A longtime group of friends who met on theHalo 3beta ahead of its release have finally met each other in person and commemorated the occasion with drinks, games, and a group photo. Bungie releasedHalo 3as an Xbox 360 exclusive way back in 2007, and many fans that played the FPS together have lost touch over the years, but not this group of friends that maintained a relationship for over 15 years.
Reddit user Nas-and-Dave recently posted a photo of seven friends accompanied by a story of what makes the image particularly special for the septet of gamers. The seven Xbox fans met in theHalo 3multiplayer beta phase, which came with a copy ofCrackdownat the time and ran from Jul 13, 2025, until June 10 of the same year. ThisHalo 3beta left the group of friends cycling between three maps called High Ground, Snowbound, and Valhalla, all of which can still be experiencedinHalo: The Master Chief Collection.
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According to Nas-and-Dave, the group of friends recently met for the first time in person in the 15 years they’ve known each other online, and the seven of them playedHalo 3for old time’s sake that night. One friend dropped out of the memorable event last minute, making the formerly perfect group of eight left with an odd number that required that they pick up one randomHalo 3player to round out the full squad. It’s currently unclear how the group of friends maintained contact from the classic Xbox 360 through the Xbox One era and into theXbox Series X/S generation, but because they playedHalo 3together, it’s possible that they have each upgraded their Microsoft consoles as time went on.
Halo 3 Is Still Remembered Fondly by Fans
DespiteHalo Infinitebeing the most recent title in the series when the friends finally met in person, Nas-and-Dave has suggested that it wasn’t among the games that the seven of them played in celebration. TheHalo 3fan also stated thatHalo 3multiplayerwas the peak of online matchmaking, which suggests that they haven’t gotten as into subsequentHalotitles. Nas-and-Dave confirmed which of the friends they are and that the MVP in theirHalo 3group that racked up the most kills was the player with the least amount of facial hair in the photo.
MultipleHalo 3fans took to Nas-and-Dave’s photo to express enthusiasm for the group of online friends meeting in person after so long, with some noting major events that have happened since the open beta, including the release ofHalo Infinite. A handful of Microsoft fans took the opportunity to defend disliked aspects of the latestHalogame, while one noted the well-knownHalo Infinitedesync issueas a key argument against it. Regardless of opinions on the latest installment in the series, this meeting of longtime friends shows thatHalo 3is a game that many players still hold in high regard.
Halo 3is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
