When Halo: Combat Evolved shipped in 2001, it moved Xbox consoles. Twenty-five years later, Microsoft is rebuilding the entire campaign from scratch — and this time, Master Chief is going to PlayStation.
Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28, 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and PlayStation 5 — the first mainline Halo game ever to land on Sony hardware. Premium and Collector's Edition owners get five-day early access starting July 23.
What's Actually New
This is not a remaster. The game has been rebuilt with modernized visuals, enhanced cinematics, and refined gameplay mechanics, while the original 10-mission campaign structure stays intact. The headline addition is Operation: METEORITE, a brand-new three-mission story arc developed with sci-fi author Troy Denning. Set one year before the events of the original game, it places Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson aboard a Covenant research vessel on a clandestine UNSC operation behind enemy lines.
Beyond the new story, the rebuild adds nine weapons from across the Halo franchise, new enemy variants including Brute Berserker types, and vehicle hijacking — a mechanic that wasn't in the 2001 original. A wider set of Skull modifiers expands replayability. Four-player online co-op with cross-play and cross-progression is supported from day one, alongside two-player split-screen on console.
The PlayStation Moment
The platform news is what will define this launch in retrospect. No mainline Halo title has ever launched on PlayStation hardware. Microsoft's decision to release Campaign Evolved on PS5 on day one — not as an afterthought, not as a port announced 12 months later — reflects the direction the company is clearly moving with its biggest franchises. Halo on PlayStation is a statement that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
Pricing and Editions
The Standard Edition is $49.99. The Premium Edition is $69.99 and includes the five-day early access window, exclusive armor and weapon skins, and a digital art collection. The Collector's Edition at $199.99 adds a physical statue, an LED Cortana chip, a Steelbook case, and a printed manual. All editions ship with the Foundry Armory Pack — cosmetics built around the aesthetic of the 2001 original.
The game will also be available through Game Pass from day one.
Two Weeks Out
Pre-orders are live now on all platforms. If you played the original in 2001, Campaign Evolved is the rare remake that extends the story rather than just smoothing pixels — and for the first time, your PlayStation friends get to experience the same save file, the same co-op session, the same playthrough.
July 28. The ring awaits.