List of outside references to the Halo series

This following is a list of references to the Halo series made by notable sources outside the series itself.

30 Rock
Halo is frequently mentioned often in the show. Liz Lemon's boyfriend, Dennis Duffy, is seen playing Halo. Tracy Jordan is also seen playing Halo many times throughout the show. During a discussion about playing Halo, he says that "I love Halo. I love it so much, I want to take it behind the school yard and make it pregnant!".

American Dad!
In the tenth season episode "I Ain't No Holodeck Boy", Stan and Steve Smith enter a virtual environment and Steve is subsequently equipped with body armor which is clearly inspired by both MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor and the UNSC Marine BDU. Steve is then armed with a rifle, the icon for which is identical to an MA5 series assault rifle.

Castle

 * In the third season episode "Last Call", Castle (Nathan Fillion - Reynolds & Edward Buck) and Beckett interview a internet millionaire at his apartment. In the background several guests are playing Halo: Reach. The screen is briefly viewed, and in-game sound effects can be heard throughout the scene. Careful listeners can discern the sounds of armor lock, M9 frag grenades, MA37 assault rifles, M395 DMRs and Type-52 focus rifles.
 * In the sixth-season opener, "Valkyrie", Detective Esposito (Jon Huertas - Trooper 1 in Halo: Reach) hassles Castle for being away, saying he's missed "three Halo nights."

Cavemen

 * Episode six starts with Andy playing Halo 3. The on-screen gameplay is inconsistent, jumping from High Ground to campaign co-op from shot to shot.
 * Additionally, he shouts "Die, Tartarus!", a character from Halo 2, while fighting Grunts.

Chuck

 * In the episode "Chuck Versus the Wookiee", Chuck plays Halo 3, specifically Oddball on Snowbound.
 * A Halo 3 Legendary Edition helmet can be seen in Chuck's bedroom in the episode "Chuck Versus the Ring". In subsequent seasons, the helmet can be seen in Chuck and Morgan's apartment.
 * In the episode "Chuck Versus the Coup d'Etat", Chuck tells Sarah that Morgan requires at least five hours of his time every week for Halo purposes.
 * In the episode "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock" Morgan's girlfriend tells him, "Have fun playing Halo for the rest of your life," when she breaks up with him.
 * The web-based miniseries "Buy Hard: The Jeff and Lester Story" focuses on the titular characters' quest to obtain a copy of Halo: Reach while on the run from the law.

Code Monkeys
In the episode "Valley of the Silicon Dolls", plasma grenades are shown on a wall of Mr. Larrity's office, along with other weapons.

Community
In the episode "Contemporary Impressionists", the study group is forced to work at a bar mitzvah with a Hollywood awards show theme. One of the awards given to the boy is for "Best Halo Score".

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
In the 17th episode of the ninth season, while a group of investigators walk past an ambulance to a shoot-out scene, one person remarks it's "like Halo 3".

Dexter

 * In the third season episode Go Your Own Way, while camping out in Miguel's office, Dexter entertains himself playing Halo 3. This is a joke where he narrates about setting up to kill people, something we imagine he's preparing for Miguel, but it turns out to be a game. Oddly, the game is played on the computer, which while not impossible, is unlikely to have been set up in such a way as the game itself has no computer port. In addition the sound effects are different. Oddly enough the stats were actually recorded on Bungie.net. The game was played Rat's Nest, with Dexter playing as someone called Badpunisher33, against someone called nmagoose.


 * In the fifth season episode First Blood, Detective Debra Morgan and Office Cira Manzon stop their vehicle by a wall containing numerous posters, many featuring the cover art for Halo 3: ODST. Later, it's found that underneath some of these posters are signs relating to the Venezuelan gang.

Doctor Who
The two consecutive 2009 specials of Doctor Who make several nods to Halo.
 * The primary setting of the episode Planet of the Dead is an alien planet called San Helios, which, like Sanghelios in Halo, is part of a triple star system.
 * The following episode, The Waters of Mars, features a highly infectious alien virus called "the Flood". The parasite is suggested to be highly intelligent and results in gruesome physical transformations. Unlike its Halo counterpart, however, it transmits itself through water, from which it supposedly gets it name.
 * In The Waters of Wars, a human settler on Mars conjectures that the Philippines would likely be the next country to colonize Mars. Perhaps coincidentally, several locations on Mars in the Halo universe are named after places in the Philippines.

Glee

 * In an episode, Finn has a flashback of him playing Halo 3, and states that can he barely finish level one, Sierra 117.
 * In another, Artie claims to have been "playing a marathon round of Halo" all summer.

Drawn Together
One of the main characters, Captain Hero, in a scene is seen wielding in one hand an assault rifle resembling a M-16, while in the other he wields a Needler.

House of Lies
In "Amsterdam", Marty and Roscoe play Halo: Reach at the end. A four-person split screen is mistakenly shown when there are only two playing.

King of the Hill
In an episode Bobby has the choice to take "Virtual P.E." Hank, his father, walks into the Virtual P.E. room and finds the school principal playing a video game. The game appears to resemble very closely to Halo. The footage shows a "scoped" magnum shooting at creatures vaguely resembling Grunts. The HUD also looks very similar to the Halo 2 HUD.

Knight Rider
In several episodes of Knight Rider, it shows the main characters playing the first mission in the campaign on Halo 3. Although it shows them playing, the sound effects are incorrect and mostly generic.

NCIS
In "Red Cell", (S2E43), Tony DiNozzo and Tim McGee are searching through a Marine sergeant's room. Next to his laptop is a copy of Halo: Combat Evolved for PC.

MAD TV
Shortly before the release of Halo 3, the show featured a sketch about the Master Chief having a date.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the episode "The Writing on the Wall", Leo Fitz and Alphonso Mackenzie are seen playing Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a multiplayer game in Bloodline. On season 3, episode 3 Mack is seen playing Warzone on the Halo 5: Guardians map Escape from A.R.C.

One Tree Hill
Two times during the shows 6'th season Millie and Lucas respectively plays some Halo campaign. The Gameplay is from the Halo 3 Level "The Storm."

