Halo Infinite continues to make great strides in its multiplayer offerings. Further implementation of Forge has added much needed variety to matchmaking, and the new maps and mode variations are of good quality. The addition of new sandbox items (the bandit rifle and the shroud screen) are welcomed, if not particularly impactful. Season 3 of Infinite finally delivers on the promise of what the game should have always been achieving as a live service product: featuring appropriately timed playlist updates, a good cycling of content, weekly store refreshes, and a steady cadence of free events. Custom game browsing and sharing of custom games have also injected newfound life into Halo Infinite.

However, Season 3 misses the mark in terms of its technical impacts on the game. I have experienced more bugs and technical difficulties in Season 3 than I have at any point since the game's initial launch. Old obnoxious bugs persist, such as the player's AI being reset to BUTLR. However, other more problematic bugs have become more prominent. The most egregious offense, for me, is the frequent, random resetting of controller settings. Multiplayer cinematics play nearly every time one launches the game, and Series X consoles have had a harder time hitting 120 fps consistently since the new season launched.

Overall, Season 3 provides good content and represents a positive direction for the game's Live Service. However, 343i still needs to keep it clean going forward - bugs that greatly diminish QoL must be quashed early, and old promises still need to be delivered on… there has been no mention from 343i on the promised Cross-Core customization, players still await a career progression system, and notable game modes like "Griffball," "Assault," and "Infection" remain absent.