You can’t preload Halo Infinite before it launches

Halo Infinite has no preload option, but you can make the install a bit smaller

Having the multiplayer beta downloaded will make things quicker

Watch out if you’re looking forward to playing Halo Infinite’s campaign tonight – you’ll need to install the game after it goes live. Unlike most other big games this year, Infinite has no preload option, so you won’t be able to have it downloaded and ready to go by the time it launches. Though, developers 343 Industries say you can make the download a little smaller by having the FPS’s multiplayer beta installed.

“While you can’t officially preload the Halo Infinite campaign (sorry!) you can get a head start by installing the MP package if you don’t have it yet and save a little time,” community director Brian Jarrad says.

The campaign launches today at 6pm GMT (10am PT), and you can download the multiplayer by itself, but you can’t download the campaign separately. Your options are multiplayer-only, or both, which is pretty annoying for folks who don’t fancy PvP. Though, as a slight workaround, getting the beta installed now gives you 20 GB of Halo in advance.

Here are the install sizes from Halo Support:

No existing Halo Infinite installation:

Multiplayer only: approximately 26.53 GB
Both multiplayer and campaign: approximately 48.42 GB

With Halo Infinite’s multiplayer beta already installed:

Multiplayer only: approximately 3.97 GB
Campaign installation: additional download of approximately 25.86 GB
Total of both downloads: approximately 29.83 GB total

343 add that these download sizes will vary by platform, so these numbers are more of a guide for what to expect. They don’t specify which platform these numbers are for either.

Man, we are so incredibly close to a new Halo campaign now, huh? In mere hours, we’ll get to see what Master Chief has been up to. For a quick taster, you could check out Brendy’s Halo Infinite review. He enjoyed it, saying “a rickety storyline can’t stop this from grappling back lapsed fans with its open world and nostalgic gunfights.”