Does Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC support ultrawide monitors?

Halo Reach screenshot.
Halo Reach screenshot. (Image credit: Bungie/Microsoft)

Does Halo: The Master Chief Collection for PC support ultrawide monitors?

What are ultrawide monitors?

As their name indicates, ultrawide monitors offer an extended horizontal axis over traditional displays, usually with a 21:9 screen aspect ratio. Often sporting 2560x1080 or 3440x1440 resolutions, these displays increase screen space for improved productivity and visibility. For gaming, this helps deliver a larger field-of-view (FOV) for enhanced peripheral vision, gaining an advantage in competitive first-person shooters like Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Does Halo: MCC support ultrawide monitors?

Halo 2

Halo 2 (Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft is treating Halo: The Master Chief Collection as a top-tier PC port, promising an authentic experience and polish. Following the game's troubled debut on Xbox One back in 2014, developer 343 Industries has pushed several significant updates, fixing the five-game compilation. The full package is now in a better state than ever, serving as a strong foundation for its PC debut.

Speaking at the game's PC reveal, Halo Community Director, Brian Jarrard, expanded on its commitments for the PC re-release. Wanting to bring the series to PC "the right way," Jarrard outlined plans to meet the expectations of a modern PC title, confirming ultrawide support.

PC also has just a lot of other expectations that come with it nowadays, right? I'm talking about things like, [there] has to be great mouse and keyboard controls, we have to have support for things like FOV sliders, different size monitors, and ultrawide resolutions, and remappable key bindings. So all the bells and whistles that you would expect to find on a modern PC title, that's the kind of thing the team is really committed to doing as we bring these products to PC.

Ultrawide support means 343 Industries has specifically designed Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC, accounting for this wider aspect ratio. It prevents a stretched image on these displays, adjusting the camera, FOV, and user interface to account for more screen real estate.

Which ultrawide monitor is best for Halo: MCC?

With ultrawide monitors increasingly popular among gamers, an extensive range of 21:9 displays have hit the market. We've trialed and rounded up the best at Windows Central, ideal to get ready for Halo: The Master Chief Collection once it hits Windows PCs.

The LG 25UM58-P is a striking ultrawide monitor, serving as an affordable pick for those new to the 21:9 world. It packs all the benefits of an ultrawide ratio with a high resolution, paired FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) capabilities for silky-smooth gameplay.

When stepping up to premium displays, this 34-inch ultrawide from LG is hard to beat. The display promises clear and smooth gameplay via a FreeSync-backed 1440p panel, curved for an immersive Halo PC experience.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.