Halo: Campaign Evolved is a gorgeous remake that debuts on PS5 and Xbox in 2026
**Halo: Campaign Evolved – A Groundbreaking Remake for the 25th Anniversary**
As the 25th anniversary of the iconic Halo franchise approaches, Halo Studios is set to unveil **Halo: Campaign Evolved**, a full remake of the beloved *Halo: Combat Evolved*, which originally launched alongside the first Xbox in 2001. Scheduled for release in 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and for the first time, PlayStation 5, this ambitious project promises to deliver a modernized experience while honoring the essence of the original game. Featuring a completely rebuilt campaign with stunning 4K visuals, new weapons, vehicles, and an exciting four-player online co-op mode, *Campaign Evolved* aims to captivate both new players and long-time fans alike.
I had the opportunity to experience a prerelease demo of the *Silent Cartographer* mission, a level that holds a special place in Halo history as it was also used in the original demo for PC and Mac. The remake opens with updated cinematics and improved voice lines, showcasing the significant enhancements made to both visuals and animations. Greg Hermann, the technical director at Halo Studios, emphasized that this remake is not just a simple graphical overhaul; the team meticulously revisited the original cinematics, blocking, and sequencing to create a more immersive experience. The original voice actors have returned to re-record their lines, adding a layer of authenticity that enhances the overall fidelity of the game.
In addition to the visual and auditory upgrades, *Campaign Evolved* introduces new gameplay mechanics and AI behaviors, such as the ability to sprint, which accelerates movement and combat dynamics. A notable addition is the redesigned Warthog, now featuring an extra seat for cooperative play. The game also includes three new bonus missions that serve as prequels to the main storyline, offering fresh environments and character interactions, particularly between Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson. Furthermore, the remake boasts a plethora of gameplay modifiers known as “skulls,” providing players with an extensive range of difficulty options, ensuring that even the most seasoned Halo veterans will find a challenge.
While fans may be disappointed to learn that *Campaign Evolved* will not include multiplayer modes, the focus on delivering a rich single-player experience is clear. The developers have access to original assets and storyboards, allowing them to remix and remaster the music alongside the upgraded visuals. This dedication to preserving the spirit of the original game while pushing the boundaries of modern technology sets a promising precedent for future Halo titles. As we await the release in 2026, *Halo: Campaign Evolved* stands as a testament to the franchise’s legacy and its commitment to evolving while honoring its roots.
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Halo Studios has created something special for the 25th anniversary of
Halo
next year.
Halo: Campaign Evolved
is a full remake of the original
Combat Evolved
that launched alongside Microsoft’s first Xbox console in 2001. It has a fully rebuilt campaign with 4K visuals, new weapons and vehicles, a four-player online co-op mode, and brand-new story content.
And it’s all coming to the Xbox Series X / S, PC, and — for the first time — PlayStation 5 in 2026.
I’ve been playing a prerelease demo section of The Silent Cartographer mission this week to get a feel for all the changes. It’s the same level that was used as the demo version of
Halo: Combat Evolved
for both Mac and PC, but this remade version opens immediately with updated cinematics, improved voice lines, and greatly overhauled visuals and animations.
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It looks and feels distinctively
Halo
, but then I started sprinting toward a rebuilt Warthog that has an extra seat at the rear and I realized there’s a lot going on in
Campaign Evolved
beyond its Unreal Engine 5-powered visuals.
“We did this work on
Halo
Anniversary
. There were certain things that we weren’t able to achieve at that time, there were certain things we weren’t able to do,” says Greg Hermann, technical director at Halo Studios. “As we were building this out, we didn’t just put a coat of paint over the original cinematics. We ended up revisiting exactly how they were blocked out, how they were sequenced, and how they were put together. We’ve done that across the board.”
Halo Studios even brought in the core voice actors of
Combat Evolved
to re-record their lines. It was something I noticed immediately as The Silent Cartographer mission loaded in. “This really provides a degree of fidelity that we weren’t able to do for
Halo
Anniversary
,” says Hermann.
