It has been officially confirmed: the "Halo" series will open a new chapter with "Halo: Campaign Evolved".This work uses Unreal Engine 5 to completely remake the original campaign of "Halo: Combat Evolved" and includes many new surprises.

The original Halo: Combat Evolved is a classic in gaming history and a cultural icon that helped define the first-person shooter experience.For Halo Studios, whether it is for new players or old fans, recreating the impact of the original campaign and all the classic moments is the ultimate goal of this remake.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a modern evolution of this classic story.Based on Unreal Engine 5, the studio carefully restores the charm of the story through stunning new 4K graphics, updated animation effects, remastered music, and re-recorded dubbing.In addition, Halo Studio has also added classic weapons and vehicles from subsequent "Halo" works, and added three additional campaign missions - all of which are designed to expand this "journey to the beginning of the series" and pay tribute to the pioneering significance of the first game.

The iconic cooperative gameplay of the "Halo" series will also continue: the console retains the original two-player local split-screen experience, and supports cross-platform four-player online cooperation on Xbox, PC and PlayStation 5 for the first time.

Before the official announcement, Xbox Wire reporter Danielle Partis communicated with many core leaders of Halo Studio and collected a lot of exclusive information: how the team captured the tone and texture of the original game for a new generation of players, what new plot and gameplay content was added, and ultimately how to stick to the unique charm of the core of "Halo".

Return to the starting point of everything

"Halo: Combat Evolved" is the starting point of the entire series, and for Halo Studio, which has also experienced development and changes, there is no more suitable starting point than here to create a new generation of "Halo" works.As executive producer Damon Conn said, remaking the original campaign from scratch will not only create an ideal entry point for new players, but also modernize some content to make its rhythm and clarity more in line with current players' expectations (yes, we are talking about the "Library" level, more on that later).

"We wanted to start from where it all started, the original campaign that defined Halo," Conn explained. "From here, people who have never played the game can understand the story from its origins, which will also help us plan the direction of the future development of new Halo stories."

“Focusing on the campaign experience meant we were able to immerse ourselves in truly capturing the atmosphere, the tone of the original campaign – and the emotional impact that made it such a classic.”

How does "Campaign Evolved" retain the "Halo Spirit"?

Preserving the classic "halo texture" is undoubtedly the top priority.To achieve this, the team went back to the original source material - the original version of the original "Halo: Combat Evolved" campaign in 2001.Their goal is clear: modern updates to systems and scenarios should complement, not replace, the core of the original experience, making players feel both familiar and new, and the experience smoother and more coherent than before.

"When we remake the campaign, we focus on hand-polishing and immersion, not only visually, but also emotionally, to restore the way players remember it," Conn added.

How will Campaign Evolved update existing missions?

Preserving the "halo spirit" means the team won't "modernize for the sake of modernization."The remake is not to make the story and scenes of "Halo: Combat Evolved" "fit the style of the current game", but to evolve the original texture to suit modern players.Every change revolves around the same question: Does this still feel like Halo?

"Because it was a complete remake, we were able to painstakingly recreate almost every level and combat scene with greater precision," said creative director Max Szagor. "When developing the technology for this game, we had to move incrementally, which included revisiting every individual element from the original game."

"And now that the campaign supports four-player cooperation, we must think about how to adjust the original battle scenes and space to accommodate so many players."

The Library level is a great example of the team carefully optimizing an existing scene in a realistic way.As the seventh campaign mission of "Halo: Combat Evolved," the team felt it was necessary to fine-tune several areas to find a balance between nostalgia and modern player expectations to create a new experience.

"We learned from "Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition" that players still expect clearer navigation guidance and richer enemy encounters," Szagor said. "Especially the 'Library' level, which contains multiple battle scenes with the Flood. We hope to readjust the rhythm and strengthen the scene narrative. We added new lines for 'Guilty Spark' to guide players to advance through the level, and also added new dialogue to allow players to have a deeper understanding of the plot development."