Parks and Recreation
In the episode "Camping", Tom Haverford plays Halo: Reach in his tent filled with luxury electronic items.

Psych
In the episode "Not Even Close... Encounters" a poster for Halo 3: ODST is shown as well as the Halo Reach Multiplayer Beta. The characters are playing Split screen on Powerhouse and the Loadout choices are seen.

Robot Chicken

 * One episode features a short skit of three Spartans going into the Donkey Kong game where they kill Mario and Donkey Kong and rescue Princess Peach.
 * Another sketch makes fun of John-117's hidden physical traits within the game. The sketch begins with a squad of marines preparing to fight the Covenant. John-117 briefs them on their mission and mentions that they have his support, but they cannot see his face and physical features. As soon as they begin to fight with the Covenant, John encounters Sergeant John Forge, who has been mortally wounded. As Forge claims that he is dying, John immediately states that he cannot show his physical features as a dying request. Later, John encounters Sergeant Johnson. Johnson is aggravated by John's poor combat performance, lack of a weapon, and the fact that he cannot understand any of John's use of facial expressions. John then asks if he can trade his Needler for Johnson's shotgun. Johnson misinterprets this as insult against him.
 * One sketch features Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters dressed up as Ghostbusters. Their dematerializer's are Assault Rifles connected to back backs.

Scrubs
In the second episode of season seven, Turk and Carla are attempting to complete a video game at the hospital. Carla refers to Warthogs and Jackals while playing, but when the screen is shown, it is clearly not Halo. In fact, it is Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. You can clearly see for a few seconds when Carla pauses the game, the logo of one of the factions along side the avatar on the right.

South Park
In the first episode of season twenty-one, when a bunch of red-necks are protesting about computers taking jobs, a man dressed in armor that looks like Mark VI MOD can be seen protesting among them.

Southland
In the fifth episode of season three titled "The Winds," John Cooper finds an abandoned boy and takes him back to the police station. There, the boy can be seen playing Halo: Reach by himself and later John joins him in a one on one split-screen match.

Stargate Universe
During the 10th episode of the second season (Resurgence), Eli Wallace mentions Halo when he complains about the premise of the film The Last Starfighter, saying all those hours playing Halo did not prepare him for being stranded on an alien space ship on the far side of the universe.

Supernatural
In the episode "Swap Meat", Gary in Sam's body enjoys wielding a shotgun and says, "Booyah! Master Chief is in the house bizatches!"

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
During the 8th episode of the first season, some kids can be seen playing Halo 3. At the beginning of the next episode, a guy can be seen playing Halo 3 also.

The Big Bang Theory

 * As revealed in the first season episode The Dumpling Paradox and frequently referenced in subsequent episodes, the nerds have a Halo 3 match every Wednesday night. Aside from the MJOLNIR shield depletion and recharge sounds, all the sound effects are very generic and are not from the game.
 * Leonard, trying to romance Penny, suggests that they play at a Halo competition together. She declines, saying that "...unlike him, she has a life".
 * Later, when Leonard mentions that the nerds are going to play Halo, Sheldon corrects him, stating, "No. We're going to play Halo 3 ." Sheldon then lists the improvements Halo 3 makes upon its predecessors.
 * Penny continuously kills Sheldon immediately after he spawns, prompting him to criticize her lack of regard for basic multiplayer etiquette. While doing so, she mentions blowing Sheldon's head off and watching it "fly away"; such dismemberment is not present in the game, aside from the Flood. Near the end of the episode, Penny exclaims that she needs a health pack; at the time the episode aired, Halo: Combat Evolved was the only game in the series to feature health packs.
 * During the episode, Sheldon states, "Halo 3 is better than sex."
 * At the end of the episode, Sheldon is stuck by a plasma grenade. Howard yells, "He's cloaking!" and "He's charging his plasma rifle!", the latter of which is not possible.
 * At the end of the episode Penny returns to the apartment with three friends, declaring that they came back to have sex with the nerds. The nerds are so engrossed in their Halo match that they fail to notice.
 * In the first season episode The Peanut Reaction Leonard is engaged in "the Halo match of his life" against a bubble-boy who does nothing but play Halo. Wolowitz is only able to pull him away by faking a life-threatening allergic reaction.
 * Throughout the second and subsequent seasons, the Halo 3 Legendary Edition replica of the MJOLNIR Mark VI helmet can be seen in the background in Sheldon and Leonard's living room.
 * In the third season episode The Bozeman Reaction after their apartment is robbed, Sheldon notes that the thieves took their copies of "Halo 1, Halo 2, [and] Halo 3." Interestingly, he does not refer the first game by its proper title, Halo: Combat Evolved, (calling it "Halo 1"), which does not seem to suit his character, though he subsequently identifies several games by their full titles.
 * In the season six episode The Tangible Affection Proof, Howard can be seen wearing a ship emblem belt buckle.

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

 * On the Billy and Mandy Christmas Special there's a shelf in a store with video game boxes entitled, "Hello #2" as a spoofed version of "Halo 2". The boxes also had crude doodles of Master Chief on them with a grin on his face as he waves.
 * In the Billy and Mandy special, "UnderFist", Hoss Delgado is seen with an Energy Sword attached to a robotic arm during the credits.

The Sarah Silverman Program

 * In one episode, Brian Posehn's character is playing Halo 2 on Xbox Live (despite the fact that the television displays campaign mode, while cooperative play was not available on Xbox LIVE in Halo 2).
 * In an episode where they have a video game party, Brian's character states that he brought over Halo 3.

The Simpsons

 * In the episode "Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh", Homer Simpson is seen playing a Game parodying Halo ' s Multiplayer. He then proceeds to teabag a player he had killed.
 * In the Halloween special "Treehouse of Horror XX", Master Chief is seen as a Halloween costume worn by Jimbo Jones in the opening of the episode.
 * In the episode "The Food Wife" Homer takes Bart and Lisa to the "E4" video game convention which features a statue of Master Chief alongside a Big Daddy from Bioshock and John Madden. In a pan of the convention floor there is a booth labeled "JAL 3" in the signature Halo font.

