Halo: Campaign Evolved

Strong · 54 top critics · 60 articles · Jul 28, 2026

Halo Studios · Microsoft

What critics said

As a Halo fan, I’m genuinely proud of the work Halo Studios has done with Campaign Evolved, and it has me excited to see where the series goes from here. The original campaign was already as fun as ever, and the work put into this remake makes it look and play better without losing what made it special in the first place. The new Remix mode also adds a surprising amount of replayability, whether you’re playing solo or tackling the campaign cooperatively with friends. My biggest complaint is that I simply wanted more of the new prequel missions. After seeing what Halo Studios has accomplished here, I’m excited about the future of the franchise and hopeful that this success could eventually lead to remakes of Halo 2, Halo 3, or even Halo: Reach. Whatever comes next, I’m looking forward to seeing where Halo Studios takes it.

Eurogamer80

Halo: Campaign Evolved is more successful at being a reinvention of an FPS classic than it is a reproduction - and that needn't be a bad thing.

IGN70

Halo: Campaign Evolved speaks to the series' timelessness and adds a decent set of new missions, but it's a mostly a lean retread that's more of a test run for its future with Unreal Engine.

Show 17 more reviews ↓

PlayStation Universe85

Halo: Campaign Evolved news

Halo Studios Reveals Five Main Highlights In Campaign Evolved's Latest Update

Update: Out now on Xbox! We've got a new update coming to Halo: Campaign Evolved at some point over the next few days, and the folks over at Halo Studios have already revealed the five main highlights that will be featured as part of it. This has been detailed on social media, including the ability to turn off both Chromatic Aberration and Film Grain, fixes for the Magnified Skull, and tweaks to Sgt. Johnson to ensure mission progression doesn't get blocked. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Pure Xbox

Update

‘Out of scale, no mystery, damn ugly’ Halo’s original art director shares his thoughts on Campaign Evolved’s architecture

Combat Evolved's art director, Marcus Lehto, criticises Campaign Evolved's redesigned Halo ring

VGC / Dave Aubrey

Interview

Halo: Campaign Evolved PS5 Update Lands Next Week with Tech Fixes

A better Sgt. Johnson and updates to Jackals. Halo Studios has announced a new PS5 update for Halo: Campaign Evolved will go live next week that includes a raft of fixes and technical improvements. There'll be more to the patch, but the developer has shared some of the biggest things it's fixing with the update: Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Update

Halo: Campaign Evolved studio outlines five key updates that'll drop with next week's big patch

There's a new update coming to Halo: Campaign Evolved next week. The patch, which is targeting some of the biggest issues players have had with the game since its launch a few weeks ago, will arrive sometime between 17th August and 21st August (no fixed date has been announced yet).

Eurogamer / Dom Peppiatt

Update

Halo Studios Reveals Five Main Highlights In Campaign Evolved's Next Update

Arriving next week! We've got a new update coming to Halo: Campaign Evolved at some point over the next few days, and the folks over at Halo Studios have already revealed the five main highlights that will be featured as part of it. This has been detailed on social media, including the ability to turn off both Chromatic Aberration and Film Grain, fixes for the Magnified Skull, and tweaks to Sgt. Johnson to ensure mission progression doesn't get blocked. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Pure Xbox

Update

"The most offensive thing we see every time we boot up the game" Halo co-creator takes shots at Campaign Evolved art direction

It's been an interesting launch period for Halo: Campaign Evolved. Despite reviewing well, the game has failed to sell particularly well on PS5, where the low-effort Black Ops 1 and 2 ports seemingly outsold the Microsoft title 16-to-1. After the game shipped, multiple contract positions were terminated, and players have been taking umbrage with some of the mechanical and artistic changes to the game.

