24 Halo Infinite Forge Maps Inspired By The Classic Games

Blood Gulch is where I (and likely many others) had my first experience with Halo’s multiplayer back in 2001. While Halo’s ever-evolving movement and weapon sandbox might outpace the original Gulch, the vibes are worth a bit of an unbalanced match.

It’s been officially and spiritually remade many times, but what makes Blood Gulch HCE from HOVI98 and SlyBeat HD so wonderful is how authentic it is. This feels like the real deal, ready for a solid match of 8v8 or just shenanigans on Warthogs. If we get an official matchmaking playlist of Forge maps in the future and this one isn’t top of the list, I will be very, very sad.

Blood Gulch’s layout is rather simple, which is what makes it such a prime space for reinterpretations. Cursed Skeleton’s Blood Gulch Reimagined preserves the original base structures, but adds in two extra semi-bases on the left and right sides of the Gulch, with personnel cannons to launch you out into the middle—perfect for daring headshots with a sniper rifle as you soar above the carnage.

If you’re looking for slightly more expanded Blood Gulch, check this one out.

I think it’s fair to call Chiron TL-34 a deep cut from Halo: Combat Evolved. This brain twister of a map is actually several individual chambers linked together with teleporters, so you don’t always know what you’re walking into. Unexpected, claustrophobic, and thrilling Halo encounters define this map.

NovAneurysm and iChillyz have crafted a wonderfully authentic-feeling remake of this quirky blast from the past. Whether you have fond memories of this arena space or never got the chance to play it with other players before, this is worth bookmarking and checking out with some bots (the teleporters do confuse them, but it’s actually kinda cute).

When I first fired up Warlock, a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s memorable and classic Wizard map (or Halo 2’s Warlock, itself a remake too), I was instantly transported into Halo bliss. Warlock not only feels right, but the snow theme looks gorgeous. Honestly, it gives some subtle Halo 4 and 5 vibes that I think combine Infinite’s movement and vintage Halo map design in an orgasmic way. I had a hard time bouncing out of my bot match here to check out the other maps. It just might be my favorite on this list.

As a note, like many other maps in the Forge beta, I’ve found it’s easy to get stuck in the grav lifts. If you’re feeling crafty, a quick adjustment in Forge ought to fix it, but it’s something to be aware of.

This return to Hang ‘Em High is a straight hit of nostalgic dopamine to the brain. It totally earns that “Definitive” title, even if I was skeptical at first.

Sniping from the opposing towers, racing across the catwalks, skirmishes in the pillars, it’s all here, lovingly recreated. It’s yet another hard-to-quit space to blow some shit up with friends. Beautiful work here.

It’s tough to remake a classic, but Hollywood CGD’s Hang ‘Em High Tombstone is a nice aesthetic twist on it original. Unlike the original (and Halo: Combat Evolved Annversary’s remake, High Noon), Hang ‘Em High Tombstone has a UNSC flavor instead of a Forerunner theme. Plus, the center trench is much flatter and wider, which means you’re more exposed to gunfire, changing up the pace of this map pretty drastically. The pillars are also angled in a way that allows for some slight alterations on the usual Halo dance that takes place there.

I’ll just say it: Before Midship took the title of “the Covenant map,” there was Damnation. An original Halo: Combat Evolved map, Damnation is a classic for good reason: varying levels of verticality make way for excellent shootouts that test marksmanship, pitfalls promise the reward of an overshield at the risk of falling to your death, and the corridors and ramps just beg for assault rifle bullet holes to line them.

thesilencebrokn has fittingly brought this map into 2022 for Halo Infinite and it’s amazing how well it holds up with modern movement mechanics. It accommodates drop shields, grappleshots, and even thrusters exceedingly well and is a solid Forge map through and through.

It may lack the moveable doors the original was known for in Halo 2, but this remake of Turf from Northern Corridor and Z Warrior177 hews close to the original and feels great to play on. Originally released as a part of the Killtacular map pack for Halo 2 on the original Xbox, Turf doesn’t see as much rotation as other Halo 2 maps that shipped with the game, but this treatment of it sure as hell deserves a spot on this list. It offers two different vertical zones, tight corridors, and a Warthog thrown in for good measure. What’s not to love?

