Xbox has unveiled its long-rumoured remake of Halo: Combat Evolved, and it’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, PC, Xbox Game Pass and PS5. Yes, you read that right. The iconic game that launched the original Xbox and created the brand’s flagship series will be available on a rival Sony console for the first time ever.
Announced during the Halo World Championship broadcast, Halo: Campaign Evolved is a “built from the ground up” 4K Unreal Engine 5 remake from developer Halo Studios. Halo Studios promises a modern remake that remains faithful to original developer Bungie’s Combat Evolved while making tweaks like “enhanced level design, updated cinematics, and improved wayfinding.” As the name suggests, however, Halo: Campaign Evolved centres around the original Combat Evolved single-player campaign and doesn’t include online competitive multiplayer, instead offering two-player splitscreen or four-player online co-op with cross-play support.
That said, mechanics from later Halo games have also been added, including sprinting, newly usable weapons like the Battle Rifle and Energy Sword, and vehicle hijacking. Other changes include three new prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson, a remastered soundtrack, updated sound design and more.
In a blog post, Halo Studios elaborated on its approach to making changes while preserving the original experience. According to creative director Max Szlagor, the team learned from the last remake of Combat Evolved, 2011’s Anniversary edition on Xbox 360, that “there was still an appetite for things like better wayfinding, navigation, and diversity in enemy encounters.”
A key example of how this informed the development of Campaign Evolved is the infamous Library level, which has been criticized by fans for its repetitive structure and confusing layout. For Campaign Evolved, Halo Studios says it “wanted to reevaluate the pacing and enhance the environmental storytelling” of The Library, which includes Guilty Spark helping to guide players while also having new dialogue to flesh out the narrative.
See below for a comparison of the original Combat Evolved and Campaign Evolved:
Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch sometime in 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Steam and PlayStation 5. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one. MobileSyrup also got to play an early build of Halo: Campaign Evolved — check out our full preview for more.
Notably, Halo: Campaign Evolved is the latest Xbox game to make its way to PS5 as part of the Microsoft-owned company’s broader multiplatform push. This includes the recently launched Gears of War: Reloaded, Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves and Hi-Fi Rush. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will also come to PS5 in December.
Image credit: Xbox
