Halo Campaign Evolved: everything we know before July 28, 2026

July 28, 2026. Halo Campaign Evolved is coming out on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and — for the first time in the entire history of the franchise — on PlayStation 5. Not a quick port, not a remaster with a touch-up. A complete remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5.

The Premium early access actually started today, on July 23. In five days, it's open to everyone. If you're wondering what the game really contains, how much it costs, if your PC setup can handle it, and why everyone is talking about it — you're in the right place.

Don't confuse with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the 2011 remaster that slapped HD textures on the original engine. Halo Campaign Evolved, it's something else. Bungie's Blam! engine? Gone. Everything has been rebuilt from scratch in Unreal Engine 5 by Halo Studios.

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Environments, animations, lighting, physics — everything is redone. We're talking about Lumen, Nanite, the complete UE5 package version 2026. The result looks like a modern game, not a product from 2001 with an Instagram filter.

Another important point: it is campaign only . No competitive multiplayer. No Slayer, no CTF, no Big Team Battle. The focus is entirely on the campaign, solo and co-op. It will disappoint some, but at least the studio didn't try to tack on a rushed multiplayer alongside. And Halo Infinite is still there for PvP.

The remake takes the 10 original missions of Combat Evolved, but adds a bunch of stuff. It's not just "the same game but prettier".

A completely new narrative arc, a prequel that takes place before the events of the original Halo. Three missions, 100% original content. The kind of bonus that can justify the purchase even for those who know the campaign by heart for 25 years.

The Assault Rifle, the Magnum Pistol, the Shotgun, the Sniper - all the original arsenal is there. But the remake adds 9 weapons taken from the sequels: Energy Sword, Battle Rifle, Fuel Rod Gun, Sentinel Beam, Needle Rifle, SMG, Brute Plasma Rifle, Spiker, and Beam Rifle . The Energy Sword against the Flood in the library corridors, it's going to be intense.

In Halo 2001, it's impossible to drive the Covenant Wraith. It's fixed. And the vehicle hijack system from Halo 2 is integrated — you jump on an enemy Banshee or Ghost, you remove the pilot, you take control. Warthog wins a fourth seat at the back so that the whole co-op squad can ride together.

The Skulls are gameplay modifiers - more aggressive enemies, crazy physics, confetti grenades, that kind of madness. 42 Skulls , it's massive. And the mode Campaign Remix goes further: it randomizes the placement of enemies, the behavior of weapons, and environmental effects. Each run is different. For replayability, this is clearly the big argument.

Last detail: the sprint is included but deactivatable . Purists who want to rediscover the classic pace without sprint can turn it off with a toggle. Good decision by the studio.

Maybe the best news of the package. Online co-op is rising to 4 players with some complete cross-play between PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. And the cross-progression is part of the game — you start on PC, you continue your save on PS5 at a friend's house, everything follows.

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• 4 players in online co-op — cross-play PC / PS5 / Xbox
• 2 players in split-screen on console (PS5 and Xbox)
• Cross-progression among all platforms
• PS Plus not required for local split-screen on PS5
• PS Plus required for online co-op on PS5
• Microsoft account required for player 2 in split-screen PS5

A Spartan on PS5 co-ops with a buddy on Xbox and another on PC — the 2001 forums would have exploded. And the 4-seater Warthog makes perfect sense in co-op: the whole squad gets in, one at the wheel, one on the turret, two passengers.

Windows 11 22H2 mandatory . No Windows 10. It's one of the first big games of the year to require it, and that's going to upset some people. Disk space side: 100 GB on SSD , final point. No HDD.

On the tech side, it's complete: the game supports DLSS, FSR, XeSS, and TSR — so whatever your GPU (Nvidia, AMD, Intel Arc), you have upscaling available. Adding Nvidia Reflex, AMD Anti-Lag and XeLL to reduce latency, plus a completely unrestricted framerate. Your 240 Hz screen will serve a purpose.

One point to note: the "High" setting for 4K/60 requires an RTX 3080 Ti or RX 9070 with 32GB of RAM. That's powerful. With a mid-range setup like RTX 4060 / RX 7600 XT, 1440p will be comfortable but native 4K will be tight. Upscaling will be your best friend in this case.

Standard - $49.99 (~49.99 €). The full game: original campaign, Operation: METEORITE, co-op, Skulls, Campaign Remix. All the gameplay content is in it.

Premium - $69.99 (~69.99 €). The game + early access 5 days before + Alpha Halo Armory Pack (5 Master Chief armor skins, 6 weapon skins) + digital artbook + short story + manual. Mainly cosmetic, nothing that changes the gameplay.

Upgrade Premium — $20 For those who have the Standard or who are on Game Pass. You only pay the diff for the Premium bonuses and early access.

And the Game Pass ? Yes. Halo Campaign Evolved is included in Game Pass from day 1 — PC, Console, Ultimate. However, early access and Premium cosmetics are not included, you need to upgrade for $20. Honestly, if you're already subscribed, the free base game is a decent deal. The skins, you can live without.

Yes. The base game is included in the Game Pass (PC, Console, Ultimate) from July 28. Early access and Premium bonuses require a $20 upgrade.

No. It's 100% campaign - solo or co-op up to 4 players. No PvP, no matchmaking. For competitive Halo multiplayer, Halo Infinite is still there.

Yes. 25 years of Xbox/PC exclusivity, over. Master Chief sets foot on PS5 for the first time. It's a historic moment for the franchise.

Split-screen local for 2 players: no, no need for PS Plus. Online co-op: yes, PS Plus is required on PS5. On Xbox, you need Game Pass Essential, Premium, or Ultimate to play online.

This is probably the best possible entry point. The first Halo, modern UE5 graphics, 3 prequel missions as a bonus, 42 Skulls for replayability, and 4-player co-op to discover with friends. If you want to understand why Halo is considered a monument of FPS, this is the place.

Halo Campaign Evolved ticks almost all the boxes. Complete UE5 remake, new content, 4-player co-op cross-play, historic arrival on PlayStation. The only point that can divide is the $50 price for a campaign-only game — but Game Pass solves that for a lot of people.

On July 28, Master Chief goes back to war. PC, Xbox, or PS5 — this time, no one is left on the bench.