In the Streets multiplayer map, if the player stands on an open trash can, the location call-out in the bottom-left corner of the screen will call it "Oscar's House". This is referencing the character Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street, who is famous for spending his entire life in a trash can.

In June of 2022, a cosmetic nameplate to commemorate the holiday Juneteenth was released but received much backlash due to a secondary palette for the nameplate being named, "Bonobo". The bonobo is a type of great ape, and many saw it as a racist connotation in association with the holiday. The nameplate was quickly renamed "Freedom", and an apology was issued, with 343 Industries' senior community manager John Junyszek later stating that the palette name originated from an asset-editing program commonly used at the studio, although it was not used in the development of Halo Infinite.