Image Credit: Bethesda
Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

Halo 5: Guardians Will Have Dedicated Servers

Halo 5 will have dedicated servers instead of P2P.
This article is over 9 years old and may contain outdated information

Josh Holmes, Halo 5: Guardians‘ Studio Head, gave us some interesting information yesterday about the future of Halo 5‘s multiplayer.

Recommended Videos

While he was answering a few questions on Team Beyond’s discussion forum, a member asked if we would have dedicated servers for all games instead of using peer-to-peer servers.

For those that don’t know, with peer-to-peer (or P2P), a single player is chosen to host the game, which is usually the player with the best connection. Because everything that happens in the game happens on the host’s console first, the host has an advantage over the other players.

Having dedicated servers removes that advantage, because instead of having a game hosted by a player, it is hosted by Microsoft’s servers. This will make the games in Halo 5 MP a lot more balanced.

So I’m sure you can imagine our enthusiasm when Holmes responded:

“We only have dedicated servers for MP in Halo 5: Guardians. That’s true for matchmaking AND customs. There is no P2P.”

Fans of the Halo-franchise have been requesting this feature for years. What we didn’t expect was to have dedicated servers for custom matches as well, which is a very pleasant surprise.

Of course, there is a downside to this. (There always is.)

Having dedicated servers for custom matches means fairer matches, but it also means that playing custom games becomes impossible if Microsoft’s servers go down. This is risky. But the trade-off will definitely be worth it.


GameSkinny is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author