After years of waiting, Halo Infinite is almost here. On December 8, gamers around the world will once again step into the Mjolnir boots of Master Chief and fight their way across a massive Halo ring world. Ahead of the game’s arrival, we’re highlighting Halo Infinite with one of our biggest cover stories in years. We’ve got 20 pages of in-depth detail on Infinite’s campaign and multiplayer, alongside a wealth of interviews with the development team at 343 Industries that brought the game to life.

We checked out the first three hours of the new game, finding out about new weapons, equipment, and upgrades. We finally learned about the freeform open world-style content fleshing out Master Chief’s adventures on Zeta Halo. We discovered the fascinating ties between this new game and the original Halo: Combat Evolved. And we learned about the exciting mystery at the heart of the story and how it simultaneously connects to the last game while moving the Halo narrative in a whole new direction. We’ll have a whole month of coverage devoted to Halo Infinite in the lead-up to launch, and you can find that hub of content by clicking on the banner below. To get us started, we’ve got a deep dive into the exploration and progression features of Halo Infinite.

In addition to our main cover, we’re thrilled to showcase the exclusive cover art appearing on this month’s Game Informer Gold. Limited to a numbered print run per issue, this premium version of Game Informer isn’t available for sale and is the only place you’ll find a printed version of this art. To learn about places where you might be able to get a copy of Game Informer Gold, check out our official Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. Click here to read more about Game Informer Gold.

Halo takes center stage in this new issue, but there’s lots more to discover. Ahead of the holiday, we recommend the ten best games to share with the family this holiday season. We look at the aftermath of huge success with the developers of games like Darkest Dungeon, Valheim, and Stardew Valley. You’ll also find our up-close and personal profile of independent gaming superstar Edmund McMillen and how his personal and professional life informed games like Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac. We recommend some of the best anime based on games and some of the best Xbox controllers on the market. And we spoke with Geoff Keighley about The Game Awards 2021, learning what fans can expect from one of the biggest awards shows in entertainment.

If you’re eager for more on the hottest games on the horizon, we’ve also got new looks at Bayonetta 3, Ghost Recon Frontline, Oxenfree 2, Weird West, and Gotham Knights, just to name a few.

Print subscribers can expect their issues to begin arriving in the coming days/weeks. The digital edition of this issue launches this afternoon for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. You can also get the latest issue through third-party apps on Nook and Kindle. To subscribe to either the digital or print version, click here.