Halo: Campaign Evolved Announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 24 October 2025 / 9,319 Views
Publisher Xbox Game Studios and developer Halo Studios have announced Halo: Campaign Evolved for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass. It will launch in 2026.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a complete remake of the original campaign from Halo: Combat Evolved using Unreal Engine 5.
The remake features 4K visuals, updated animations, remastered music, re-recorded voice lines, weapons and vehicles from later Halo titles, and three new bonus prequel campaign missions.
View the announcement trailer below:
View a 13 minutes long gameplay demo video below:
View the roundtable reveal below:
Hand-inspected 1:1 super clone watches that capture iconic design and deliver lasting performance.
Read details on the game below:
Experience where the legend begins.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful yet modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved‘s campaign. Experience the original story rebuilt with high-definition visuals, updated cinematics, and refined controls, plus three brand-new prequel missions featuring the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. A broader arsenal of weapons, vehicles, enemies, and gameplay-modifying “Skulls”—optional modifiers that change combat in fun and challenging ways—add fresh tactics and endless replayability.
Play it your way: solo, in two-player split-screen cooperative play (console only), or up to four-player online cooperative play with full cross-play and cross-progression support. Whether you’re discovering Halo for the first time or returning to the ring after 25 years, Halo: Campaign Evolved delivers an adventure that feels both timeless and brand new.
Discover the Ringworld
After crash landing on a mysterious ringworld known as Halo, the Master Chief is tasked with helping the remaining humans survive against overwhelming Covenant forces. Alongside his AI companion Cortana, he uncovers Halo’s dark secrets and fights to avert the annihilation of all life in the galaxy.
The Complete Campaign, Rebuilt
Battle through the original missions, newly rebuilt with enhanced level design, updated cinematics, and improved wayfinding, refined to keep the pace moving without losing the wonder, tension, or heroism of the original.
Cinematics and Audio Overhauled – Iconic vistas, alien architecture, and sci-fi wonders are reborn with all-new visuals, cinematics, and animations. The soundtrack has been remastered, the sound design updated for greater immersion, and new voice performances recorded with the primary cast.
Combat and Weapons Expanded
Classic Halo combat feels instantly familiar yet sharper than ever. Sprint, aim, and engage with refined precision. For the first time in Halo: Campaign Evolved, you can wield nine additional iconic weapons from across the series, including the Energy Sword, Battle Rifle, and Needle Rifle, giving you more ways to approach every fight.
Three New Prequel Missions
Join the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson in a brand-new arc set before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, featuring new environments, gameplay, characters, and enemies.
Play Solo or with Friends
Experience the full campaign in two-player split-screen cooperative play (console only) or four-player online cooperative play, complete with cross-play and shared progression across console and PC.
Drive, Hijack, Wreak Havoc
Whether you’re racing across the map in a Warthog or flipping it over with friends, vehicles have always been at the heart of Halo‘s fun. Now they go even further: for the first time in Halo: Campaign Evolved, you can hijack enemy rides and pilot a fully drivable Wraith, creating unforgettable chaos.
Remix Your Campaign for Endless Replayability
Use the campaign remix feature to return to any mission and remix the experience with the most gameplay-modifying “Skulls” ever in a Halo campaign. These optional modifiers add challenge and variety with randomized weapons, enemies, and environments.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can follow the author on Bluesky.
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Halo, gears and Forza all on playstation. The trifecta is complete.
I wonder why they didn't bring over the MCC and halo infinite too? They might just remake every single halo one by one and milk every release from every platform they can
I think they would rather consolidate the multiplayer experience across a single multiplat release rather than re-issue the online modes for each individual entry. Also take it as an opportunity to upgrade the games with the latest tech.
Engines, probably.
Guessing they wanted to get a strong start on PS so put their best foot forward, which isn’t Halo Infinite.
Also if Halo CE has a new standalone remake then that could clash with the MCC package.
Still possible they are both ported in the future though.
MCC would probably take way to long and cost way to much at this time. Also since they are moving the franchise to a new engine it makes way more sense to just do a SP of the original than trying to tackle such a big game like MCC.
Dead brand walking
Why do you believe that. Are you saying that the new Halo game on all platforms isn't going to sell.
I would assume he means the Xbox brand.
Xbox
Is the Sega brand dead because Sega doesn't have hardware anymore? I doubt this is the end of the brand and I even doubt its the end of the hardware. It will be the end of MS dependance on having a console for their gaming division but then again, things change.
First Microsoft game I’ll have ever purchased day one. This looks gorgeous!
It is pretty much exactly what I've wanted in a Halo Combat Evolved remake.
Halo Combat Evolved is one of my most replayed campaigns for any game. This is pretty much what I wanted in a remake. Tweaks to the level design, more tweaks to levels like The Library, bringing in weapons and vehicles from later Halo games, and even 3 new missions!
If this performs well I can see Halo Studios following what Capcom has done with Resident Evil. Halo 1 remake, Halo 7, Halo 2 remake, etc
Well, there it is.
For me it's bitter sweet. I am happy that Halo CE is getting brought forwards... But it's already had a remake and a remaster. (Anniversary and then MCC)
But Halo 3 which I personally believe is mechanically superior to Halo CE in almost every way has been ignored for almost 20 years... And it's the best selling title in the franchise ironically enough.
It was a remaster.
If you check places like Xbox, Steam or Wikipedia all if these refer to it as such.
At face value much of the upgrade is visual changes based on the same mechanics and design of the original, as opposed to this new one which
completely overhauls it.
