HCS Charlotte 2025: Halo Infinite's Regular Season Finale

All of Halo's elites are about to descend on Charlotte, North Carolina, for the penultimate chapter in Halo Infinite's HCS story.

The dust has settled on HCS Salt Lake City, and what's left in its wake is Shopify Rebellion, reigning supreme after a heroic performance against OpTic Gaming in the Grand Finals. These two teams have clashed time and time again, and with Worlds on the horizon, the race is only getting more intense.

Ahead of the big weekend, there are still plenty of questions. Can the defending champs stave off another OpTic Gaming comeback? Will home field advantage propel FaZe back into the Grand Finals after another near miss? There's more to play for than just a share of $250,000, and all of the best teams in the world certainly feel the pressure.

In case you need a refresher, we've got the tale of the tape ahead of Halo Infinite's regular-season finale.

FAVORITES FOR A REASON

Before the Salt Lake City event, it was OpTic Halo that dominated the 2025 HCS season, and even after falling short, it's hard not to look at them as the favorites.

Lqgend's objective work has been second to none all year long. He's public enemy number one for any team hoping to slow down the Green Wall. Of course, that's easier said than done when fighting off FormaL, Bound, and Renegade in the process. These three account for a veritable dragon's hoard of championships in Infinite. All of them have won at the highest level and have shown no sign of slowing down.

A singular slip-up shouldn't concern fans too much, especially since the problem was crystal clear: in the Grand Finals of Salt Lake City, Slayer was this squad's Achilles heel. It's a mode they've dominated all year, so if they can find their form and get back to trading effectively, there's no reason to think they're out of the race. A pool play meeting with OMiT will set the tone for OpTic's chances in the rest of the tournament. One decisive result could be just the push they need to reclaim their top spot.

Shopify Rebellion, on the other hand, still has something to prove. They've been a Top 3 squad all year, and while the last tournament proved they can put it all together and bring it home when it matters, there are still some problems to work out. LastShot brought the fire to Salt Lake City, dominating throughout the Grand Finals. He'll need to double down on that performance to keep the momentum up.

SR snuck away a Fortress CTF victory to help seal the deal on their breakthrough, but otherwise dropped every OBJ mode to OpTic. The good news? Royal2 is still at the top of his game. He was top of the leaderboard at SLC, and as a 14-year veteran of the game, there's no one better to fix the boys up ahead of another potential clash with FormaL and friends. This is his team's opportunity to draw even with the Green Wall and level the playing field ahead of the big one. Expect him to deliver another classic performance on the way there. 

GRUDGE MATCH ON MAIN STAGE

Shopify and OpTic aren't the only threats, of course. FaZe will be the home team in Charlotte, and Lucid, Trippy, Pznguin, and SnakeBite definitely know how to win. That's a potent combination for the red side. Now, with all of the drama of a mid-season roster shakeup firmly behind them, they have one last chance to right their wrongs and break through their second place ceiling. FaZe's chances live and die with Lucid, a top five-caliber player whose takeover potential is unparalleled. Every single team FaZe squares off against will be trying to keep him pinned down.

With that in mind, the narrative between FaZe and Spacestation Gaming writes itself. It's no secret that Lucid and Stellur have developed a rivalry after starting the year as teammates. What was once a star-studded team-up quickly dissolved into a bitter feud between two of the best in the world. FaZe sent SSG home back in August, but sparks will fly once more if these two teams collide in a bracket play rematch.

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StelluR has also been in a different class of Halo Infinite players. His presence on the map makes teams adjust to him, and though SSG has been streaky this season, he's still a force to be reckoned with at every turn. Just like Lucid, allowing StelluR to catch fire could spell disaster for any team. Look out for their showdown with Envy in the battle for Pool D dominance, and expect Spacestation to cruise early if they pull that one out.

LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER RAISES THE STAKES

Not only are Halo's top dogs squaring off for one last chance at regular-season glory, but every team is also playing for something bigger. HCS Charlotte represents the final weekend to secure a spot at The Big One. The top four teams that miss the Pro Points threshold will collide with the top four Open Bracket performers in a fiery win-and-in Last Chance Qualifier for HCS Worlds.

These best-of-five matchups leave no room for error. Every single player needs to be at the top of their game to survive. A misstep here means packing it up for the year and watching the end of Infinite from the sidelines.

This is it. One last opportunity for players to ascend into the upper echelon of Halo before the clock strikes midnight on Halo Infinite's HCS tenure. After this, all that's left is the battle for World Championship supremacy — and the right to send the game off as the last real champion.

Want to catch all of the action live? Tune into the official Halo Twitch channel at 12 pm ET on October 3rd.