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Halo Studios is preparing a landmark release for 2026 with Halo: Campaign Evolved, a full remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved that launched in 2001. This remake commemorates the 25th anniversary of Halo by completely rebooting the first game’s campaign with modern technology and gameplay improvements. Squaredtech has closely followed this project and offers an in-depth look at how the team has completely reimagined this iconic title for Xbox Series X / S, PC, and for the first time ever, the PlayStation 5.
Rebuilding the Original Campaign with Modern Technology
Halo: Campaign Evolved is not a simple graphical update or remaster but a full remake that reinterprets the original Halo experience. Using Unreal Engine 5, Halo Studios rebuilt the entire campaign with stunning 4K visuals, new animations, updated cinematics, and enhanced voice acting. The development team had access to the original game’s source code, assets, and storyboards, enabling them to maintain the authentic feel and integrity of the original story.
Players who have tested the early demo of the familiar Silent Cartographer mission will notice immediate improvements. The cinematics are redesigned with smooth sequences and higher fidelity voice recordings from the original actors, adding new depth and clarity. The environments are vastly expanded with rebuilt alien architecture and breathtaking vistas. Each element is recreated with care to honor Bungie’s original vision while offering a fresher, more immersive atmosphere.
Technical director Greg Hermann emphasized that Halo Studios did not “just put a coat of paint over the original cinematics.” Instead, the team revisited how the scenes were blocked and sequenced, pushing the quality far beyond previous remasters like Halo Anniversary. By doing so, Campaign Evolved achieves a seamless blend of nostalgia and modern gaming standards, something Squaredtech recognizes as a challenging but rewarding effort.
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Brand-New Features and Expanded Gameplay
One of the most exciting aspects of Halo: Campaign Evolved is the array of new content that expands the original experience significantly. The game introduces three brand-new bonus missions that serve as prequels to the main story, filling in gaps and deepening character development, especially the interactions between Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson. These missions come with entirely new environments, enemies, and gameplay mechanics, offering fresh experiences even for veterans of the franchise.
Gameplay improvements focus on rebalancing and updating core mechanics. A notable addition is the introduction of sprinting, which changes combat pacing and exploration dynamics. Vehicles, a hallmark of Halo’s gameplay, receive thoughtful upgrades. The classic Warthog now has an extra “bumper seat” at the rear, allowing a fourth player to ride along, perfect for cooperative play.
Multiplayer aspects are designed with modern standards in mind. Campaign Evolved supports up to four players playing online cooperatively, with crossplay enabled across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation 5. This means players on any of these platforms can join forces in the campaign with shared progression. In addition to online co-op, the game preserves classic two-player split-screen local co-op on consoles, respecting the original’s community-driven gameplay style.
Weapon and vehicle systems also see significant enhancements. Weapons have been fully remodelled with higher fidelity visuals and realistic sound effects. All guns now allow aiming down sights, a feature not present in the original game. The remake adds nine new weapons collected from across the Halo series, including the fan-favorite Energy Sword that players can wield after defeating enemies. Vehicle hijacking is introduced too — you can commandeer enemy vehicles like the powerful Wraith, a feature that adds strategic variety to missions.
Design director Max Szlagor and lead designer Dan Gniady highlight that every gameplay change aims to respect the original game’s balance, ensuring that encounters scale well with the new features without losing their original feel. The developers carefully tuned the challenges to keep them authentic while making them fresh and engaging for a modern audience.
Enhanced Difficulty Options and Absence of Multiplayer
Campaign Evolved introduces the most extensive set of difficulty modifiers, known in Halo as “skulls.” These modifiers adjust enemy behavior and effects to challenge even the most skilled players. With more skulls than any previous Halo game, the developers believe it might be impossible to beat the campaign on Legendary difficulty with all skulls activated at once. This offers a massive playground for those who relish difficulty and replayability.
Notably, the remake focuses solely on the campaign experience. Unlike later Halo titles, the original Halo Combat Evolved did not have official online multiplayer at launch, though some PC versions featured limited online play. Halo Studios confirmed that Campaign Evolved will not include any multiplayer modes. The reasoning is to preserve and elevate the story-driven experience of the original game. While Halo’s multiplayer legacy is immense, it officially began with Halo 2. Microsoft declined to comment on multiplayer plans for this title, signaling that multiplayer remains outside the scope of this remake.
Squaredtech views this as a strategic choice. By focusing on the campaign, Halo Studios can deliver a polished, thoughtful single-player and co-op experience ahead of future Halo titles. The remake will act as a technical and design blueprint, demonstrating how to use modern technology while keeping Halo’s core gameplay intact. Technical director Hermann noted that advancements seen in Campaign Evolved will influence upcoming Halo games, pushing both graphics and gameplay further.
Availability and Platform Support
Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch in 2026 on Xbox Series X / S, PC, and PlayStation 5. This will be the first time a Halo game officially arrives on a PlayStation console, marking a major expansion in the franchise’s reach. The game will also support Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one, making it easily accessible for subscribers. Additionally, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Play Anywhere features will allow players to transition between devices seamlessly.
Squaredtech recognizes this multi-platform release as a significant moment for Halo fans across different gaming communities. The crossplay functionality will enable a broader player base to experience the campaign cooperatively without platform barriers, setting a new standard for future Halo releases.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is more than a remake; it is a careful reconstruction and expansion of the legendary Halo: Combat Evolved campaign. By blending cutting-edge technology with deep reverence for the source material, Halo Studios has created a game that appeals to both longtime fans and newcomers alike. The inclusion of new story missions, enhanced gameplay mechanics, and extensive co-op features positions Campaign Evolved as a definitive version of Halo’s origin story. Squaredtech looks forward to seeing how this remake shapes the future of Halo and sets new expectations for game remakes in the industry.
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