Halo: The Master Chief Collection introduces a fresh update that tackles common bugs and brings significant enhancements to the beloved Halo 2 multiplayer experience. This recent update marks the first one for Halo: The Master Chief Collection since July last year.

The July update for The Master Chief Collection brought in a slew of new features, such as Escalation Slayer and fresh forge content for Halo 3, a Firefight custom game browser, new custom game settings, and more. After this major patch, the game, now a decade old, remained untouched by updates for nearly seven months until now.

This latest update for The Master Chief Collection significantly enhances the multiplayer mode of Halo 2 by refining hit registration and projectile speed, two long-standing issues in the MCC version of this classic game. Bug fixes in this update address the persistent issue of selected video backgrounds resetting upon relaunching The Master Chief Collection, a common problem faced by many users. Other fixes include improved grenade functionality for keyboard-and-mouse users in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, as well as preventing multiplayer squads from getting stuck after a leader exits the lobby. Noteworthy improvements also involve unlocking the Phantom Hunter achievement in Halo 3 and ensuring Cortana's narrative sequences in the Arrival mission work correctly.

The update also enhances modding tools in The Master Chief Collection, enabling scripts in Halo: Combat Evolved maps to function for both the host and all players during online matches. A crash issue related to the Sapien Structure Painter Tool in Halo 2 Anniversary's Multiplayer Editing Kit has been resolved. The update sizes vary, with 1.6 GB on consoles, 1.3 GB on the Microsoft Store App or Xbox PC app, and 300 MB on Steam. While the timing of the next patch for The Master Chief Collection remains uncertain, fans are advised not to expect it imminently.

An earlier leak in December hinted at the developers of The Master Chief Collection being thanked for