Halo: Campaign Evolved

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Halo: Campaign Evolved
Developer(s):	Halo Studios
Publisher(s):	Xbox Game Studios
Engine:	Unreal Engine 5
Platform(s):	PC Windows Steam Xbox Series X/S PlayStation 5
Release date(s):	2026
Genre(s):	First-person shooter
Mode(s):	Singleplayer Cooperative play 2-player splitscreen (console-only) Up to 4-player online
Rating(s):	ESRB: Rating Pending (RP) - Likely Mature 17+

Halo: Campaign Evolved is an upcoming first-person shooter game developed by Halo Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, recreated in Unreal Engine 5, following up on the Project Foundry demo first created by Halo Studios in 2024. Unlike 2011's Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the game is a complete remake of the original rather than just a graphical remaster. It includes remade gameplay, art, re-recorded voice acting and music, and new story content in the form of new prequel missions set before the story of Combat Evolved, with the goal of providing a modern entry point to the Halo franchise for new players.

The game is set to be released on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Play Anywhere, PC (via Steam and Windows Store), and for the first time in the series' history, PlayStation 5.

Gameplay

Per its name, Campaign Evolved is a campaign-only experience with no multiplayer component. The game supports singleplayer or cooperative play with up to two players splitscreen or four players online - a notable increase from the two-player co-op in the original Combat Evolved. The splitscreen component is only supported on the console releases of Campaign Evolved.

The game features all of the weapons from the original game alongside nine new weapons useable for the first time in Combat Evolved's campaign, including the energy sword, battle rifle, fuel rod gun, sentinel beam, and needle rifle. Likewise, the game now features the ability to drive the Wraith - a vehicle not useable in the original - alongside the ability to board and take over vehicles. The Warthog has also been updated to have an additional fourth seat on the rear bumper, allowing the vehicle to transport a full fireteam of four for the first time in the series.

Unlike the original game, Campaign Evolved now features the ability to sprint, though this feature can be turned off for a more classic experience. Weapons like the assault rifle and Needler which were hip-fire-only in the original game now have aiming similar to that of Halo 5: Guardians and Halo Infinite.

Levels

Halo: Campaign Evolved includes all ten original levels from Combat Evolved alongside three new prequel missions focused on Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson some time prior to the events of the main game.

1. The Pillar of Autumn
2. Halo
3. The Truth and Reconciliation
4. The Silent Cartographer
5. Assault on the Control Room
6. 343 Guilty Spark
7. The Library
8. Two Betrayals
9. Keyes
10. The Maw

• Three new additional prequel missions

The remade levels have been created with a focus on maintaining the classic "feel" of Combat Evolved's levels, and so most changes have focused on updating sections of the game (such as The Library) which were previously unintuitive to add in additional environmental storytelling and refine the pacing of the mission, rather than modernising the layouts for its own sake. Likewise, some spaces have been updated to account for the larger player count available in the game.

The Flood enemies have been updated with new enemy types including the pure forms first introduced to the series in Halo 3.

Audio

The game features redone audio including a new remastered score recreating the original soundtrack of Combat Evolved alongside redone sound effects across the board. The voice-acting for the original game has also been redone, with the principal cast reprising their roles as their respective characters to recreate their original dialogue and, in some cases, expand upon or alter it. New dialogue was recorded for 343 Guilty Spark in The Library to help add additional context for the mission.

Collectibles

Halo: Campaign Evolved will include new skulls and other collectibles, including text-based terminals similar to the ones featured in Halo 3.

Appearances

Characters Artificial intelligence 343 Guilty Spark Cortana Human Avery Johnson Jacob Keyes John-117 Carol "Foehammer" Rawley Species Humanity Flood Flood combat forms Flood attacker form Flood pure forms Flood tank form Kig-Yar Mgalekgolo Sangheili Unggoy Organizations United Nations Space Command UNSC Marine Corps UNSC Navy Naval Special Warfare Command SPARTAN-II program Covenant Fleet of Particular Justice Locations Soell system Threshold Basis Installation 04 Library Cartographer Flood containment facility

Events Human-Covenant War Battle of Installation 04 Weapons Human Assault rifle MA5B assault rifle M41 SPNKr M41 Vulcan M6 series M6D magnum M370 autocannon M9 fragmentation grenade BR55 battle rifle Covenant Anskum-pattern plasma grenade Meluth'qelos-pattern energy sword Eos'Mak-pattern plasma pistol Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle Fuel Rod Gun Gadulo-pattern needle rifle Forerunner Sentinel beam Vehicles Human Pelican D77 Pelican Warthog M12 Warthog Covenant Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit Technology and equipment Covenant supply case Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark V

Development

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a continuation of Project Foundry, Halo Studio's exploratory project on the development process in using the Unreal Engine. The development team was informed by the feedback of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and incorporated gameplay features from the sequels. For audio, Steve Downes and Jen Taylor re-recorded their lines from the original game, reprising their roles as John-117 and Cortana respectively. The original game's cutscenes were redone through motion capture.

Brainstorming for the new three prequel missions occurred as early as June 2024.

Marketing

Roundtable Reveal

Main article: Halo: Campaign Evolved Roundtable Reveal

The Roundtable Reveal premiered at the Halo World Championship on October 24, 2025. The video featured a discussion chaired by Brian Jarrard with three members of the development team, Greg Hermann, Dan Gniady, and Max Szlagor. The four gave an overview on the game and highlighted notable changes from the original.

The Silent Cartographer Trailer

Main article: The Silent Cartographer Trailer

The Silent Cartographer trailer shows both gameplay and cinematic footage from a pre-release build of the campaign level The Silent Cartographer.

The Silent Cartographer 13 Minute Gameplay Demo

Main article: The Silent Cartographer 13 Minute Gameplay Demo

The demo shows 13 minutes of gameplay footage from a pre-release build of the campaign level The Silent Cartographer.

Gallery

Logos

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  Halo: Campaign Evolved logo with a transparent background

Key art

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  Key art without the game logo.

Concept art

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  Concept art of the Master Chief and Cortana.

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  Concept art for the battle around the gravity lift on The Truth and Reconciliation.

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  Concept art for the beaches on The Silent Cartographer.

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  Concept art for Flood forms on The Maw.

Screenshots

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  Master Chief in the game.

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  Master Chief onboard a Pelican.

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  The Master Chief and marines onboard Echo 419.

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  A Warthog battling a Spirit.

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  A battle inside the Cartographer.

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  A plasma grenade explodes inside the Cartographer.

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  A first-person screenshot of a player using an assault rifle.

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  A first-person screenshot of a player using a Needler.

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  A gameplay screenshot of a player driving a Warthog.

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  A gameplay screenshot of the Warthog.

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  A screenshot of several Grunts on the beach.

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  A screenshot of a Sangheili on the beach.

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  The Silent Cartographer.

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  The beach.

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  A Spirit over the island.

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  The Cartographer's security facility.

External links

• Halo: Campaign Evolved on Halo Waypoint
• Halo: Campaign Evolved on Xbox Store
• Halo: Campaign Evolved on Steam
• Halo: Campaign Evolved on PlayStation Store