Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful remake tasked with reviving a legendary franchise for a new generation of gamers
Halo: Campaign Evolved may be Xbox Game Studios’ most important release of 2026. When executive producer Damon Conn says it’s “an opportunity to pave the way for the future of Halo,” he’s not being hyperbolic. “We’re building a game in Unreal Engine 5, on a platform we’ve never supported, while giving players more ways to play with each other than ever before. We’re excited to reignite the spark that started it all,” he says, “but we don’t take this lightly.”
Halo: Campaign Evolved is billed as a “faithful, modernized remake” of Master Chief’s most iconic adventure, “and a celebration of Combat Evolved” ahead of its 25th anniversary. Creative director Max Szlagor points out that Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) “took care to design the game in such a way that it remains true to the tone, atmosphere, feel and emotional impact of the original” as it grapples with the complexity of regaining Chief’s momentum in a new game engine.
A new dawn
Big in 2026 highlights the 50 most anticipated games of the year, with developer access you can’t get anywhere else. Join us daily for new insights and visit Large coverage center in 2026 to find all the articles we have published so far.
Recapturing the classic feel of Halo is essential, as the future of the franchise is inextricably linked to UE5. The studio announced that it is hard at work on several projects in October 2024, with a focus on creating “the next generation of Halo with Unreal Engine” after discontinuing support for Halo Infinite and the proprietary Slipstream engine.
I recently had the opportunity to play a short section of the reconstructed and still iconic Silent Cartographer mission. Call it an appetizer before release later this year, a chance to reconnect with the floating jumps, thunderous melee, chattering MA5B assault rifles, and inflatable Warthog rides that helped define the original adventure. The movement and momentum, the combat and the physics, land in a way that’s as fresh as it is nostalgic. “It’s important for us to be authentic to the vibe, to the things that people like,” Szlagor says.
Despite the focus on careful restoration, Halo Studios isn’t afraid to make the appropriate changes to modernize Combat Evolved. “We were able to implement changes that made sense,” Conn says. “Like adding the ability to pick up and use the Energy Sword, the Fuel Rod Cannon, and the Sentinel Beam Gun. You can also pilot the Wraith Tank. These are all things you couldn’t do in Combat Evolved.”
Picture 1 of 8
Szlagor says that “being authentic to the material present” is a guiding principle, although Halo Studios is considering more fundamental changes by “rebuilding every mission, every encounter, and every cutscene” from the ground up. “Another opportunity we have is to respond to player feedback and look for ways to improve the focus and diversity of encounters,” says the creative director, alluding to the idea that a new generation of players need not languish in The Library like so many of us did 25 years ago.
If Halo Studios pulls off Campaign Evolved, it should go some way to allaying lingering fears about whether this franchise can find a path forward on UE5. The introduction of brand new content should also demonstrate how the studio has a strong grasp of the franchise’s core philosophy – a key consideration as we wonder where the next main installment could take Chief and Cortana in the future, following the controversial response to Halo Infinite.
“We’re also designing three new story missions centered around Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson,” says Szlagor. “They take place before the events of Combat Evolved, and it will be the kind of mission that Chief and Johnson would have completed during that time – with new environments, enemies, characters and weapons.” While Szlagor doesn’t give any further details, he does confirm that this special Campaign Evolved adventure “takes place before the events of Reach.”
Whether you’re here to indulge in a little nostalgia, play the first new Halo campaign missions in five years, or dive into Installation 04 for the first time, you’ll do so with a larger player base than ever before. Halo: Campaign Evolved marks the series’ debut on PlayStation, and it’s undoubtedly the biggest first-party franchise to land outside of the Xbox ecosystem so far – joining Forza Horizon 5 and Gears of War: Reloaded, which arrived on PS5 last year.
“We’re also designing three new story missions centered around Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson.”
Max Szlagor, creative director
“We’re hoping to bring in the series veterans who have been with us for 25 years and have them play with a whole new generation,” says Conn, who confirms that four-player online co-op with full cross-play is supported. “There are people who have never been exposed to Halo. Maybe they’ve always used Sony products, switched consoles at some point, or just missed it at that point. We want to bring gamers together.”
“Halo is best played when we have a large, healthy community,” says Szlagor. “We see this as a way to grow, expand and reconnect the Halo community.” Conn adds: “We want to honor the legacy of Halo on PlayStation, and we’re paving the way to expand our Halo universe – that’s how we see it. And it’s not a small thing. We don’t take it lightly. We certainly feel the weight of it.”
As Xbox gears up for its biggest year of the console generation yet, we explore the publisher’s most anticipated first-party games (and some key Game Pass releases) as part of our Big in 2026 Spotlight Series. Join us every day this week for exclusive interviews, new previews and fresh looks at all the upcoming Xbox games you must have on your radar.
