Halo developer 343 Industries has revealed that anyone who pre-orders the digital version of Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition will get access to the remastered Halo Wars: Definitive Edition this month. Early access to the revamped version of the first game in the series will be available starting December 20 for Xbox One and PC, allowing fans to relive the original ahead of Halo Wars 2's release.
In order to start playing along on December 20, there are some steps you'll have to take, however. From Xbox Wire:
- Pre-order the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, which includes the standard game, Season Pass, four-day early access to Halo Wars 2 and Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
- Once you pre-order the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, expect to receive a 5×5 code in your Xbox message center for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition starting on Dec. 20. Codes will be sent out in waves and it may take up to 7-10 days to receive your code after Dec. 20.
- If you pre-ordered the digital version of Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition from a participating retailer, redeem that code from your Xbox account and your Halo Wars: Definitive Edition code will be sent to that account. Similarly, it may take up to 7-10 days to receive your code after Dec. 20.
Given Halo Wars was originally released in 2009, this is a great opportunity for those looking forward to the sequel to catch up on the series ahead of time. If you want to check out Halo Wars: Definitive Edition on December 20, you can pre-order Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition digitally now. As for Halo Wars 2 itself, it will see a release on February 21, 2017.