Eurogamer / Dom Peppiatt

Interview

Halo: Campaign Evolved struggles to sell in anywhere near the quantities the recent Black Ops revivals did, and the probable reason? Lack of multiplayer

Halo: Campaign Evolved - the remake of the original Halo 1 campaign and the first Halo game released on PlayStation - has struggled to sell in meaningful quantities, and the probable reason for it? A lack of multiplayer.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Business

Halo's Big Budget PS5 Remake Battered by Basic Black Ops Ports in Official PS Store Charts

Shoot to kill. The PS Store download charts for July have been revealed, and guess what topped them... No, it wasn't Halo: Campaign Evolved — the big budget, ground-up remake that marks Master Chief's PlayStation debut. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Business

Halo: Campaign Evolved Review

None of the changes in Halo: Campaign Evolved make a meaningful impact on the experience of the series’ origins. The post Halo: Campaign Evolved Review

This Week in Video Games / Ralph Panebianco

Review

Halo 1 Co-Creator Reveals His Verdict On The Campaign Evolved Remake

"Been slowly playing through Campaign Evolved on Heroic". Everyone's been sharing their thoughts on Halo: Campaign Evolved over the past couple of weeks since it first arrived with the Premium Edition, but what does the Halo 1 co-creator, Marcus Lehto, think of the game so far? Lehto played a massive role in bringing Halo to life back at the turn of the millennium, working in major roles on Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach before departing Bungie in 2011. In regards to Campaign Evolved, he

Pure Xbox

Interview

Halo Made Its PS5 Debut, So Now It's Time for Xbox to Lay Off the Team That Made It

Standard. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a “heroic” remake of an iconic game, and it’s available for the first time on PS5. (Although it may not be setting the sales charts alight, according to early estimates.) Now with the project out of the door, it’s time for the Xbox grim reaper to hit the people that made it with a round of layoffs. It must be fun finishing projects at Microsoft, eh? Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Business

Halo Studios jettisons long-serving contractors after launch of Halo: Campaign Evolved

Some of those departing worked at the Washington studio for multiple years.

Game Developer / Chris Kerr

Business

Halo Studios seemingly cut staff after Halo: Campaign Evolved launch, including a 6-year veteran producer

Update: Game Developer cite a source familiar as having told them that Halo Studios staff have "departed as a result of external contractor shifts" and that no full-time staff have been laid off. Original story below: Halo studios appear to have cut an unspecified number of staff following the release of Halo: Campaign Evolved last week. A number of contract workers at the studio have posted about their departures on LinkedIn within the past day or so. Halo Studios' parent company Microsoft, les

Rock Paper Shotgun / Mark Warren

Business

Halo: Campaign Evolved Reportedly Had a Troubled Development That Impacted a Now-Canceled Multiplayer Project

A new report suggests that Halo: Campaign Evolved had a fairly troubled development.

IGN / Cade Onder

Rumour

Feature: Halo: Campaign Evolved PC Looks Stunning - But Requires Further Optimisation

And we shouldn't require mods to add essential features. Halo: Campaign Evolved is an important milestone for developers Halo Studios and fans alike, offering a fully remastered version of the original Halo single-player experience using a new engine, Unreal Engine 5, for a wide range of systems. As John noted in our tech review, this is an impressive reimagining that manages to stay faithful to Bungie's version while providing significant modernisation steps. Read the full article on digitalfo

Digital Foundry

Preview

Halo: Campaign Evolved doesn't have split-screen on PC, but this mod fixes that, if you're willing to look past some quirks

Halo: Campaign Evolved is officially available now across PC and consoles. All versions are nearly identical in their feature sets. Nearly. That's because the PC version does not support split-screen co-op, leaving traditional online co-op as the only way to play with a buddy.

Eurogamer / Sherif Saed

Culture

Halo: Campaign Evolved's 'death barriers' and ungenerous out-of-bounds restrictions are making the 42 skull grind a real bore

Halo: Campaign Evolved is finally out for everyone, after five days of early access for players that pre-ordered its Premium Edition. But as the masses finally get to replaying Master Chief's debut adventure, one thing is starting to become abundantly clear: this isn't your daddy's Halo.