Two and A Half Men

 * In the second episode of the first season "Big Flapping Bastards", near the end Charlie buys Jake an Xbox and behind them is a Halo: Combat Evolved cardboard cut-out with Master Chief holding an Assault Rifle.
 * In the later episodes, a Halo 3 Legendary edition replica of the MJOLNIR Mark VI helmet can be seen in Jake's room.

Veronica Mars

 * The eighteenth episode of the second season, "I Am God", contains a flashback in which Logan scornfully suggests that Lucky and Dick plan to spend their time smoking pot and playing Halo. Lucky informs him that the plan is to prank back their rival high school. Dick then asks if afterward they plan to smoke pot and play Halo. Lucky ignores him.
 * A deleted scene from the third episode of season one, "Meet John Smith", has Wallace telling Veronica that he's playing Halo as he chats with her on the phone.

We Are Men
In the series pilot two characters are seen playing Halo 3 multiplayer. Stuart (Jerry O'Connell) asks Frank (Tony Shalhoub) how he got so good at the game, to which Frank replies that it is a result of his dating younger women with whom he has nothing to talk about.

#IDARB
The game has a pre-made Halo team consisting of character sprites for Mister Chief, John-117, a Blue Spartan, a Red Spartan, a Cobalt Spartan, Catherine Halsey, a Grunt Minor, and Hamish Beamish. The sprites were "hand made" by Frank O'Connor.

Bayonetta
The game uses "halos" as currency. One of Rodin's lines when the player enters his shop: "You bring me enough of these halos and maybe I can buy a ticket to space. Always wanted to be a bald space marine."

Borderlands
One of the control schemes is called "Angelic" and mimics Halo controls.

Brute Force

 * A weapon called the RVG50 Minigun has the same crosshair as the Assault Rifle (and in Halo 2, 3, and ODST, the SMG).


 * The game's two Sniper Rifles, the L-Shot 50 and L-Shot 75, have the same crosshair and scope screen as the Sniper Rifle as well.

Conker's Bad Fur Day
There was originally going to be a magazine called "Drudge" that featured John-117 on the cover, but it was removed before the final game was released.

Counter Strike: Global Offensive

 * On November 26, 2019, a "Halo Sticker Capsule" with several Halo themed weapon stickers (such as Mister Chief, John-117's Mark VI [GEN 2] helmet, and NOBLE Team's insignia) was made available for purchase in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The stickers held secrets when scratched off.
 * Also starting on November 26, 2019, the "Master Chief Collection Music Kit" was added for players who played Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Steam for 5 hours. The music kit replaces the default Counter-Strike: Global Offensive music with Halo music from the games including but not limited to:
 * Earth City
 * Ghosts of Reach
 * Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix
 * Rock Anthem for Saving the World
 * Peril
 * Prologue

Criminal Case
In "Pacific Bay" (Season 2) Case 56 "A Killer Among Us", the player can unlock a biohazard helmet which appears to be a modified version of Halo 3 ' s Mark V.

Crysis 3
The downloadable content The Lost Island adds a new weapon, a Gravity Hammer that works similarly to the one featured in Halo.

Dead or Alive 4
After beating every other character's Story Mode, players unlock Nicole-458 and the Nassau Station level.

Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon

 * During a mission, Crypto and Pox begin to discuss good ideas for video games. Crypto suggests three ideas for some successful video games. His first and second idea have the same premise as the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog games. His final idea involves a "futuristic space marine" surviving the dangers of a "ring shaped world". This is both a reference to John 117 and "Halo: Combat Evolved".
 * While fighting soldiers there is a chance that Crypto will state, "Maybe you boys should have brought the Master Chief along."

Dragon Fable
A helmet named "Arbitrator's Helm" that closely resembles the helmet of the Arbiter body armor can be obtained. Its in-game description state that it was "worn by alien warlords".

Duke Nukem Forever
Early in Duke Nukem Forever, Duke is offered some green power armor to use when taking on the alien menace in downtown Las Vegas. Duke dismisses power armor as something for "pussies". The chest piece of the armor is the Mark VI chest while the helmet looks like a cross between the early version of the Mark IV and the Mark VI, and has the Duke's "insignia" (a radiation hazard symbol) engraved on the visor.

Emily is Away Too
In the fifth and last chapter of the game, taking place in Summer 2007, there's a banner of Halo 3 advertising the game.

Fable II

 * In Fable II the Collector's Edition came with a code to redeem on the Xbox Live Marketplace that gives access to a set of Mark VI MJOLNIR armor and an energy sword. The armor is called Hal's Armor and the Energy Sword Hal's Sword. It also comes with a 5 star title "Master Chief" available for free from the town crier.
 * Downloading the Knothole Island DLC gives the player an opportunity to unlock a weapon called Hal's Rifle, which heavily resembles the MA5C assault rifle.
 * On the map Bowerstone Cemetery under bighorns, there is a collections of blue flowers under a statue that resemble the Halo 3 logo.

Fortnite
Two Master Chief skins, in his Halo Infinite appearance, Legendary symbol as back bling, D77-TC Pelican glider, Banished gravity hammer pickaxe, miniature Warthog, and the map Blood Gulch were added to Fortnite on December 10, 2020.

Forza Horizon
A special variant of the 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor with a Halo livery, named the 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Halo edition, was added to Forza Horizon as part of the December 2012 DLC update.

