David Bridges
Highlights
- Release Date: Halo: Campaign Evolved is set to launch in 2026 for Xbox, PC, and PS5.
- Gameplay Features: The remake will offer updated visuals, refined controls, and brand-new prequel missions.
- Multiplayer Options: Two-player splitscreen co-op and cross-platform play with PS5 will be available for the first time.
- Engine Upgrade: The game is developed using Unreal Engine 5 for enhanced graphics and gameplay experience.
Before there’s a new Halo game, Halo Studios is revisiting the past. Xbox has announced Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the first game in the storied shooter series, Halo: Combat Evolved, developed by Halo Studios and coming to Xbox, PC, and PS5 in 2026.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is described as “a faithful yet modernized remake” of the first game’s campaign, with updated visuals and cinematics, “refined controls,” and “three brand-new prequel missions featuring the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson.
The game will feature new weapons, vehicles, and enemies, along with the all-important option for two-player splitscreen co-op on console. The game will also support cross-platform play with PS5 for the first time, and four-player online co-op between consoles and PC.
Notably, Campaign Evolved is built in Unreal Engine 5. Halo Studios announced it would focus on Unreal development when it rebranded from 343 Industries in 2024. Besides the new visuals and controls, the remake will also include tweaks to memorable missions from the original game as a way to better onboard new players into Halo’s world.
“We wanted to start where it all began, with the original campaign that defined Halo,” producer Damon Conn said in the blog post announcing the game. “Starting here means people that have never played the game before will be able to understand the story from the very beginning, and that can help us chart a course forward with new Halo stories.”
Halo: Campaign Evolved will be available in 2026 for Xbox Series X / S, PS5, and PC.
Daniel Mercer
Brandon Fletcher