Eurogamer / Dom Peppiatt

Review

Halo on helium has arrived less than a week after modders got their hands on Campaign Evolved, though AI might've been used to chipmunk Chief and Cortana

Update: Exactly two minutes after publishing, I noticed that Halo - Chipmunk Edition's creator has AI-generated music videos on their YouTube channel. Laugh rescinded pending further evidence. Beware that searching for Halo: Campaign Evolved mods is very much a game of avoid/try to spot the AI use at the moment for those averse to the tech. Original story follows: Halo: Campaign Evolved's now it's out in full, so naturally the mods are flowing. In taking a look through the early ones, which incl

Rock Paper Shotgun / Mark Warren

Culture

Halo: Campaign Evolved Modders Have Already Added Iron Man, Carl Johnson From GTA, and More

Halo: Campaign Evolved already has a bunch of mods, including one which replaces Master Chief with CJ from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

IGN / Cade Onder

Culture

Not A Good Look For Xbox As Halo: Campaign Evolved Plays Best On PlayStation

The grass is bluer on the other side. The clever clogs at Digital Foundry have released arguably one of the most awkward console comparisons in recent memory, putting Halo: Campaign Evolved under some heat. When you hear about Halo, you think Xbox - they've been synonymous for decades. Master Chief has long served as the poster boy of Microsoft gaming exclusivity, with Halo Studios' latest remake the first Halo to launch on PlayStation hardware. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Pure Xbox

Hardware

Early Data Suggests Unspectacular Start for Halo on PS5

But story still to be written. How is Halo: Campaign Evolved doing on its PS5 debut? Fine – and we certainly need a lot more data to know for sure – but likely unspectacularly, all things considered. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Business

Here are all of the Halo: Campaign Evolved Armor Styles to switch up Chief’s look

The post Here are all of the Halo: Campaign Evolved Armor Styles to switch up Chief’s look appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Guide

Tentpole Xbox release Halo: Campaign Evolved performs better on the PlayStation 5, with the PS5 Pro providing the best experience

Halo: Campaign Evolved - the latest big budget release from Microsoft - is out and in the hands of sci-fi lovers on both PlayStation and Xbox. However, after some arduous testing, you might be surprised at which console runs it best.

Eurogamer / Connor Makar

Hardware

Halo Fares a Hair Better on PS5 Than Xbox, with PS5 Pro the Best Place to Play

Welcome to the dark side, Master Chief. Tech experts Digital Foundry have released one of the more interesting console comparisons of the generation, featuring Halo: Campaign Evolved. The long-time Xbox system seller is making its PlayStation debut with this single player remake, and Sony’s console is actually the best place to play. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Hardware

Feature: Halo: Campaign Evolved Scales Well from PS5 Pro to Xbox Series S Despite Its Full-Throated Unreal Engine 5 Features

A gorgeous, technically-astute remake of an all-time classic. Halo: Campaign Evolved marks the first time that a series title has launched simultaneously on Xbox and PlayStation consoles, with four target platforms varying significantly in performance terms. How does the new remaster and its Unreal Engine 5 underpinnings scale from Xbox Series S to PS5 Pro? And does this ambitious remake deliver a consistent experience across all four machines? Read the full article on digitalfoundry.net

Digital Foundry

Preview

Halo: Campaign Evolved Is Out Now

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved Is Out Now appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Xbox Wire / Joe Skrebels, XBOX Wire Editor-in-Chief

Release date

Halo: Campaign Evolved Is Available Today With Xbox Game Pass, And Here's A Bunch Of Free Master Chief Skins

Dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnn! Halo: Campaign Evolved is officially available worldwide on Xbox, PC, and PS5. It's still so surreal seeing Halo on a Sony console, but better yet, It's available day one with Xbox Game Pass! Hooray, confetti and grunt brains everywhere! The Standard Edition of Halo Studios' breathtaking remake is out now for everyone after a bit of a rocky start of paid early access, and Game Pass Ultimate players can now defrost the Master Chief and get busy bonking Covenant baddies.

Pure Xbox

Release date

All Halo: Campaign Evolved Skull locations and where to find each

Track down these collectible modifiers to remix missions.