Forza Horizon 3

 * A variant of the Halo 5: Guardians M12 Warthog, called "2554 AMG Transport Dynamics M12S Warthog CST", is featured in Forza Horizon 3 as a driveable vehicle.
 * In addition, The Trials appears as part of the playlist of the in-game radio station "Timeless FM".
 * Osiris Suite, Act 1, also from the Halo 5: Guardians Original Soundtrack, was used in the M12S Warthog CST's trailer.
 * Bucket List #7 of the Horizon Australia Bucket List, which involves the M12S Warthog CST, requires players to "Search for the Silent Cartographer in the M12S Warthog CST".
 * Fittingly, The Trials is set as the song of this Bucket List Challenge.
 * The player can also choose to be called "Master Chief", "Chief", or "Spartan" by the in-game characters Keira and ANNA.
 * The player can choose several Halo-themed car horns in the game; a Warthog horn, and the Halo Theme in three variations: A, B, and Full.
 * The Blizzard Mountain Monthly Rivals event is named "Winter Contingency", an obvious reference to both the WINTER CONTINGENCY official UNSC emergency plan relating to the Covenant and the Halo: Reach campaign mission of the same name.
 * In addition, its description reads, "For a brick, it flies pretty good!", an obvious reference to a line said by Avery Johnson at the end of the Halo 2 mission Cairo Station.

Forza Horizon 4

 * The M12S Warthog CST from Forza Horizon 3 reappears in its sequel, Forza Horizon 4.
 * The Halo-themed Showcase Event in the game, named The Halo Experience Showcase, involves John-117 in an M12S Warthog CST and takes some inspiration from the Halo: Combat Evolved mission The Silent Cartographer. For more information, see its respective page.
 * The Trials, which had previously been featured in Forza Horizon 3, is again featured in Forza Horizon 4, as part of the radio station "Timeless FM".
 * "The Noisy Cartographer" achievement, which involves driving down every road in the game, is another reference to The Silent Cartographer.
 * In addition to the "Master Chief", "Chief", and "Spartan" in-game name options, "Arbiter" can also be used as an in-game name.
 * As with the previous game, Forza Horizon 4 allows players to unlock Halo-themed car horns, although only the Halo Warthog Horn and Halo Theme Full horns are retained from the previous game.
 * As of the Series 4 update in December 2018, the Grunt Birthday Party sound effect introduced in Halo 4 is now present as a car horn, unlockable by reaching Round 23 of the Road Racing Series.
 * The Pelican Tee and Pelican Sweater, which are top body customization items with a D79-TC Pelican on them, are unlockable customization items for the player's character.
 * In the Winter Season of Series 6 (January 31, 2019 - February 7, 2019), The Trial (Co-op Championship) was named "Hoo-rah!", which is a reference to a catchphrase commonly said by Marines in the Halo series. Fittingly, this Seasonal Event had the M12S Warthog CST as the required vehicle.
 * The Quick Chat Phrase "Somebody ordered a Warthog?", which is a reference to a line said by Echo 419 pilot Carol Rawley in the Halo: Combat Evolved mission The Silent Cartographer, was unlockable by placing first as a team against Unbeatable Drivatars in this event.

Forza Motorsport 4

 * The Halo 4 Warthog is featured in Forza Motorsport 4. It is not driveable, appearing only in Autovista Experience.
 * A Koenigsegg CCGT with a Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary-themed livery was gifted to all VIP players on January 30, 2012.

Forza Motorsport 5
The 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 is featured with a livery based on Halo: Spartan Assault.

Forza Motorsport 6
A 2015 Ford Mustang GT (S550) and 2016 Ford Shelby GT350R with Halo 5: Guardians liveries were gifted to all players on October 30, 2015. The Mustang GT, featured with a Jameson Locke livery, was gifted to all players, while the Shelby GT350R, featured with a Master Chief livery, was also gifted to all VIP players.

Forza Motorsport 7

 * Forza Motorsport 7 features three Halo-themed sets of Driver Gear: "Halo", "Master Chief", and "Olympia Vale". The "Halo" Driver Gear could be obtained by playing any Halo game on the Xbox One or Windows 10 PC in November 2017, while the "Master Chief" and "Olympia Vale" Driver Gear sets could be obtained by setting a lap time (clean or dirty) in the December Car Pack Challenge, December Bounty Hunter, Make a Run, or Cold Runner Rivals events in December 2017 before January 3, 2018.
 * If the player did not get the "Master Chief" or "Olympia Vale" Driver Gear sets through the aforementioned Rivals events, they can currently buy the sets through the Race Shop for 300,000 CR each.

Gears of War 2
In the level Disturbing Revelations, upon approaching a subterranean Locust structure, Dominic Santiago says, "I think it's safe to say that's not a natural cave formation." This is a reference to Cortana's infamous line, "This cave is not a natural formation," in Halo: Combat Evolved.

Gears 5
Emile-A239 and Kat-B320 are available as skins in the Ultimate Edition for multiplayer mode.

During the Christmas period in 2019, all Gears 5 characters wore Christmas hats in Horde mode.

Grand Theft Auto IV / Grand Theft Auto V
In the in-game television program, Republican Space Rangers, the three soldiers wear armor similiar to MJOLNIR Armor, although with less detail and clear visors. A ringworld resembling a Halo Installation is also featured several times. This reference also appears in Grand Theft Auto V.

Hyperdimension Neptunia
Vert, ruler of Leanbox and a moe anthropomorphization of the Xbox, mentions in a blog that the game Hoop: Reach was released and ask if anyone have pre-ordered it, a nod to Halo: Reach (both games were released in 2010).

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
MJOLNIR Mix, a remix of the Halo theme, is included as a free downloadable extra.

Killer Instinct (2013)
A Sangheili known simply as "The Arbiter" appears as a playable character in the third season of Killer Instinct. The character is personalized as an amalgamation of several Arbiters, and can wear Kaidon armor similar to Thel 'Vadam's post-war armor, Arbiter body armor, Sangheili combat harness, Sangheili Storm, Sangheili Ranger, Sangheili Zealot, or Ascetic harness. The Sangheili holds either the Prophets' Bane (if wearing the Kaidon armor) or a standard Type-1 energy sword, paired with a Type-51 carbine. The Sangheili also holds three plasma grenades.

There is also a stage in the game based in the Arena of Judgment, a location set in the ruins of Nuusra on Sanghelios, which were also the setting of three of the Sanghelios campaign levels in Halo 5: Guardians. The monitor Fractured Ward, created specifically for Killer Instinct, serves as a "Guardian" in the Shadow Lords gamemode.