"We did not change the story itself, but optimized details and supplemented background information for this scene and similar levels to help players maintain the rhythm of advancement."

What new content did Halo Studios add to the original?

In "Halo: Combat Evolved", players will be able to use nine classic weapons from other works in the "Halo" series in the "Halo: Combat Evolved" campaign, including energy swords, battle rifles and needle rifles - providing more strategic options for each battle.

"Some of the weapons we added were weapons used by enemies in the original Halo: Combat Evolved, but players couldn't pick them up," Szagor said. "Now players can pick up these weapons, and the experience is very natural - because players have long been accustomed to this operation in other "Halo" games, which also reflects the evolution of the series." Players will also have two campaign "first experiences": for the first time in "Halo: Combat Evolved", you can hijack vehicles, and even for the first time you can drive the Covenant "Ghost" tank.

For players looking for a challenge, Halo Studios has also added the largest number of "Skulls" (special challenge props) in the "Halo" campaign, providing more ways to adjust the campaign experience.

Perhaps most excitingly, the team has added three new prequel missions, set before the Halo: Combat Evolved campaign, which will introduce new scenes, characters and enemies - more details will be announced soon.

Oh, by the way, players can now choose to sprint and run, and they can turn off this feature if they don’t want to use it.

How does Halo Studios use Unreal Engine 5?

The "Halo Spirit" not only lies in the influence of the first generation, but the studio also integrates 25 years of player feedback and technological progress into "Halo: Campaign Evolved".Key to achieving this was the team's move to Unreal Engine 5, which combined with Halo's original game code to power game development.This isn't a completely unfamiliar ecosystem for Halo Studios - they've quietly experimented with Unreal Engine projects in the past, and this experience has convinced them that the tools Unreal Engine provides, combined with the original assets, are exactly what Halo needs to be ready for future generations.

"Because Halo: Campaign Evolved is a remaster, it's all about making sure the gameplay remains true to the essence of Halo," said Halo: Campaign Evolved game director Greg Herman.

All new content created in Unreal Engine 5 is built on code and systems taken directly from the original game.Herman added that these legacy codes are crucial to retaining a true "Halo feel" in the gameplay, which means Halo Studio can leverage Unreal Engine's photorealistic rendering capabilities to achieve ideal visual effects while allowing Halo's simulation system to run properly under it.

"For future works, we will continue to push the boundaries of technology while ensuring that the core gameplay of each "Halo" game meets the needs in terms of visuals, feel, and sound effects, and evolve when necessary."

How does Halo Studios balance the needs of new and old players?

While the team is most familiar with the development tools, the Halo community plays a key role in the direction of Halo Studios.

“Our player-centered approach informs many of our decisions,” Szagor added. “Whenever we introduce a new feature or make a creative choice, we continue to gather player feedback through user research and the Halo Closed Beta Program. This feedback helps us ensure that the content matches the authentic feel of Halo.”

The emphasis on player feedback also extends beyond the studio: the first playable demo of Halo: Campaign Evolved will be launched at the Halo World Championship, giving players an early taste of the game's development progress.Halo: Campaign Evolved isn't meant to replace the original game, but to provide a modern experience that stands alongside the original.When new players launch the game for the first time, it must recreate the indescribable feeling they had 25 years ago when they first experienced Halo on the original Xbox—a memory that we all cherish, a moment the Halo team calls a "transformative moment" they hope to share with more players.

"We're excited to bring Halo to players who haven't had the chance to experience it in the past," Conn added. "Halo is all about connection, and we're excited to meet a new generation of players on the platform of their choice and help them fall in love with Halo as much as we did. We're not trying to rewrite the legacy of Halo, but we're immersing players in the game like never before."

"This is a Halo for everyone."

"Halo: Campaign Evolved" will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC version, Steam and PlayStation 5 in 2026. It supports Xbox cloud gaming and Xbox Play Anywhere (cross-platform purchase and interoperability) services, and will be added to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (Ultimate Edition) and PC Game Pass (PC version) on the first day.