During the Halo World Championships today, Microsoft and Halo Studios officially announced Halo: Campaign Evolved. It’s described as a "faithful yet modernized" remake of the 2001 game, and it's set for release in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will launch into Game Pass. And to be clear right up front, this is called Halo: Campaign Evolved because it's campaign-only. There is no head-to-head multiplayer, though online and local campaign co-op is supported.
The Unreal Engine 5-powered remake promises "upgraded visuals" and "refined controls," as well as online co-op for up to four players. Halo Studios added three new missions as well, along with more weapons, vehicles, and enemies. Here is a rundown of everything we know about the new remake.
Halo Studios is promising a suite of updates and upgrades to the classic game.
"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," reads a line from the game's description.
Halo Studios promises that the game’s environments have been "reborn with all-new visuals, cinematics, and animations." The soundtrack, too, has been remastered, with Halo Studios promising "greater immersion." The primary cast, presumably including Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana) is back, and they recorded new lines for the remake.
The Halo remake is coming in 2026.
In what may be a controversial change, the Halo: CE remake includes sprinting, which is something the early Halo games did not have. The lack of sprint is a defining feature of the older Halo games and something that players feel fondly for. Others, however, may be excited about sprinting and bringing the game up to modern standards. Sprint can be disabled if players want to do that.
There are nine new weapons coming to the Halo: CE remake, including the energy sword, which was equipped by enemies in the original version but couldn't be used by the player. As for the new missions, these are prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson in a "brand-new arc" that takes place before the events of the story you already know.
Another significant update is that players can hijack enemy vehicles and drive the Wraith--this was not possible in the original version of the game, and was introduced in Halo 2.
Players can also look forward to a "campaign remix" feature that allows players to take on any missions they want with a series of modifiers, or Skulls, to alter the experience with things like random weapons and enemies.
On the social side, the Halo: CE remake includes two-player split-screen co-op on console (not available on PC) or four-player online co-op. There is cross-play support and shared progressions between console and PC.
Halo is being remade again.
Microsoft released a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved back in 2011 Xbox 360 via Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. The game featured updated graphics and online multiplayer support for head-to-head matches, while it also gave players the ability to toggle between old and new graphics with the press of a button.
The game is included with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a compilation package featuring six Halo games. In addition to the anniversary edition of the first Halo game, the package includes Halo 2: Anniversary as well, with campaign and multiplayer support.
Rumors abounded that Microsoft was looking to bring Halo to not just the PS5 but also the Switch 2. However, Microsoft's announcement today made no mention of Switch 2. Call of Duty fans are also awaiting a new release on Switch 2, following Microsoft and Activision confirming on multiple occasions that it still plans to put Call of Duty on Switch someday.
In addition to Halo: Campaign Evolved, Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new live-service Halo game. Microsoft made no mention of this today, but confirmed previously that it had multiple new Halo games in the works. 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the Halo series, and the live-service project is rumored to launch next year along with Halo: Campaign Evolved.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
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The Unreal Engine 5-powered remake promises "upgraded visuals" and "refined controls," as well as online co-op for up to four players. Halo Studios added three new missions as well, along with more weapons, vehicles, and enemies. Here is a rundown of everything we know about the new remake.
"Reborn" visuals
Halo Studios is promising a suite of updates and upgrades to the classic game.
"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," reads a line from the game's description.
Halo Studios promises that the game’s environments have been "reborn with all-new visuals, cinematics, and animations." The soundtrack, too, has been remastered, with Halo Studios promising "greater immersion." The primary cast, presumably including Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana) is back, and they recorded new lines for the remake.
The Halo remake is coming in 2026.
Sprint
In what may be a controversial change, the Halo: CE remake includes sprinting, which is something the early Halo games did not have. The lack of sprint is a defining feature of the older Halo games and something that players feel fondly for. Others, however, may be excited about sprinting and bringing the game up to modern standards. Sprint can be disabled if players want to do that.
New guns and prequel missions
There are nine new weapons coming to the Halo: CE remake, including the energy sword, which was equipped by enemies in the original version but couldn't be used by the player. As for the new missions, these are prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson in a "brand-new arc" that takes place before the events of the story you already know.
Another significant update is that players can hijack enemy vehicles and drive the Wraith--this was not possible in the original version of the game, and was introduced in Halo 2.
Players can also look forward to a "campaign remix" feature that allows players to take on any missions they want with a series of modifiers, or Skulls, to alter the experience with things like random weapons and enemies.
On the social side, the Halo: CE remake includes two-player split-screen co-op on console (not available on PC) or four-player online co-op. There is cross-play support and shared progressions between console and PC.
Halo is being remade again.
Not the first remake
Microsoft released a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved back in 2011 Xbox 360 via Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. The game featured updated graphics and online multiplayer support for head-to-head matches, while it also gave players the ability to toggle between old and new graphics with the press of a button.
The game is included with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a compilation package featuring six Halo games. In addition to the anniversary edition of the first Halo game, the package includes Halo 2: Anniversary as well, with campaign and multiplayer support.
No Switch 2
Rumors abounded that Microsoft was looking to bring Halo to not just the PS5 but also the Switch 2. However, Microsoft's announcement today made no mention of Switch 2. Call of Duty fans are also awaiting a new release on Switch 2, following Microsoft and Activision confirming on multiple occasions that it still plans to put Call of Duty on Switch someday.
Not the only new Halo game
In addition to Halo: Campaign Evolved, Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new live-service Halo game. Microsoft made no mention of this today, but confirmed previously that it had multiple new Halo games in the works. 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the Halo series, and the live-service project is rumored to launch next year along with Halo: Campaign Evolved.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
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