The iconic vistas in
Halo
have also been rebuilt, as well as the alien architecture and environments. It’s really designed to be the ultimate remake of the original campaign that’s both welcoming to new players and also built in a way that respects Bungie’s original creation and story.
“Whenever we make a change, the number one thing is to be true to the original game,” says Dan Gniady, lead game designer at Halo Studios. Gniady joined Halo Studios last year and previously worked on the original releases of Bungie’s
Destiny
and
Destiny 2
titles.
Halo Studios has access to the original source assets and code for
Halo
, as well as the original storyboards. That’s allowed the team to remaster and remix the music alongside the cinematic change and huge visual upgrades. All of the new content in the game is created in UE5, and it’s layered on top of the systems and code used for the original game to maintain that unique
Halo
feel.
Campaign Evolved
includes three new bonus missions. “It was really important that we preserved the original story as it is, so these missions are meant to be a prequel setup for the main chorus,” says Max Szlagor, studio design director at Halo Studios. “These new missions are going to offer some new opportunities for character interactions between Chief and Johnson.” The missions will include new environments, gameplay, characters, and enemies.
There are also new mechanics and AI behaviors. Perhaps the most obvious is the ability to sprint in the game, which makes everything from combat to moving around missions feel a lot faster. There’s even a new seat in the Warthog, affectionately referred to as the golf cart seat or bumper seat by Halo Studios’ developers. It will be ideal for co-op missions, as someone can now hang off the rear of the Warthog.
Up to four people can play this campaign together online, regardless of what platform they’re on, thanks to crossplay and shared progression across console and PC. There’s also two-player split-screen co-op local play on consoles, just like the original game. “We will make some of the spaces larger, and we also want to make sure we’re authentic to the encounters themselves,” says Szlagor. “So it’s a balancing act between that difficulty tuning and making those encounters the right size for the right space.”
Halo Studios has rebuilt every part of the original game so movement, aiming, and weapons and look and feel like a modern
Halo
game.
All of the weapons have been remodeled and rebuilt with higher fidelity, so the look, feel, and sound of weapons is far better than what Halo Studios achieved with the remastered versions; the plasma effects from guns will even fully light up the indoor environments. You can also aim down sights with all guns now, and there are nine additional weapons from across the
Halo
series available in
Campaign Evolved
— including the ability to pick up an Energy Sword after you’ve killed an Elite. If you’re a fan of the vehicles in
Halo
, you’ll even be able to hijack enemy ones, so you can pilot a fully drivable Wraith in this campaign.
If you want to amp up the difficultly, Halo Studios is leaning even more on skulls in this remake, the gameplay modifiers from
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
. There are dozens of skull options in
Campaign Evolved
, “the most we’ve ever had in a
Halo
game,” says Szlagor. There are so many that the developers don’t think it will even be possible to complete the game on legendary mode with all skulls turned on. “There’s a lot, so if you can do a true legendary all-skulls-on run, let us know because I’d love to see it,” says Gniady. I’m sure a hardcore
Halo
fan will find a way next year, though.
Halo Studios has remade entire environments in
Campaign Evolved
.
The one thing that’s missing from
Campaign Evolved
is multiplayer.
The original game had local multiplayer and maps, but it launched before Xbox Live, so there was never any official online multiplayer. While the PC version added online play, Halo Studios is sticking purely to the campaign element of the original
Halo
game. The
Halo
franchise is known for its multiplayer, but this really started with
Halo 2
. I did ask Microsoft to comment about the lack of multiplayer, but the company refused to discuss it.
Even without multiplayer,
Campaign Evolved
is a blueprint for future
Halo
games. “For future titles, we will continue to push the boundaries of technology while ensuring the core
Halo
gameplay for that game can be seen, felt, heard, and evolved where needed,” says Hermann.
Halo: Campaign Evolved
is coming in 2026 to the Xbox Series X / S, PC, and PS5. It’ll be a day one game with Game Pass Ultimate / PC Game Pass, and will also support Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Play Anywhere.
