From the day of its release until 2006 , 2 years later , Halo 2 was the most played game on Xbox Live . From the day of its initial release and up until mid-November 2006 , Halo 2 was the most popular video game on Xbox Live , even after the release of the Xbox 360 ; its position was eventually surpassed in 2006 by the 360-exclusive Gears of War . Halo and Halo 2 are still some of the most played games for the Xbox console .