Correct (lore-based) order of the Halo games

I own the following Halo games:

• Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Halo 1-4)
• Halo: Reach
• Halo: ODST
• Halo Wars

Since some games are actually prequels and I'm not sure in what order I have to play them to "understand" the lore I'd like to know in what order I have to play them to actually follow the story correctly (So I'd like a list based on the lore, not the release dates).

1 Answer

The canonical chronological order for the Halo franchise is:

1. Halo Wars
2. Halo: Reach
3. Halo: Combat Evolved
4. Halo 2
5. Halo: Spartan Strike (overlaps with Halo 2)
6. Halo 3: ODST (also overlaps with Halo 2, but serves primarily as a prequel leading to Halo 3).
7. Halo 3
8. Halo: Spartan Assault
9. Halo 4
10. Halo 5
11. Halo Wars 2