Kinectimals
The game has three unlockable Halo-related toys: a RC Warthog, a RC Ghost, and a Grunt plush doll.

Mass Effect 2
The space station Omega bears a striking resemblance to High Charity.

Minecraft
On July 16, 2012, Mojang released Skin Pack 1 a special player skin pack downloadable via the Xbox Marketplace, for Minecraft ' s Xbox 360 Edition. It included a Master Chief, a Grunt, and a Brute skin.

On March 13, 2013, Mojang released Skin Pack 4 another skin pack downloadable via the Xbox Marketplace, for Minecraft ' s Xbox 360 Edition. It featured a Red Spartan, and a Blue Spartan.

Between May 9 to May 18, 2014 the Minecraft 2nd Birthday skin pack was released for free for Minecraft ' s Xbox 360 Edition. It featured a "Party Red Spartan - Halo" skin, a "Party Blue Spartan - Halo" skin, and a "Party Grunt - Halo" skin. The Red Spartan got a Blue party hat, while the Blue Spartan got a red party hat. This skin is currently unavailable.

On May 28, 2014, the Halo Mash-Up: Minecraft Evolved was released.

Perfect Dark
The Xbox Live Arcade remake of Perfect Dark allows the player to pick between "Classic", "Spartan", and "Duty Calls" controller layouts; the "Spartan" controller layout mimics Halo 3's default controller layout.

Perfect Dark Zero

 * Perfect Dark Zero has a bolt-action sniper rifle named the Jackal, whose power and name reference the Kig-Yar/Jackal Snipers from the Halo franchise.
 * The Shockwave is an energy sniper rifle in Perfect Dark Zero that functions similarly to the Type-50 particle beam rifle and Type-27 beam rifle, both of which are long-range weapons commonly seen in the hands of Jackal Snipers.
 * In addition, the Shockwave's appearance is somewhat inspired by the SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle from Halo: Combat Evolved.
 * The armor worn by some of the Carrington Institute members bears a resemblance to the MJOLNIR Mark V.

Red Dead Redemption

 * On a tombstone beside Blackwater Chapel it reads, "Wake me... If something interesting happens". This is possibly a reference to the last known words of Master Chief: "Wake me...when you need me."
 * Another possible reference is at the beginning of a mission titled "Bear One Another's Burden" where the first character you interact with is counting dollar bills. Before you head upstairs, the last bill you hear being counted is 117 (a possible reference to Master Chief), when you return from the upper floor, the first number you hear the same character say is 343; a possible reference to 343 Guilty Spark.

Rocket League
 Rocket League for the Xbox One features a new usable vehicle based on the Warthog called the "Halo Hogsticker". It can be unlocked by winning a game with all body types (excluding DLC body types). The tires the Hogsticker uses (that can be used on other vehicles) are called Puma after the joke in Red vs. Blue, and the thruster it uses is called the "Blamite Overthruster".

There are also a few items related to Halo in the game:
 * Bodies: Hogsticker (You can only change the color of this Body)
 * Wheels: Puma
 * Rocket Trail: Blamite Overthruster (Exclusive to the Hogsticker)
 * Antenna: Halo - Guilty Spark
 * Antenna: Halo - Insurrection Rebels (Flag)
 * Antenna: Halo - New Mombasa Cavaliers (Flag)
 * Antenna: Halo - Swords of Sanghelios (Flag)

Saints Row 2
An achievement called Splatster Chief can be unlocked by completing all of the Septic Avenger levels. The title of the achievement is a reference to John-117.

Serious Sam 2
The 2005 first-person shooter video game Serious Sam 2 features a usable weapon called the Zap Gun, which is a chargeable energy pistol that is similar to the Type-25 plasma pistol and Type-25 plasma rifle in both design and behavior, including the plasma pistol's homing behavior for charged shots. It is usable by various NPCs and protagonist Sam "Serious" Stone throughout the game.

Star Wars: The Old Republic
While in Talloran Village, within the first hut on the right is an NPC inside for the quest "Scavenger Hunt". He is standing next to a table looking at a poster of what looks resembles a SPARTAN-II wearing MJOLNIR armor.

SteamWorld Dig
In the Xbox One version of Steamworld Dig there is an exclusive area in the third upgrade cave of the Old World area of the game. To find this area you are required to use a stick of dynamite to destroy a mushroom on top of the entrance to a secret path that leads you to an area that has a base reminiscent of the ones at Blood Gulch, and a Warthog you can flip in a similar way to how it is done in the Halo series. Once the Warthog has been flipped three times, a door will open to reveal a big Orb the player can collect.

Stellaris
One of the flags available to assign to an empire,, is almost identical to the Eld symbol.

Super Bomberman R

 * John-117 is an Xbox One-exclusive player character in Super Bomberman R. This version of John is a cartoon bomber version based on John's Halo 5: Guardians rendition.
 * Thel 'Vadam and an Unggoy Minor, both named Arbiter Bomber and Grunt Bomber, respectively, are also featured in the Xbox One version of the game as playable characters.

Syndicate (2012)
In the game Syndicate, there is a weapon called the Mjolnir H.O.G. Automatic Shotgun, referencing the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor and M12 Warthog.

Telltale's The Walking Dead: Season 2
One of the main characters has a symbol on his hat that bears a resemblance to the "o" on the Halo title but inverted.

Torchlight
A spell named "ilovebees" was added as a community unlock to the Xbox Live Arcade version of the game.

Accepted
Two characters are seen playing Halo 2. They are playing the level Cairo Station, on co-op. However, it was never stated by the characters they were playing Halo 2. Also, no NPCs are seen. It can only be determined that they are playing Halo by the heads-up display, and they are using SMGs, single wielded.

Aliens in the Attic
During the film, while the characters are seen floating, one says, "Wow this is just like Halo!"

Boyhood
Mason Jr. and his brother play Halo 2 towards the beginning. While framed as a single uninterrupted game, the map is different every time the TV's screen is seen.

Bride Wars
The grooms-to-be are playing Halo 3 on The Ark.

