Halo Wars 2

 PC
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 157 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 157
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 157
  3. Negative: 49 out of 157
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Antioch
    Feb 19, 2017
    6
    Pc gamers looking to get this game has to realise that this is a very casual RTS compared to what they might have been used to on pc with games like f ex the Starcraft franchise.
    You will not have even close to the same control and ability to micromanagement either your units or base. Not that a more casual RTS is necessarily a bad thing, alot of people might be put of by games such as    Pc gamers looking to get this game has to realise that this is a very casual RTS compared to what they might have been used to on pc with games like f ex the Starcraft franchise.
    You will not have even close to the same control and ability to micromanagement either your units or base. Not that a more casual RTS is necessarily a bad thing, alot of people might be put of by games such as starcraft because it is more indepth and has a steeper learning curve.
    My main issues with Halo Wars 2 is not that it is more casual, it's because it puts so much frustration and idiotic obstacles in your way that sometimes it even requires more clicks to do simple stuff than in more indepth games.
    The UI is attrocious for pc and it has alot of controller diseases despite choosing m&k in the options menu. Speaking of optionsmenu... omg... it is an utter mess... I kid you not there are 15 tabs for keybinds with most of them not even making sense. Other options menues lags when you cycle through tabs and some tabs are even empty!
    Some hotkeys are worthless ingame, for instance you have to see your base to build stuff, and the hotkeys for building depends on where your buildings are placed. Wich makes them utterly useless because it is quicker to just click on the buildings.
    If you want to demolish a building a huge ass warning asking "are you sure" pops up on screen blocking your view. Console radial menues also plague this game, and they are huge blocking everything as they are selected.
    There is no attackmove either, your units do engage everything within range and give a short chase automatically and are generally smart enough in their targeting but half the time you try to micromanage they don't do what you want. Also their pathfinding is trash around 25% of the time.
    Also descriptions of various sort are missing so half the time you don't know what a level up does etc.
    You also have to bear in mind that there are microtransactions in the game, and not the good kind either.
    If you can stomach the horrendous UI and microtransactions there are alot of content in this package though. There are several online modes and a cardgametype mode (wich is where the microtransactions ruins this mode). And of course there is a campaign that so far offers pretty varied missions, it's not a starcraft lvl campaign but pretty good.
    Do note though that there is no crossplay between xbox one and pc and given this is a windows store exclusive (not the most popular store on pc) and there are alot of modes, so I'm worried multiplayer might turn out to be useless for pc gamers because it will be hard to find players after a while.
    Performancewise it runs okay on my i7 4770K, 16GB Ram and Titan Black (save for the lagging menues) but I did note that for a game that visually isn't anything amazing it hogs alot more resources than it should.
    To me the game is held back ALOT by the retarded console UI. If this is patched in the future for proper pc m&k control I would consider a higher score but as it is now, no, to many obstacles for such a simple casual RTS.    … Expand
  2. Hotrod192
    Feb 22, 2017
    7
    The campaign, while not as downright awful as Halo 5 (It would take a special kind of terrible to be worse than that game), is still mediocre at best. The story asks a few questions, but answers none. The plot is simple and somewhat unengaging, and the antagonists have about a minute of screentime and development. The Banished and their leader were described to us as being cunning andThe campaign, while not as downright awful as Halo 5 (It would take a special kind of terrible to be worse than that game), is still mediocre at best. The story asks a few questions, but answers none. The plot is simple and somewhat unengaging, and the antagonists have about a minute of screentime and development. The Banished and their leader were described to us as being cunning and ruthless, yet none of that is ever shown in the game.

    The gameplay is fun though, and I'm enjoying the variety that multiplayer has to offer. On that side of things, Halo Wars 2 really builds on what made the first game so great, and offers a solid experience. That being said, the PC port is very poor. The UI is clearly not optimized for a mouse and keyboard, and the controls don't work very well. Unlike many modern RTS games, Halo Wars 2 is clunky and not always obvious to play.