I doubt that Backwash makes anyone’s top ten Halo map lists, but this is such a great remake of a less-celebrated map from Halo 2 (like Turf, it too was released as part of a disc-based expansion for the original Xbox) that it needs to be here. Unlike the original with its dense, dreary fog that was a bit too muddy to see through, D3LTA V, Foge, SARIZON, NZO7, DeadlyAp, and ForgeRunnerX have proven that we underestimated the potential of this map’s layout when it originally released. Even with a roomful of bots, this is a fun time.

Containment is a fantastic old-school BTB map and it’s wonderful to see it in Halo Infinite with II SHABUTIE II’s Forge recreation. It feels like Halo hasn’t had a BTB map like this in many years, so this addition is very welcome. This is a great map for tense objective-based game modes like CTF. If you up the timer, it could even be fun as a spacious 4v4 or 6v6.

It’s tough to find a map more iconic than Midship. Midship released with Halo 2, and got a pretty decent pair of official remakes in Halo 5. This remake is a bit more of a remix than a total recreation, but you should still check it out—especially since there aren’t any other versions of the old map in Forge just yet. The basic layout is mostly preserved, but there are some unique, boxier angles and other design decisions that offer a Midship-esque experience—one that also feels pretty good with Infinite’s more modern movement mechanics.

Also, I love the random trees that are in both bases, as it helps make it feel more Covenant-y. And, while Midship was always a very purple map, this is even more purple—oh, how I’ve missed this color palette in Halo.

The first of two Lockout remakes on this list, UneeQ TV, Soxxie, Saucy Situation, wild1551, and Surasia have a very true-to-the-original recreation of a Halo 2 map that I used to absolutely destroy my friends on (remember that 2v1 against me when I slaughtered y’all with the controller upside down, boys? Mhmm, good times).

Lockout is my personal Midship and is easily my favorite map from Halo 2. It’s great to have such an authentic remake at the ready.

Lockout will definitely see many different Forge versions as we move forward, but we’re already seeing some great twists on old classics. Halo Infinite’s faster movement and equipment like the grappleshot demand different design decisions, and that’s what makes Lockout2 such a compelling map for Infinite.

Forged by xISAUROx, OTSYungin, Sendingit9004, and YuAintRawng, the larger spaces on this remixed version of Lockout work really well with Infinite’s movement while still feeling like a classic shootout from way back when.

Bloodline was Halo 2’s official remake of the tried-and-true Coagulation from the original Halo, and this remake from AlphaEpsilon is on point. It contains the tiered bases that Coagulation introduced, feels suitably sized for Halo Infinite’s movement mechanics, and is absolutely begging you to round up 15 other people for some Slayer, CTF, or King of the Hill.

This particular version has been AWOL for a little bit, unless you’re counting the the remake for Halo 2: Anniversary edition, which itself took a few creative liberties of its own (and given the state of MCC early on, those maps haven’t had nearly as much enjoyment as other classics). The original, however, stayed locked to classic Halo 2 until this Forge remake, which is even closer to that first version than Anniversary’s treatment. It’s nice to feel so at home again.

Beaver Creek was another Halo 2 remake of the classic Battle Creek map from Halo: Combat Evolved. Like a shrunken Blood Gulch, there are two bases and nothing but opportunities for carnage in between (and inside!). Beaver Creek Detailed from grinkildink and III TROTSKI III both looks and fits the part.

I do feel like the rocky elevated path up to the rocket launcher is a touch too easy to get to. In the classics, this map usually required a bit of a skill jump to get to, especially with an item as powerful as the rocket launcher as the prize at the top. But the vibe of this map is too undeniable to not give it a spot on this list.

I have a confession to make: I’m not the biggest fan of Valhalla, Halo 3’s interpretation of Blood Gulch. But I’d be lying if AlphaEpsilon’s take on the map didn’t get me all misty eyed and nostalgic. While it seems that the center river isn’t rendering properly at the moment (most things that should be blue are currently rendering as a pinkish-red), there’s still plenty of opportunities for those Halo 3 memories to spring to life on this very true-to-form recreation of a classic map.

