# Halo 3 Rat > Halo 3 Rat is a 2020 shitpost meme launched by a deadpan tweet about an obscure low-polygon rat NPC from the 2007 game Halo 3, spreading through ironic edits across Twitter, Reddit, and iFunny. Halo 3 Rat is an ironic shitpost meme based on a tiny, low-polygon rat NPC found in the 2007 first-person shooter Halo 3. The meme went viral in August 2020 after a deadpan tweet simply reading "halo 3 rat" spread across Twitter, iFunny, and Reddit, spawning absurdist edits and an outpouring of affection for the unremarkable background critter. ## Origin Halo 3 launched on September 25, 2007, developed by Bungie for the Xbox 360[5]. The game shipped with these ambient rat models tucked into several campaign maps. On May 2, 2010, a Halo Alpha wiki user named Dragonclaws uploaded a screenshot of the rat from the Crow's Nest level[4]. The image sat mostly unnoticed for a decade. On August 13, 2020, Twitter user @sprngclean posted that Crow's Nest screenshot with just two words: "halo 3 rat." The tweet picked up over 690 retweets and 1,800 likes[4]. No commentary, no joke setup, no punchline. Just the rat. - **Platform:** Twitter (viral tweet), Halo Alpha wiki (source image) - **Creator:** @sprngclean (original viral tweet), @Fiyaproofmatch (key repost), Dragonclaws (Halo Alpha image uploader) - **Date:** 2020 ## Overview In Halo 3, players occasionally encounter small, non-hostile rat NPCs scurrying around certain campaign levels like Crow's Nest and Sierra 117[4]. The rats are low-detail background objects with gray fur, basic geometry, and no collision physics. They exist purely as ambient scenery, completely ignorable during gameplay. That's exactly what makes them funny. The meme strips away all the epic space-opera context of the Halo franchise and fixates on this tiny, forgettable rodent with the kind of deadpan reverence usually reserved for religious icons. ## How It Spread The tweet's screenshot started circulating within days. On August 23, 2020, Twitter user @Fiyaproofmatch posted "Thinkin about Halo 3 rat" alongside the image, pulling in over 170 retweets and 470 likes[4]. That same day, iFunny user Suh_shi reposted the screenshot, where it got featured on the app's front page and racked up more than 54,900 smiles in a single week[3]. The iFunny feature blew the image out to a much wider audience, and reposts spread rapidly across platforms[1]. On August 28, 2020, Redditor Geigerbuzz brought the meme to r/dankmemes with a shitpost edit that pulled 18,900 upvotes in three days[4]. After that, ironic edits and low-effort tributes to the Halo 3 rat flooded mainstream Reddit meme communities. Comment sections on related posts often devolved into users simply typing "halo 3 rat" and nothing else[2]. The meme's spread eventually inspired modders. A Halo 3 multiplayer mod appeared that replaced all player models with the rat, letting armed rodents scuttle around maps trying to shoot each other[2]. VG247 covered the mod, noting it was "likely inspired by the 'halo 3 rat' meme that went viral" and had "rapidly become a big Reddit in-joke"[2]. ## How to Use The Halo 3 Rat meme works best when played completely straight. The humor comes from treating this mundane background NPC with disproportionate sincerity. Common formats include: 1. **Deadpan caption:** Post the rat screenshot with a flat, matter-of-fact caption like "halo 3 rat" or "thinkin about halo 3 rat." No elaboration needed. 2. **Ironic devotion:** Express deep emotional attachment to the rat. "Why live if no halo 3 rat girlfriend" is a classic variation[1]. 3. **Shitpost edits:** Drop the rat into unrelated meme templates, motivational posters, or romantic contexts. 4. **Comment spam:** In any Halo-related discussion, reply with just "halo 3 rat." ## Cultural Impact The Halo 3 Rat meme tapped into a broader trend of 2020-era internet humor that found comedy in fixating on the most insignificant details of beloved games. The rat is a nothing asset, a background decoration that most players never consciously registered across thirteen years of Halo 3's existence. The meme's popularity pushed modders to build an entire multiplayer experience around the joke, turning Halo 3's competitive modes into rat-on-rat warfare[2]. Dedicated Halo community members also began cataloguing every rat appearance in the game with forensic detail. One Reddit thread documented that The Storm level contains dead rats near the AA gun that are actually more detailed than the live versions found in Crow's Nest, complete with visible nipples, more detailed feet, and closed eyes[3]. The live rats are gray and relatively simple, while the dead ones are browner and more anatomically precise[3]. This kind of obsessive documentation is exactly the energy the meme encouraged. ## Fun Facts - The Halo 3 rat image that went viral had been sitting on the Halo Alpha wiki since 2010, ten years before anyone turned it into a meme[4]. - The dead rats hidden in The Storm level are actually higher-quality models than the live ones, with more detailed tails and feet[3]. - VG247 predicted the meme was "going to get worse before it gets better"[2]. - The original viral tweet contained zero commentary. Just "halo 3 rat" and the image[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Halo 3 Rat? Halo 3 Rat is an ironic meme based on a small, non-hostile rat NPC found in the 2007 video game Halo 3. It went viral in August 2020 after a deadpan tweet featuring a screenshot of the rat[4]. ### Where did Halo 3 Rat come from? The source image was uploaded to the Halo Alpha wiki by user Dragonclaws in 2010, but the meme started on August 13, 2020, when Twitter user @sprngclean posted it with the caption "halo 3 rat"[4]. ### What does Halo 3 Rat mean? The meme is an exercise in ironic understatement. By treating an insignificant background NPC with deadpan sincerity, it plays on absurdist humor and the internet's tendency to latch onto the most trivial details of popular games[2]. ### How do you use Halo 3 Rat? Post the rat screenshot with a flat, understated caption. Common approaches include writing "halo 3 rat" with no further context, expressing exaggerated emotional attachment to the rat, or editing the rat into other meme formats[1]. ### Is Halo 3 Rat still popular? The meme peaked in late August and September 2020. It still surfaces in Halo communities and ironic meme spaces, and the multiplayer rat mod keeps the joke alive for players[2]. ### Which Halo 3 levels have rats? Rats appear as ambient scenery on levels including Crow's Nest, Sierra 117, and The Storm. The Storm also features hidden dead rat models near the AA gun[3]. ### Are the dead rats in The Storm different from the live rats? Yes. The dead rats found on a rock in The Storm are smaller, more brown, and significantly more detailed than the gray live rats in other levels. They have visible nipples, more detailed feet, and closed eyes[3]. ### Is there a Halo 3 Rat mod? A fan-made mod replaces all player models in Halo 3 multiplayer with the rat, creating matches where tiny armed rodents battle across the game's maps[2]. ### Who made the original Halo 3 Rat tweet? Twitter user @sprngclean posted the image on August 13, 2020, with only the words "halo 3 rat." The tweet received over 690 retweets and 1,800 likes[4]. ## References 1. [Thinkin bout Halo 3 rat - iFunny]() 2. [Halo 3 rat mod has you desperately trying to gun down enemy vermin | VG247]() 3. [Reddit - The heart of the internet]() 4. [Halo 3 Rat - Know Your Meme]() 5. [List of Pawn Stars episodes]() 6. [Halo 3]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/halo-3-rat Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library