This is from the games’ description in Steam:
“Now optimized for PC, relive the spectacularly remastered edition of the original Halo campaign”
It was a remake on the full Saber3D engine, it ran the old game engine not for the logic, but so you can switch between the two.
Essentially you were running two copies of the games at once.
The Saber3D remake had new textures, new shaders, new geometry, new audio and included new content like skulls, achievements, audio-logs via in-game terminals,
A remake is a game built from the ground up with a new engine, updated graphics, and often changed gameplay and story, while a remaster improves an existing game by updating its graphics, audio, and performance without changing the core design.
The key difference is that a remake rebuilds from scratch, while a remaster enhances existing assets.
And with Halo Anniversary being built on a new game engine with entirely new assets, it's a remake whilst staying true to the original.
This UE5 remake is also staying true to the original and adding in new content... As we can see from the 1:1 comparisons of the silent cartographer.
It was a remake on the full Saber3D engine, it ran the old game engine not for the logic, but so you can switch between the two.
Essentially you were running two copies of the games at once.
The Saber3D remake had new textures, new shaders, new geometry, new audio and included new content like skulls, achievements, audio-logs via in-game terminals,
A remake is a game built from the ground up with a new engine, updated graphics, and often changed gameplay and story, while a remaster improves an existing game by updating its graphics, audio, and performance without changing the core design.
The key difference is that a remake rebuilds from scratch, while a remaster enhances existing assets.
And with Halo Anniversary being built on a new game engine with entirely new assets, it's a remake whilst staying true to the original.
This UE5 remake is also staying true to the original and adding in new content... As we can see from the 1:1 comparisons of the silent cartographer.
The Saber 3D engine replicated the old engine within its framework meaning the core systems and game logic were retained as that was essential to the 1 to 1 swapping ability. Updated graphics and the original graphics were then accessible at the drop of a hat as both were overlaid around this singular logic. Thats an extensive remaster not a remake. In the same way Bluepoints work on Demon Souls, or Virtuous' work on Oblivion are remasters. If the core logic and systems are left intact and its the visual and audio overlay that have been changed then that remains a remaster.
A remaster is taking the existing game, assets and game engine and simply improving it with higher resolutions, better texturing filtering.
A remake is a total top-to-bottom rebuild of all assets on a new game engine.
Halo anniversary is a remake. Halo Anniversary in the MCC is a remaster... As it runs at 4k with 16x Anisotropic filtering and improved Anti-Aliasing whilst not adjusting the Anniversary assets.
Halo Anniversary in the MCC is an upscaled port as it is the exact same game as the original anniversary edition, bar increased resolution. To call that a remaster lowers the bar in terms of the meaning of the word.
And I really don’t get why you insist Halo CEA is a remake when even Microsoft and Halo Studios disagree with you.
I mean.. Anniversary and MCC were very much the exact same game
I wouldn't personally count that as 2 separate games at all... literally just repackaged onto better hardware.
Anniversary was a total rebuild of assets on a new game engine.
Anniversary in the MCC was a remaster as it just ran the game at a higher resolution.
The Original CE was also remastered in the MCC thanks to the improved texture filtering and resolution.
In short...
Halo CE on OG Xbox. > Remade for Xbox 360 with anniversary > CE and Anniversary both remastered on Xbox One/Xbox Series in MCC.
Halo:CE Anniversary is a remaster, just like Halo 2 Anniversary. Both got a new coat of paint. It has a bit more than most remasters, but that's mostly the extent of it aside from adding skulls and terminals. The studio themselves refer to those games as remasters. This new game is a remake since it's not only a change in paint, but includes gameplay changes and new content.
MCC is a collection of remastered games.
It ran on a new game engine with new assets and content. It is definitely more than a remaster.
While also running on original engine the entire time. Running on a new engine doesn't automatically make something a remake. These are what all remasters should strive for. Not something that could be a free update.
I was hoping for a Halo 3 remake for its 20th anniversary in 2027. That seems unlikely, considering this launching next year.
Will be interesting to see how well it translates to UE5.
This is exactly what I was hoping for! A faithful retelling of Halo:CE with updated gameplay and new content.
Honestly... It looks great
Happy to see the cross platform 4 player coop
Cant wait to see what the new multiplayer game ends up looking like...
Never thought after 25 years will we see the Holy Trinity making it's way to the rival console r.i.p box
That does feel a little weird. Only thing weirder would probably be Mario or Zelda on Playstation.
If someone had told me, back in 2001, while playing Halo, that in twenty-four years, Microsoft would be killing Xbox and re-releasing that exact same game again on Playstation 5, I would have started collecting for Atari-PS2 while the games were pennies on the dollar.
What a creatively bankrupt industry.
UE5, prepare for a stutter fest
Awesome Halo Studios flexing their muscles like The Coalition did with their first game in Gears Ultimate, getting the feel of the IP before making the new game.
I need a reason to jump back into Halo 1 again, Shame about the lack of MP, but its understandable since Infinite is still active.
It's nice to see the original armor, but I don't think anything quite compares to the retro feel of throwing a really slow hand grenade over Blood Gulch.
I will buy it for PS5 if it is complete on the disc.
It looks stunning. I love Halo 1's campaign. But I also feel like Halo is a franchise that's unable to move forward.
It's been creatively cooked since the trilogy ended.
Wow, this feels like a big moment in gaming history. Speaking about the game, I don't know anything about Halo (I've been a PS player for most of my life) but the couch co-op for the campaign has me really intrigued. I hope they release the game fully on-disc like they did for Gears though! None of that incomplete build BS like Bethesda has been doing recently.
