Halo 5’s Forge creation tool hits Windows 10 next month

Halo 5 is coming to PC — or at least a small part of it is.

Microsoft will launch Halo 5: Forge, the sci-fi shooter’s in-game creation tool, as a free download for Windows 10 starting September 8. As the company announced in May, you can use this to build content — but the rest of the Halo 5 game will not make its way over to PC. This will give mouse-and-keyboard folk a chance to build levels and games inside of Halo 5 that can deploy to Halo 5: Guardians on Xbox One. This is part of Microsoft’s wider strategy to bring the Xbox console and Windows 10 platforms closer together. On top of that, enabling creators to use their PCs to create content for Halo 5 could help keep its audience active and engaged.

Microsoft highlights that having Forge on PC will empower creators with a level of control they haven’t had before. Mouse-and-keyboard controls provide a precision option for placing and manipulating objects. And since this is on PC, Forge creators can also use a 4K monitor to improve their productivity as they can see more of the space they are working on all at once thanks to the higher resolution.

And while Forge on Windows 10 is primarily a creation tool, you don’t need an Xbox One to test out your creations. Microsoft is building in a 16-player custom-match option. This means you can play Halo multiplayer, but it won’t have matchmaking, ranks, or the official modes. But still, this is Halo with mouse control, and the community may end up doing some amazing things with that.