The Covenant Empire, also referred to as The Covenant, were a large hegemony made up of various alien species which maintained control of a large portion of the Orian Arm in the Milky Way Galaxy. They worship the Forerunners and the Halo Array that they created.

The Covenant waged a massive war against humanity, called the Human-Covenant War or the Great War, when they learned that humans were directly related to the Forerunners and could use their technology. This proved their beliefs invalid, which could destroy the empire. The war lasted roughly twenty-eight years and ended with defeat for The Covenant, which was largely due to an inside struggle known as the Covenant Civil War. After the war, only small fragments of Covenant forces remained.

There are many species conscripted into The Covenant, many after being conquered. These include the San 'Shyuum (Prophets), Sangheili (Elites), Jiralhanae (Brutes), Huragok (Engineers), which were actually an articifial species created by the Forerunners, Mgalekgolo (Hunters), Yanme'e (Drones/Buggers), Kig-Yar (Jackals/Skirmishers), and Unggoy (Grunts).

The Covenant have been featured as antagonists in every Halo game, and are a fundamental part of the Halo universe.