Dane Cook ISolated INcident
Dane makes a joke about a girl being raped by a gravity hammer wielded by a camper.

Dead and Deader
While the main character begins to access a computer, one of his companions questions if he is playing 'Ever-Quest' he replies with his reason for using the machine but afterward states "Besides, I'm more of a Halo guy"

Gamebox 1.0

 * During the opening credits, there's a montage of gameplay from various video games. One of these is Halo 2.
 * When Charlie goes to take pictures of his friends, they're busy playing Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer.

Grandma's Boy
During the title sequence a clip from the Halo 2 level Cairo Station can be seen briefly. Also later in the movie some of the testers can be seen playing a match of Halo 2 multiplayer.

Jumper
In the movie the second Jumper in his desert lair can be heard playing Halo 3 on the mission The Ark. If one listens carefully they can hear the in game characters say "Tank beats everything! Oh man! I could do this all day!"

Lazer Team/Lazer Team 2
In both Rooster Teeth life-action movies, one of the main characters, Hagan (played by Burnie Burns), uses a Antarean shield, which is pretty similar to the Kig-Yar's point defense gauntlet.

Mission: Impossible - Rouge Nation
In one scene, Benji (Simon Pegg) is seen playing the Halo 5: Guardians Beta in his office before quickly turning it to his work when a co-worker walks by.
 * The film was released on July 31, 2015, 88 days before Halo 5's official release, hence the use of the beta.
 * The box featured is labeled Halo 5: Guardians - Self-Destruct Edition, which is non-existent outside the movie and is a nod to the "this message will self-destruct" trope.

Ready Player One
In the 2018 film Ready Player One, there are multiple references to the Halo series, including multiple SPARTAN-IIs with the Cortana-modified Mark VI [GEN1] MJOLNIR seen in Halo 4, armed with MA5D assault rifles and M41 SPNKr rocket launchers. There also appear some Halo 5 Unggoy Storm clad in white armor, alongside a Halo 2 Anniversary Sangheili Ultra and some Unggoy Minor.

Spy Kids 3: Game Over
While attempting to reach the Toy Maker's headquarters, Juni complains that every video game features lava. In response, another character points out that there's no lava in Halo. (Halo 4, released nine years later, has since had lava in some of the Spartan Ops missions, as well as Halo 5 having some around the Guardian under Meridian.)

The Longest Yard (2005)
Halo 2 is played by the guards. However, if looked at closely, the game is only the gameplay footage released for the game. The player had no HUD and they were watching as the Artillery Cannon destroyed a building. One character remarks, "You guys have Halo 2! I didn't think it was out yet!"

17 Again
At one point in the movie, Mike's friend Ned is playing several video games at once, one of them being Halo 3.

The Prince & Me
In the movie, the Crown Prince of Denmark comes to Wisconsin to go to a college and take a detour from his destiny as king. With him is his companion and assistant. They get an apartment which they share with a roommate that owns an Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved. While the Prince, at one point, goes off to another state for a short vacation, the assistant starts playing Halo. The Prince comes back to find his companion sleep deprived and his eyes glued to the TV screen, playing Halo. When the owner of the Xbox tries to take the controller, the assistant viciously yells "GET AWAY" and scares him back, all the while staring at the screen and playing the game.

40 Year Old Virgin
Andy is seen playing Halo 2 during one scene. When he is interrupted the game is not paused, but an image on the TV of a BR55 Battle Rifle being zoomed in on two Brutes. The image is from the Halo 2 E3 demo.

Will It Blend?
In episode 62, Tom Dickson states he gets mad at the fact that his 4 and 5 year old grandchildren beat him at Halo 3, so he takes away the game from the standard edition case and blends the game disc telling he will press the "Master Chief" button in the blender.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
In Commentary!, Nathan Fillion references his role in Halo 3 as Reynolds in his song Better Than Niel: "I make seven-layer bean dip of the gods. / I'm also in Halo 3. / What are the odds?"

Smosh

 * In Season 2010 Episode 7, Anthony is playing Halo and Ian remarks "Wait. Your tank was upside down and then your Master Chief guy just came up and flipped it right back over?"; also you can hear a Grunt screaming and an Elite saying "Wort, wort, wort". Towards the end of the episode Ian is walking to his mother's house until a dresser falls on him. John-117 appears to assist but cannot lift it. Eventually the Chief says "F*ck this" and walks off, leaving Ian.
 * In Season 2010 Episode 36, Ian is telling a "true" story of how he and Anthony ditched school to buy Halo 2 and be one the first ten kids to receive a custom made Master Chief helmet.
 * In Season 2012 Episode 20 Anothy and Ian create a bizarre primate (which is meant to be Ian's mom) to scare Anthony's sister (also played by Anthony) but instead it knocks her out and begins to tea bag whilst holding an energy sword. Ian remarks, "Oh come on! Only newbs do that!"

The Angry Video Game Nerd
In Season 1, episode 12, the Nerd claims he that would "rather play Halo on a Tiger Electronic wrist game" than play Friday the 13th on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The Guild

 * In Season 2 episode 10, Riley describes herself as an "FPS girl," noting that she plays Halo.
 * In Season 3 episode 6 while Riley and Codex are playing a first-person shooter with generic sound effects a portion of On a Pale Horse can be heard. Later, while Riley is giving Codex a backrub, a sample taken from the Halo: Combat Evolved Opening Suite is played.
 * In Season 5 episodes 5-12 while at Megagame-o-ramacon Zaboo recruits two Spartan cosplayers as assistants/goons, referring to them has his "Master Chiefs." Zaboo later discovers, much to his surprise, that the Chiefs are in fact attractive female cosplayers.

