If you’ve been holding off and waiting for Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) to bring its beloved “Halo” franchise to PlayStation consoles, then it appears you actually won’t have to wait that much longer. On October 24, Halo Studios announced that “Halo: Campaign Evolved” — a complete remake of the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” campaign — will be coming to PlayStation 5 in 2026. There’s no release date yet, but it will arrive “day and date” on Sony’s console.
The game is also set to release on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, and Steam. The remake will be playable on Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming as well. However, it’s the fact that the new remake will arrive on PS5 that will surely excite many gamers, with Brian “ske7ch” Jarrard, the Community Director of Halo Studios, sharing the news on the PlayStation Blog.
“For nearly 25 years, Halo has offered players an epic sci-fi universe to explore, unforgettable characters to meet, and exhilarating gameplay to experience together. From large-scale battles to friendships formed over late-night co-op sessions, Halo has always been more than just a game – it’s about the players who’ve made it part of their lives. From the beginning, we wanted to build a world with stories and experiences that bring people together. And now, for the first time, PS5 players will get to be part of that journey too.”
What is Halo: Campaign Evolved?
Based on all of the footage and details Halo Studios has shared, “Campaign Evolved” will be more than just a 1:1 remake of the original game. We’ve already seen that with the release of “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” which brought graphical updates to the second game while combining other “Halo” titles like “Halo: Reach” and “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary” into a single package.
“Halo: Campaign Evolved has been rebuilt from the ground up to honor the original while modernizing the experience.” Jarrard wrote in the PlayStation Blog post. Additionally, the missions have been upgraded with high-definition visuals as well as entirely new cinematics. Smoother controls and movement are also key to the evolution of “Halo: Campaign Evolved,” and a fully remastered soundtrack will accompany players as they make their way through Master Chief’s first adventure again.
Among the “surprises” that fans can expect are three new prequel missions, as well as nine additional weapons. It sounds like these weapons have been taken from across the rest of the series, so it’s unlikely we’ll see anything entirely new. Players will also be able to jump into four-player online co-op, as well as old-school couch co-op with just two players. The game will also support cross-play and cross-progression across both console and PC, so more players than ever can jump into the Halo universe together.
Halo’s future is still a mystery
It is interesting to see Microsoft bringing one of its flagship franchises to the PlayStation, though it does feel like a smart play considering the recent woes surrounding Xbox Game Pass and its price hikes. Of course, Microsoft has been making major strides in recent years to talk about how it wants players to play its games no matter where they choose to play. And in that regard, bringing Master Chief to PS5 — especially with new visuals that could pull in a new generation of Halo fans — feels like a good move for the bottom line.
And while multiplayer won’t be part of this package, perhaps the release of “Halo: Campaign Evolved” is just the start of a brighter future for the alien-fighting Master Chief as he braves new frontiers by taking up residence in the living rooms of PlayStation fans. Based on the way Jarrard ended his PlayStation Blog post, it certainly sounds like there is more in the works.