PC Gamer / Sean Martin

Guide

What time does Halo: Campaign Evolved go live? Digital release time in your region

The game launches globally today, following its Early Access period

VGC / Chris Scullion

Release date

Halo: Campaign Evolved has launch Twitch Drops, and here’s what you need to know

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved has launch Twitch Drops, and here’s what you need to know appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Guide

How Halo Studios Evolved a Classic – Halo: Campaign Evolved | Official XBOX Podcast

On this episode of the Official XBOX Podcast, we’re sitting down with the Halo team to talk all things Halo: Campaign Evolved. We’re discussing the 25-year legacy of the iconic franchise, how the team upgraded and remade a classic for the modern era, what players can expect when they dive in, and we’re getting an […] The post How Halo Studios Evolved a Classic – Halo: Campaign Evolved | Official XBOX Podcast appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Xbox Wire / Jeff Rubenstein

Interview

Halo: Campaign Evolved Review - A Great Game Once Is Still Great On Fourth Release

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a great modern adaptation of Master Chief's maiden voyage. If the Bonus Missions are a sign of what's to come, I'm excited for the future of Halo

TechRaptor / Andrew Stretch

Review

Here’s the precise time Halo: Campaign Evolved releases in your region

The post Here’s the precise time Halo: Campaign Evolved releases in your region appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Release date

Don't Play Halo: Campaign Evolved on Steam Deck or Xbox Ally

The new Halo: Campaign Evolved looks terrible on low-end hardware like the Steam Deck and Xbox Ally, with worse image quality than the older Master Chief Collection. If you want to play Halo handheld, you're better off with the older game.

IGN / Jacqueline Thomas

Preview

If you’re looking for the Perspective Skull in Halo: Campaign Evolved, here’s its location

The post If you’re looking for the Perspective Skull in Halo: Campaign Evolved, here’s its location appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Guide

Halo: Campaign Evolved early adopters were unable to play the game on Steam as it kept forcing them to look at the art book instead

I mean, it is a pretty art book.

PC Gamer / James Bentley

Release date

Roundup: Here's What The Critics Are Saying About Halo: Campaign Evolved

The verdict is in. The Halo: Campaign Evolved embargo has officially lifted, and therefore we're seeing a massive number of reviews online for the latest first-party title in Xbox's lineup, including here at Pure Xbox where we gave it a 10/10 in our review! <related ids="204030"> Read the full article on purexbox.com

Pure Xbox

Review

'This Issue Should Be Resolved' - Halo Premium Upgrade Seemingly Fixed For Campaign Evolved

It launched with problems across Xbox and PC. Have you bought the Premium Edition or Premium Upgrade for Halo: Campaign Evolved, only to find it's not working properly? You're not alone - and Halo Support has now issued a statement about it. In a nutshell, it seems most Premium owners were unable to get early access across Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and the Xbox PC app when it began earlier today, and they're still being locked out at the time of writing. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Pure Xbox

Update

Halo Support 'Investigating' Issues With Premium Upgrade For Campaign Evolved

Pure Xbox

Update

Halo: Campaign Evolved Comparison Shows Difference Between Xbox Series X And Series S

How the Xbox versions stack up. Right then, here we go! Halo: Campaign Evolved has officially launched in early access for Premium Edition and Premium Upgrade owners today, and therefore we've got footage from both the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S versions to share. We're looking to the ever-reliable Fuzion Xbox Testing on YouTube for this, which always does a great job at providing gameplay for both consoles whenever a major new release arrives on the Series X and S. Read the full article on

Pure Xbox

Trailer

13 ways Halo: Campaign Evolved modernizes the iconic FPS

Halo: Combat Evolved is a landmark game that helped define the experience of early console first-person shooters. But with Halo: Campaign Evolved, Halo Studios has introduced a number of changes to bring the game into the modern era. Halo’s debut on PlayStation uses new mechanics, tweaked controls, haptic feedback, and adjusted weapons to make this […]

PlayStation Blog / Phil Hornshaw

Announcement

Halo Campaign Evolved Review: An Unreal excuse to revisit a classic

Halo Studios' Unreal Engine-powered remake reminded me why I fell in love with this series in the first place

VGC / Andy Robinson

Review

Halo: Campaign Evolved Review

Halo: Campaign Evolved speaks to the series' timelessness and adds a decent set of new missions, but it's a mostly a lean retread that's clearly a test run for its future with Unreal Engine.

IGN / Michael Higham

Review

Review: Halo: Campaign Evolved Gives Us Hope for a Reforged Franchise

The remake I've always wanted. The original Halo: Combat Evolved established the franchise as the crown jewel of the Xbox lineup, so it's not too much of a reach to say that Halo: Campaign Evolved marks an important turning point for Microsoft as a whole. The game, which remakes the single-player portion of the original using Unreal Engine 5 instead of the Slipspace Engine used by last mainline entry Halo Infinite, is a key technical milestone for newly renamed developers Halo Studios, as they

Digital Foundry

Review

Should you play the bonus missions first in Halo: Campaign Evolved?