Originally added to Halo 3 back in the mid 2000s as DLC, Ghost Town is a great place to play some Halo, and Subsonic Omnivo’s Infinite interpretation via Forge nails the tone and feel. Like many other maps on this list, Halo Infinite’s movement works really well on a classic layout, allowing for gunfights and strategies that weren’t possible in 2008.

Narrows is kind of a hit or miss map for me; I used to think it was little more than a bridge, with games often devolving into predictable strategies and plays. But Banished Narrows from AgelitoCO demands to be added to public matchmaking lists with its unique twist on the classic bridge map. Even on a match with bots, the original vibes are well-preserved here, with some nice alterations based on structural changes and new weapons.

And don’t let those vehicles fool you. There is a kill barrier if you fall below the bridge, just like in the original. But honestly, a couple of tweaks in Forge and that space could be made playable, opening up Narrows to a totally new frontier.

II SHABUTIE II’s Alley Rats is a remake of the classic Halo 3 map Rat’s Nest, and serves as a fun opportunity for vehicular carnage while also providing a space for more chill social games. Re-themed with an ODST-adjacent city vibe, this recreation is sure to allow for laid-back trips around the map in a warthog, only briefly interrupted by soaring rocket launchers.

Blow up, respawn, jump into the center area for some gun fights, then head back out for another trip around the block. Rat’s Nest was always a good time and Alley Rats is a great way to revisit it.

Standoff (originally released for Halo 3 and remade for Halo 5) is one of those Halo maps that is incredibly versatile, working well with different modes and team sizes. The bases provide a great opportunity for close-quarters engagement, with nice wide-open spaces giving you a chance to cruise around with the vehicles that lie just outside.

PTearGriffin444 and The4bidnFish have fused the classic Standoff with its Halo 5 remake while also expanding upon it a bit with their Standoff Forge remake. The result is a nice combination of old and new school. I was never sure if I liked Halo 5’s remake, but this Forge recreation proves that it offers a lot more aerial and vertical opportunities than I originally thought. This remake also adds two new bases and, yes, has working buttons to drop the windows and open the tunnel doors of the main ones.

Books could be written on the kinds of games and new maps that spawned in the original Foundry for Halo 3. But for all of its limitless possibilities, the default layout remains iconic. Midnight0587833 and ButteryBnana have recreated this classic Forge canvas and it’s a joy to play. This was another one of those “how much time has passed?” maps in my tests and is certainly worth your time for some great games or just fun nostalgia trips.

Sword Base inherits the legacy of Boarding Action from the original Halo. Midnight0587833’s recreation is very faithful, but when combined with Halo Infinite’s new equipment, you can get some pseudo jetpack action going on to add some extra spice. While some of the corridors are a bit bland for my taste, the unique polarity of this map is well-preserved with a ton of possibilities for great Halo playing.

If Halo does indeed get a battle royale some day and Spire isn’t included, we need to riot. Halo Reach’s Spire and its titular feature make an excellent large map where entirely separate battles can play out in different locations and elevations—and jumping off that spire never gets old.

DEFTESTAPHID02’s recreation does look a little bit Fisher Pricey in comparison, but don’t let that fool you. While the spire itself has a slightly different design (and you ascend it way faster than in the original) the unique vibes of the original map are still here.

Now is not the time to debate the legacy of Halo 4. It’s strange Call of Duty-isms didn’t work right, but with a few tweaks made in a custom game or Legendary Slayer, Halo 4 felt more like a faster version of what came before than it does a total departure. And the much-maligned sequel had some genuinely cool environments—especially in the multiplayer maps. Haven was one such map and it’s great to have a faithful recreation of it, courtesy of DarkMaiming.

Infinite’s equipment works well here, and there’s a good kill ceiling to prevent too many shenanigans with the grappleshot.

As Infinite’s Forge mode continues to mature, we’ll undoubtedly see more classic remakes. But for now, these are the best ways to get some much-needed classic Halo vibes in Infinite. To be honest, it’s surprising how many of these work with the new movement mechanics. It really proves that at its core, us Halo fans do have a great modern game, even if it’s taking a bit to get its act together.