • Bazaar
  • Aquarius

Strongholds

  • Live Fire
  • Recharge
  • Streets

Oddball

  • Live Fire
  • Recharge
  • Streets

Map rotations for HCS series

Best-of-three

  • Game one: Objective
  • Game two: Slayer
  • Game three: Objective

Best-of-five

  • Game one: Objective
  • Game two: Slayer
  • Game three: Objective
  • Game four: Objective
  • Game five: Slayer

Best-of-seven

  • Game one: Objective
  • Game two: Slayer
  • Game three: Objective
  • Game four: Objective
  • Game five: Slayer
  • Game six: Objective
  • Game seven: Slayer

Online tournament platform: FaceIt

Image via 343 Studios

“In an effort to improve the online tournament experience for players, as well as expand on the opportunities that the Faceit platform enables, we will be integrating Faceit’s tournament APIs into Halo Infinite in the future which will allow for a more seamless tournament experience for players so they can focus on playing and competing,” 343 said. “When these features are implemented, Faceit will also be investing in and launching the FPL (Faceit Pro League) for Halo Infinite, in an effort to support the Halo community further and increase the depth of competition in the scene. There will be more to share on this later in 2022 but we are excited and grateful to have Faceit on the journey with us to make the Halo esports ecosystem a healthy one for years to come.”

International partners

Pro series points rankings

Screengrab via 343 Studios

Twitch drops

Image via 343 Studios

Fans who watch HCS events can earn Twitch drops by watching the events on Twitch and linking their accounts. The first set will be this Master Chief-inspired set during the HCS Kickoff Major from Dec. 17 to 19.

Where to watch Halo Championship Series

Image via 343 Industries

HCS esports store in Halo Infinite

Image via 343 Studios

HCS teams have their own skins in-game in the store in Halo Infinite. They’re available for 1,000 credits. Kits for Cloud9, eUnited, FaZe, Fnatic, Envy, Spacestation Gaming, Sentinels, Navi, and G2 can be found in the store today.

Author
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Scott Duwe
Senior Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to corgis Yogi and Mickey, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.