Halo: Campaign Evolved is now on PS5 — the first time in the franchise’s 25-year history that a mainline Halo game has appeared on a Sony console. Early access went live today, July 23, 2026, at 8 AM Pacific, letting pre-order holders on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Steam boot up a completely rebuilt version of the original game before its July 28 public launch.
The full public release follows on July 28. But if you pre-ordered the Premium Edition or Collector’s Edition, you have five days of access starting now, across Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, Steam, and PlayStation 5. Crossplay and cross-progression are enabled between all platforms from the start.
This isn’t a remaster. The developer — Halo Studios, which was previously called 343 Industries before rebranding in October 2024 — rebuilt the entire original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign from the ground up using Unreal Engine 5. The Slipspace engine that powered every Halo title since 2012’s Halo 4 has been set aside. New geometry, redesigned lighting, reworked encounters. The 2011 Anniversary edition added new visuals as a layer over the old code — this time, the studio started over.
On PS5, the standard edition is priced at $49.99. On Xbox and PC, Halo: Campaign Evolved is included day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass — which had reached 37 million subscribers by late 2025 — so subscribers don’t need to pay separately.
The content additions go beyond visual updates. Three brand-new story missions under the name Operation: METEORITE follow Master Chief and Sergeant Avery Johnson in events set one year before the action on the Halo ring. Nine weapons from across the Halo series — weapons that never appeared in Combat Evolved — are also available. Players can hijack enemy vehicles mid-combat and take control of a drivable Wraith, a feature that was never part of the original 2001 game.
Optional Skull modifiers let players randomize enemy types, weapon loadouts, and environmental conditions, giving repeat playthroughs a different shape each time. And for the first time in franchise history, Campaign Evolved includes an optional third-person camera toggle. Halo has been a first-person game since its debut. That toggle doesn’t change how the game was designed, but it gives players who want it a different way to see the action.
The campaign supports up to four players in online co-op with full crossplay between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Console players can also use two-player split-screen — a Halo staple since 2001. Classic competitive multiplayer from the original Combat Evolved is not part of this release. This is a campaign-focused package.
The review embargo lifted the same hour as early access — July 23, 11 AM Eastern — which means critical reviews and player access arrived at the same time. That’s relatively unusual for a major title launch and lets buyers make a more informed call on premium editions before full release.
Microsoft has been expanding Xbox franchises to PlayStation over the past year. Helldivers 2 crossed in the other direction, becoming the first Sony-published game to reach Xbox in 2025. On the Xbox side, Gears of War: Reloaded made its PlayStation debut with crossplay support — and now Halo follows. The franchise’s arrival on PS5 is the highest-profile of these moves yet, given that Halo helped define Xbox as a platform when it launched alongside the original console in November 2001.
The Halo universe had already reached PlayStation-native audiences before Campaign Evolved through a crossover with Helldivers 2’s ODST-themed Warbond in 2025. Campaign Evolved is the first time the core game has made the jump.
The full launch across all platforms — including the Standard Edition — is July 28, 2026, at 11 AM Eastern.