CollegeHumor

 * In the CollegeHumor video PWN'd Support Group, one player states that she was teamkilled when her teammate drove a Warthog off a cliff.
 * Halo 3 Homicide Detective features a CSI-style investigation of the death of a Spartan in Halo 3 multiplayer.
 * An episode of the video game segment Bleep Bloop features the cast playing Halo 3: ODST Firefight and Halo 3 multiplayer.
 * Halo Spartan Goes to Heaven features a Spartan who keeps being killed and sent to heaven, only be frustrated when he is pulled back and respawns.
 * In Video Game Health Care Bill, John-117 appears as a member of President Barack Obama's cabinet, along with Mario. At one point, Obama says that characters with drained energy shields should wait behind cover until their shields recharge. John is the only person in the auditorium who applauds this statement, much to his embarrassment.
 * In First-Person Shooter Trial, the eagle emblem which is worn by the soldiers and emblazoned on the courtroom wall is identical to the Brigadier insignia used in Halo 3 and Halo Wars multiplayer. The trial also makes reference to such Halo staples as teabagging.

How It Should Have Ended

 * The webseries How it should have ended features an episode in which SPARTAN-B312 is being introduced to the rest of NOBLE Team, each of whom makes jokes foreshadowing their deaths. Carter then offers SPARTAN-B312 a red ONI shirt, (in reference to the redshirt syndrome from the Star Trek franchise), prompting Noble Six to scream and run away. After the credits, John-117 suggests that next time he be the one to give the orientation talk.
 * The episode How The Desolation of Smaug Should Have Ended ends with Bombur rolling in a barrel and taking out orcs while an announcer declares "Double Kill!", "Triple Kill!", "Overkill!", "Kill-orc-jaro!", and "Orcfreakinbelievable!"

Epic Rap Battles of History
Season 2 episode 2 features "Master Chief vs Leonidas."

Corridor Digital

 * The short film Art of the Instakill showcases one-hit kill weapons from several games, including the Halo series. After the RED Spy from Team Fortress 2 kills Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, an energy sword is heard activating off-screen. As a rendition of the Halo Theme begins to play, the camera cuts to John-117, who charges the Spy and kills him instantly, sending his corpse flying onto a dumpster. As John takes off his helmet, the camera pans left over his shoulder and Mass Effect 3 ' s theme song, Leaving Earth, begins to play. Commander Shepard, the series' protagonist, activates his omniblade and the two engage in a brief melee duel. Shepard quickly gains the upper hand and stabs John in the abdomen, with the blade protruding through his back.
 * In Ultimate Gun Game, numerous weapons from various franchises are pitted against each other, including an energy sword.
 * In Master Chief Doesn't Want To Die, the Chief is stuck on the head with a plasma grenade. Though told he only has 4 seconds to live, he spend much longer than that enjoying the remainder of his life with a Marine he is dating. At the end she suggests he take off his helmet to survive, but his ghastly appearance causes her to put it back on, the grenade then killing him.

Cinema Sins
The video Everything Wrong With Taken In 9 Minutes Or Less features a segment in which Liam Neeson's protagonist kills a number of enemies in quick succession, overlaid with Jeff Steitzer's Halo 2 multikill narration.

RocketJump

 * John-117 and the voice of Cortana appeared in the video Old School vs. New School. After witnessing a portal opening above modern day Los Angeles and watching giant "Old School" characters leaving the portal, John tells Cortana to call other "New School" characters (Nathan Drake, Lara Croft, Altaïr and the Scout). The scene then cuts to other video game characters receiving calls on their iPhones, referring John as "Master Chief", "The Chief" and "Halo Guy" while emitting the Halo Theme as a ringtone, with the last one emitting the "Epic Sax Guy" ringtone. In the ending, John looks over the city in ruins and places his palm across his face. The first five piano notes of One Final Effort plays in both scenes.
 * In Master Grief, the Marines' awe at the Master Chief arriving is satirized by depicting a Chief who behaves like a selfish griefer, letting the Marines die and teabagging corpses.

Death Battle
In the 18th episode of Death Battle, John-117 is pit against Doomguy from Doom in a fight to the death. John wins the battle, with the announcers stating that Johns more diverse arsenal and toughness allowed for his victory.

Cyanide & Happiness
The episode Guns depicts an obsessed gun nut gathering his entire firearm collection before shooting a pair of robbers downstairs. His gun cabinet holds a pair of plasma pistols in addition to several real-world weapons.

Game Theory

 * In Halo Armor's Fatal Flaw, Matt Patrick theorizes about why a single melee attack on an unshielded Spartan is capable of killing them, concluding that it might disable the neural feedback from the wearer and so cause the weight of the suit to collapse on them. This episode included Microsoft's participation, by providing the MJOLNIR armor used in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.
 * In Star Wars Lightsaber vs Halo Energy Sword, Mattpat judges both weapons on which would win in a duel, deciding that the lightsaber would win in a long term duel but an energy sword is more powerful in the short run.

If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device
At the end of the fourth special episode Kitten & Tzeentch play a Children's Card Game, when Magnus suggest they must play a real game, Kitten suggests he wants to play Call of Duty, but the cover of the game its Battlefield 3 's cover, and has Halo written as the title.

Marvel Comics
Several Halo-themed Easter eggs have appeared in various stories published by Marvel Comics, who held the Halo comics license until it was sold to Dark Horse Comics in 2013.

Marvel Universe

 * In X-force Volume 3 #14, Deadpool is wielding a BR55HB SR and an M6G PDWS. The same issue features an alien mercenary group wielding Type-25 Plasma Pistols, Type-51 Carbines, and Type-33 Needlers.
 * In Ultimate Comics: Armor Wars #3, the British anti-riot task force Operation Firepower wear armor that greatly resembles the Mark VI and Black versions of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, combined with elements of Iron Man's armor. The helmet is nearly identical to that of the Mark VI and MJOLNIR: Black and likewise has an orange face plate, though it features the distinctive eye slits of Iron Man's armor.
 * On the cover of Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates Volume 1 #4, General Nick Fury and several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are seen wearing armor that is very clearly inspired by that of the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.
 * The first issue of Marvel's Thor: The Dark World Prelude features an oversized D77H-TCI Pelican being fought over by Badoon warriors.

Star Wars
Halo references have appeared in Marvel's Star Wars comics even after the transfer of the Halo comics license from Marvel to Dark Horse.

Star Wars (2015)
The SCAR trooper Misty uses a blaster modeled on the SRS99-AM sniper rifle.