Decide where to begin John 117's story.

PC Gamer / Sean Martin

Guide

Halo: Campaign Evolved review

A neat, but fundamentally flawed remake that doesn't always understand the appeal of Halo.

PC Gamer / Morgan Park

Review

Halo: Campaign Evolved – The Brand New Features in This Remake of A Classic

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved – The Brand New Features in This Remake of A Classic appeared first on XBOX Wire.

Xbox Wire / Danielle Partis, XBOX Wire Editor

Announcement

Halo: Campaign Evolved review

When Master Chief first sets foot on the unknown ringworld known as Halo, he is fighting for his life. Harried and ambushed by countless enemy ships, Chief's commanding officer scuttles their intergalactic craft upon the ringworld - assuming the human troops will fare better on this structure than face a cold, indifferent death in the vacuum of space. But once they set foot upon Halo, they realise all is not what it seems; here, they are trespassing on the work of a culture that has come before.

Eurogamer / Dom Peppiatt

Review

Here’s the full list of hidden Skulls available in Halo: Campaign Evolved

The post Here’s the full list of hidden Skulls available in Halo: Campaign Evolved appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Guide

This Halo: Campaign Evolved Fanta skin is certainly vibrant, but at least it’s free

The post This Halo: Campaign Evolved Fanta skin is certainly vibrant, but at least it’s free appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Announcement

Halo: Campaign Evolved release times and early access explained

Step back onto the ring 25 years later.

PC Gamer / Sean Martin

Release date

Want to see Master Chief’s behind? Here’s how to play Halo: Campaign Evolved in third-person

The post Want to see Master Chief’s behind? Here’s how to play Halo: Campaign Evolved in third-person appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Guide

Halo: Campaign Evolved drops PvP, but does it still have co-op or split-screen multiplayer?

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved drops PvP, but does it still have co-op or split-screen multiplayer? appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Announcement

Halo: Campaign Evolved release date, platforms, and more

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved release date, platforms, and more appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Release date

Talking Point: So, Are You Getting The Premium Upgrade For Halo: Campaign Evolved?

Launch is just a few days away! We're getting very close to the next Xbox first-party release now! Halo: Campaign Evolved is officially releasing on July 28th, but like Xbox does with all its new launches these days, there's an early access period thrown in the mix. We'll be breaking down Halo's release dates and access times later this weekend, but simply put, if you pick up either the Premium Edition or Premium Edition Upgrade of Halo: Campaign Evolved, you'll be able to start playing on Thurs

Pure Xbox

Release date

The Halo: Campaign Evolved system requirements might make your PC sweat a little

The post The Halo: Campaign Evolved system requirements might make your PC sweat a little appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Announcement

Halo: Campaign Evolved has multiple editions, and here’s what comes in each

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved has multiple editions, and here’s what comes in each appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Release date

Halo: Campaign Evolved has early access, and here’s how you can get it

The post Halo: Campaign Evolved has early access, and here’s how you can get it appeared first on GamesHub.

GamesHub / Jacob Woodward

Guide

Halo's Physical PS5 Disc Won't Play without a Download

Campaign devolved. If you were hoping to pick up a physical copy of Halo: Campaign Evolved on PS5, take heed: the game won't be playable straight off the disc. Another example of something that's becoming an increasingly common trend, you'll need to pull a "content download" before jumping into Master Chief's very first PlayStation excursion. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Push Square

Business

Here's Your First Look At Splitscreen In Halo: Campaign Evolved

Sharing screens just like we did in the glory days. As marketing for Halo: Campaign Evolved continues to ramp up following the game going gold, so too does the coverage from developer Halo Studios. Just yesterday, the team hosted an hour-long livestream where we got our first proper look at splitscreen co-op, in addition to details surrounding skulls and the challenging LASO mode. It's strange, we could've sworn we'd seen splitscreen before now, but it turns out we hadn't. This is the official r

Pure Xbox

Trailer