Halo Studios is preparing to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Halo with a major project that revisits the franchise’s origins. Scheduled for release in 2026, Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, the game first launched alongside the original Xbox console in 2001. This remake will be released on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and, for the first time in the series’ history, PlayStation 5. The project brings updated 4K visuals, new vehicles and weapons, expanded co-op features, and original story additions, all rebuilt using Unreal Engine 5.
Reimagining a classic campaign
Halo: Campaign Evolved has been designed to retain the core spirit and structure of the original game while introducing modern enhancements across visuals, gameplay, and narrative elements. The Silent Cartographer mission, familiar to long-time fans as one of the most recognisable early levels in the franchise, has been shown as a preview of what players can expect. The mission now features new cinematics, enhanced animations, and re-recorded voice lines from the original cast.
Greg Hermann, technical director at Halo Studios, explained the depth of the redesign. “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,” he said. “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, sequenced, and put together. We’ve done that across the board.”
Halo Studios had access to the original assets, code, and storyboards, which allowed them to honour the tone and intent of Bungie’s original release while updating visuals, environments, and music with modern tools and technology. The studio emphasised that every change was made with respect for the source material. “Whenever we make a change, the number one thing is to be true to the original game,” said Dan Gniady, lead game designer at Halo Studios.
New missions and mechanics
Halo: Campaign Evolved introduces three new optional missions designed as a narrative prelude to the main storyline. Studio design director Max Szlagor described how these new sections will expand the relationship between key characters. “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,” he said. “These new missions are going to offer some new opportunities for character interactions between Chief and Johnson.”
Gameplay mechanics have also been updated to reflect more modern shooter sensibilities. Players can now sprint, weapons have been rebuilt with higher fidelity and improved sound, and aiming down sights is possible across all guns. Additional weapons from later Halo titles have been introduced, including the Energy Sword, which players can obtain after defeating an Elite. Vehicle mechanics have also been expanded, with the ability to hijack enemy vehicles, and the redesigned Warthog features an additional rear seat for co-op play.
Co-op and crossplay support
Campaign Evolved supports up to four players through online co-op, with full crossplay across platforms. Console versions also include two-player split-screen local co-op, honouring the shared play style that made the original game memorable. Cross-progression allows campaign progress to carry seamlessly between platforms.
Difficulty modifiers known as skulls return in expanded form, offering what Szlagor described as “the most we’ve ever had in a Halo game.” Developers indicated that completing the campaign on legendary difficulty with all skulls active may be nearly impossible, though they acknowledged fans would likely attempt the challenge.
One notable omission is multiplayer. Halo Studios confirmed that Campaign Evolved focuses solely on the campaign experience. Microsoft did not provide further comment on the absence of a multiplayer component.
Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch as a day-one title on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, and will also support Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Play Anywhere.