Star Wars: Darth Vader
The Anthan Prime Orbital Dockyard is based on Cairo Station as it appears in the early levels of Halo 2, complete with docked. However, the frigate is colored so it appears to be part of the station proper, and various additions are made to the overall structure.

Star Wars: Lando
While searching for weapons on Emperor Palpatine's personal yacht, Lando Calrissian comes across blasters that combine the front half of the M45 shotgun with the electronics housing and rear half of the MA37 assault rifle.

Star Wars: Obi-Wan & Anakin
The droid brain Anakin Skywalker interfaces with is based on the exterior shell of a monitor.

Star Wars: Han Solo
A Rebel agent wields a blaster pistol clearly modeled on the M6C/SOCOM. However, its grip resembles that of Han Solo's DL-44 (itself based on the Mauser C96) rather than the M6's grip and oversized magazine.

High School Inari Tamamo-chan!
In Volume 3 Chapter 4 characters from the story are watching a movie that is based on Toy Story, with John Marston from Red Dead Redemption as the "Woody" character, and John-117 as the "Buzz Lightyear" character.

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Boom! Studios)
In Issue 28, Ranger reinforcements during a battle jump out of ships which are clearly modeled on the D77-TC Pelican.

StarCraft: Soldiers
In Issue 1, a "UNSC" acronym appears on a scanner.

Penny Arcade

 * In Penny Arcade 's first mention of Halo, Tycho is watching the Halo E3 2000 trailer, and is impressed by it. The joke is in the form this takes.
 * "I wanna play with your physics engine, you dirty little jeep."
 * After the release of the game, there were two strips criticizing Halo. One commented on the sometimes repetitive level design, and the other was in their "We're Right" video game awards, in which it was awarded "Best.... who are we kidding, this game is total shit."
 * When attending "some kind of Xbox thing" despite criticism of the platform, before entering the building Gabe reminds Tycho that, "Until they feed us, Halo was awesome."
 * Talking about the Halo 2 E3 demo during their E3 rundown, Halo was awarded: Most disappointing.
 * Tycho: I'm just fucking with you guys. It was awesome!
 * At one point, Gabe informs Tycho using a secret code that he had been over to "Wicrosoft" to play a demo of a game called "Walo 2", and liked it.
 * After playing several games of Halo 2 against Bungie employees, and being soundly defeated, Tycho speculates that the reason they were so good was as a result of them spending most of their development time playing the game as opposed to finishing the story.
 * One strip featured Gabe playing the Halo 3 beta, and Tycho scolding him for enjoying it.
 * There have been a few strips regarding the supposed "frattiness" of Halo ' s players.
 * One strip was about the ilovebees ARG, in which Gabe claims that all ARGs are just marketing ploys, comparing them to the decoder ring from the film A Christmas Story.
 * In their strip on the levels of "development hell," level 14 is "Forced to create Halo game after Halo game after etc."

College Roomies from Hell!!!
A strip from the "SOB Story" storyline features Mike fighting his way into a limo where he thinks his girlfriend is being held captive, only to find two goons playing Halo.

VG Cats

 * The Blue Grenades Stick makes fun of anti-Xbox users in a Halo environment. The title refers to Plasma Grenades.
 * Alien Abductions makes fun of Halo 2 matchmaking.
 * The Crying Game jokes that Samus Aran, heroine of the Metroid games, spent the night with John-117 while drunk.
 * Tea Bag makes fun of the Corpse Humping practice in Halo multiplayer matches.
 * Coco Beans in Warm Water mentions a patch in Halo 2, as well as a questionable scene involving two Scorpion tanks, as it comments on some controversy in certain video games.
 * It's The Thought That Counts features Christmas gift-giving scenes using characters from various video games, including a blue Spartan giving a red Spartan a blue flag in front of a holographic tree.
 * Spoons pokes fun at the close proximity of Mongoose riders.
 * Obligatory focuses on Halo: Reach and its jetpacks and assassinations.

Fabolous
In the Music Video for the song "Baby Don't Go", the singer "Fabolous" (John David Jackson), is seen playing Halo 3. The video was created before Halo 3 was released, so the video features the Starry Night Trailer instead of actual gameplay.

Madcon
Halo 3 gameplay can be seen throughout the Music Video for Madcon's version of the song "Beggin".

Weird Al
The song "You're Pitiful", has a direct reference to playing Halo 2: "You're half undressed / Eatin' chips off your chest / While you're playin' Halo 2 / No one's classier than you."

Son of Dork
The song "We're Not Alone" features the lyrics "I know you're up there somewhere playing Halo with E.T"

Escape the Fate
The band "Escape The Fate" are fans of the Halo series and their songs "The Guillotine", "This War is Ours (The Guillotine Part II)" and "The Flood" feature references to the Halo series.

MyChildren MyBride
The song "Headshot" is very openly about the Halo series, mentioning Cortana, the "Master Chief", and "Halo Rings" by name, among other things. The song is full of references that listing them all would just be copy-and-pasting the lyrics

Shadow Of Intent
This deathcore band can be described as a Halo tribute band. Some fans of the band jokingly describe them as halocore, Halo Metal, or Sangheili Core. Their first album, Primordial (2016) is an open reference to the Primordial (The Timeless One) from the Forerunner-Flood war. Nearly every one of their songs is about the Halo series in some way

Little Brother
In the book Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, the "Xbox Universal" is an Xbox that was handed out for free by people dressed as characters from Halo.

Fragment
In the book Fragment, by Warren Fahy, page 164 (425 some editions) has the character, Peach, playing a game called "Halo 5" on the 26th level.

To Love-Ru
In the fourth episode of To Love-Ru season 1, the main character Rito Yuuki appears with the MJOLNIR Mark VI armor, with the background of Halo 3 cover. In the same episode, High Charity and Delta Halo during the Great Schism (in the level Gravemind) are shown, albeit Substance is shown as a red planet instead of blue.

Government

 * On January 11, 2020, the official Twitter of the real-world US Space Command made a joke tweet referencing Halo;