Halo 2: Anniversary Insider test is now live on PC, runs until April 27

The next game in line to hit the Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC is slated to be the double drop of Halo 2 and its Anniversary remaster. Today, 343 Industries pushed out the very first public flight for selected Halo Insiders on Steam and Windows 10 to collect feedback on outstanding issues. If no extensions appear, this test will conclude on April 27.

As previously announced, the release delivers several campaign missions - playable solo and using online co-op - as well as multiplayer maps with rotating matchmaking for testing purposes. Moreover, this marks the first time that PC players will have access to Theater mode officially on the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with the Halo 2: Anniversary receiving support with full keyboard and mouse facilities.

Also, a new collection-wide campaign challenges system is being tested to offer players XP and other rewards for completing various objectives such as completing certain missions on specific difficulty levels.

If previous Halo launches on PC are anything to go by, the arrival of an Insider test with this much content usually means the game"s full release isn"t that far behind. Halo Combat Evolved: Anniversary was surprise dropped by Microsoft just over a month ago, so we could be looking at a similar situation with Halo 2.

Halo Insider Program sign-ups are available here, which will give participants a chance to test various builds like this in the future as more titles from the Halo: The Master Chief Collection get nearer to their release on PC.

Moreover, this isn"t the only Microsoft first-party game going through public testing right now either, as yesterday, the Microsoft Flight Simulator team pushed out a new Alpha build for participants to fly in and give feedback on.