    If anything, this is the final nail in the coffin for me, and I think I'm done with the Halo franchise. While Creative Assembly are technically the developers here, 343 Industries was clearly calling the shots here with everything else. Once again, 343 Industries shows to us that they do not know how to handle Bungie's legacy, and are more interested in making a quick buck than to give fans a quality game. It's sad, Halo went from being my absolute favourite franchise to some low quality generic series that fails to stand out. Halo Wars 2 is just the latest victim of 343 Industries's incompetence.    … Expand
  3. Vasot
    Feb 17, 2017
    5
    With a heavy price tag, a relatively flat story with a short campaign and with console gameplay mechanics i can't really recommend this there are tons of better RTS in PC
  4. Mandulum
    Dec 14, 2017
    7
    Five Word Review: Simple though enjoyable Halo RTS.
    Favorite Thing: The outstanding cinematics. I'm looking at you Starcraft, you use to actually try.
    Least Favorite Thing: UWP? I can deal with it. Trivial base-building? Ugh but okay. A really short campaign with an unfinished story that may never see completion? I really don't like that. Date Completed: 2017-12-13 Playtime: ~5h    Five Word Review: Simple though enjoyable Halo RTS.
    Favorite Thing: The outstanding cinematics. I'm looking at you Starcraft, you use to actually try.
    Least Favorite Thing: UWP? I can deal with it. Trivial base-building? Ugh but okay. A really short campaign with an unfinished story that may never see completion? I really don't like that.

    Date Completed: 2017-12-13
    Playtime: ~5h
    Enjoyment: 7/10
    Recommendation: If it's on sale. It's just far too short for the full price.    … Expand
  5. destinyfan1
    Nov 5, 2017
    7
    An rts that almost saw light of the classics....

    positive + campaign not amazing but still very good + some nice rts elements + cool units + the halo feeling + story is good ( compared to today's rts games) negative - micromanagement - short campaign - bad ending best rts in months but not an rts like starcraft or c&q so if you like rts games or halo then its a good reason    An rts that almost saw light of the classics....

    positive

    + campaign not amazing but still very good
    + some nice rts elements
    + cool units
    + the halo feeling
    + story is good ( compared to today's rts games)
    negative
    - micromanagement
    - short campaign
    - bad ending
    best rts in months but not an rts like starcraft or c&q so if you like rts games or halo then its a good reason to open your wallet ( be warned for pretty short campaign )    … Expand
  6. LordTiger
    Apr 30, 2020
    6
    It may be too late to play this game, unfortunately not many play this game right now and most times u match up with high rank players also beside the regular multiplayer mode there is another mode called blitz which is worth trying. sadly campaign is too short but cinematics are not bad for a RTS game.
    halo wars 2 might possibly be the best RTS for consoles.
    this game is currently    It may be too late to play this game, unfortunately not many play this game right now and most times u match up with high rank players also beside the regular multiplayer mode there is another mode called blitz which is worth trying. sadly campaign is too short but cinematics are not bad for a RTS game.
    halo wars 2 might possibly be the best RTS for consoles.
    this game is currently available in xbox gamepass for both PC and Xbox.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed PC Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. PC PowerPlay
    Jun 8, 2017
    40
    Look, there is nothing wrong with Halo Wars 2... as a bonus game that comes free with Halo 6 or whatever. But as a premium, full-priced title? No. No, we deserve more than this. A franchise like Halo, with its rich fictional universe, its cool unit design, its super-clear mix of human and alien factions, deserves more than this.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Apr 5, 2017
    75
    Creative Assembly did their best to make Halo Wars 2 accessible without dumbing it down too much, but as it’s a console game at heart, some simplification to the RTS formula was inevitable. Apart from that the PC version is more than decent, as it features a different UI and the game’s pace was tweaked. Besides the single player campaign (13 really good missions) it offers a multiplayer mode, which unfortunately is tainted by a pay-to-win factor. [04/2017, p.70]
  3. Ragequit.gr
    Mar 27, 2017
    75
    Halo Wars 2 is a decent title for newcomers to the RTS genre, who will be the ones that will mostly enjoy the game, especially in the innovative and fast-paced Blitz mode.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »