Halo: Campaign Evolved is Now Available in Early Access

Halo: Campaign Evolved, the Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved game from 2001, is now available in early access on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. You can play it today by purchasing the $69.99 Halo: Campaign Evolved Premium Edition, but Game Pass subscribers on Xbox and PC also have the option to download the base game today and purchase the $20 Premium Edition upgrade.

“For the first time ever, the story of Halo: Campaign Evolved can be experienced with up to four players online, with cross-platform play supported,” the Xbox team emphasized today. “Weapon spawns stack with the number of players, ensuring a balanced and plentiful arsenal for everyone in the game. Levels have received adjustments to ensure players can move seamlessly through spaces, and the new selection of usable vehicles means every Chief can traverse wide open spaces with ease.”

If Halo: Campaign Evolved doesn’t include multiplayer, it introduces Operation: Meteorite, three brand new story missions taking place one year before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. The new missions feature Master Chief teaming up with Sergeant Johnson from the original game, and it’s probably best to start there for both Halo fans and newcomers.

I only played briefly with Halo: Campaign Evolved on my Xbox Series X today, and it’s looking really good even in the 60FPS Performance mode. There are a couple of gameplay changes, including the absence of health kits, a new sprint button, and the ability to play in 3rd person. I’ll have more to share later this week in my hands-on impressions, so stay tuned.

Personally, Halo: Combat Evolved is one of my favorite Halo games ever, along with the prequel Halo: Reach and the spin-off episode Halo 3: ODST. I first played the 2011 remaster that was released on the Xbox 360 and later ported to the Xbox One in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but this new remake seems to be a labor of love. It’s also the first Halo game to ship on PlayStation consoles, and it supports cross-play and cross-progression across Xbox, PS5, and PC.

If you don’t want to purchase the Premium Edition of the game, Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch globally on July 28, 2026. It will also be available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one.