 Halo 3 is a 2007 first @-@ person shooter video game developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360 console . The third installment in the Halo franchise , the game concludes the story arc begun in 2001 's Halo : Combat Evolved and continued in 2004 's Halo 2 . The game was released on September 25 , 2007 , in Australia , Brazil , India , New Zealand , North America , and Singapore ; September 26 , 2007 , in Europe ; and September 27 , 2007 , in Japan . Halo 3 's story centers on the interstellar war between twenty @-@ sixth century humanity and a collection of alien races known as the Covenant . The player assumes the role of the Master Chief , a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier , as he battles the Covenant . The game features vehicles , weapons , and gameplay elements not present in previous titles of the series , as well as the addition of saved gameplay films , file sharing , and the Forge map editor — a utility which allows the player to perform modifications to multiplayer levels . 
