Halo Combat Evolved (2001) released on the Xbox over two decades ago, but thanks to this mod, you can now play the original PC version in VR, which critically includes motion controller support.

The mod, called ‘HaloCEVR’, was created by modder ‘LivingFray’, who is also known for their work on an unofficial Metal: Hellsinger VR mod before the release of the official Metal: Hellsinger VR in September.

If you already own the remastered Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary edition via The Master Chief Collection, we have some bad news; HaloCEVR only supports the original 2003 PC edition of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Still, the mod brings a host of wishlist items any PC VR mod ought to include, such as first-person shooting, tracked motion controller support for weapon and grenade aiming, two-handed aiming modes, and motion-controlled features like melee, flashlight activation, crouching, and both snap turning and smooth turning.

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You’ll also find a functional PiP scope, rebindable controls with a left-handed preset, a detached floating UI layer, joystick-steered vehicles, and a floating crosshair, with desktop mirroring recommended via SteamVR.

Notably missing is first-person vehicle riding, as it zooms you out to a third-person view, which is also the case for the game’s many cutscenes.

You can check out a full gameplay session, courtesy of Beardo Benjo below:

Finding the original game for download isn’t difficult, as it’s largely considered abandonware at this point. As Beardo Benjo notes, the original PC version is available for free via various sources, such as Internet Archive if you can’t find your own copy.

You’ll also need a separate Halo PC patch, also available for free via Internet Archive in addition to the VR mod itself.

Check out the steps below to see what it takes to install and mod it to work with PC VR headsets:

  1. Install Halo: Combat Evolved for PC using an original installation CD + product key
  2. Install the 1.10 patch
  3. (Optional) Install chimera (fixes a few bugs/issues such as entities moving at 30fps)
  4. If using chimera: open chimera.ini, locate the “Font Override Settings” section, and change enabled=1 to enabled=0 (failing to do this will break many UI elements in VR)
  5. Download the latest version of this mod from the releases page
  6. Extract HaloCEVR.zip and place the files in the same directory as the halo executable (You should see a VR folder, openvr_api.dll and d3d9.dll if done correctly)
  7. Launch the game once to generate a config.txt file in the VR directory
  8. If setting LeftHanded=true in the config, consider selecting the left handed controller bindings in the game’s SteamVR controller bindings page
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Scott Hayden
Well before the first modern XR products hit the market, Scott recognized the potential of the technology and set out to understand and document its growth. He has been professionally reporting on the space for nearly a decade as Editor at Road to VR, authoring more than 4,000 articles on the topic. Scott brings that seasoned insight to his reporting from major industry events across the globe.
  • Arno van Wingerde

    Step 3-8 nicely explain why I do not have PCVR for now… too much tinkering!

    • NotMikeD

      Nice to see the ability to copy a .dll or two into a folder and copy/paste a few lines of code into an .ini continue to gatekeep many of the truly great VR experiences from the masses.

      • Andrew Jakobs

        Haha, maybe someone will write a simple installer…

  • I've cleared this up to and including The Library. This is a dream come true for myself personally. Vehicles are pretty janky, turrets even more so, and cutscenes are confusing, but otherwise the run & gun is close to perfect.

    I'm amazed this actually happened, and at the same time disgusted that Microsoft managed to launch and retired an entire VR platform without pushing this franchise to VR in a meaningful way. Shame on them, praise to LivingFray!

    • Hussain X

      "Halo Recruit" bro. Microsoft was maybe hoping that game will bring a billion players into the WMR ecosystem. Maybe it's a 10 year project. Was released in 2017, so three years to go to reach that goal – a billion players in the WMR ecosystem playing Halo Recruit lol.

  • Yeshaya

    Now the question is: it is worth me digging out my old original CE CD, or do I wait and see if they make it available for Master Chief Collection

    • Andrew Jakobs

      Don't count on support anytime soon as I gather the MCC is using a completely different engine.

  • Andrew Jakobs

    It certainly isn't considered abandonware by Microsoft. Many games which used to be on the abandonware site most certainly werent abandonware, as in legally free to download.
    so maybe because of this mod, MS might ask internet archive to remove it.

    • Jeremiah

      For those of us that have bought the game several times already, including owning it in MCC currently, we don't give a damn.