Microsoft and Halo Studios have just announced Halo: Campaign Evolved, an Unreal Engine 5 remake of the 2001 original-Xbox launch-day classic, Halo: Combat Evolved. I played a short demo of it already, so be sure to check out my first impressions, but here we’ll go through everything we do and don’t yet know about 2026’s Halo release – which will be the first one since 2021’s Halo Infinite.

Did you say “remake”?

Yes, I asked Halo Studios point-blank if this is a remake or a remaster, and Executive Producer Damon Conn said, “It’s a modernized remake – a rebuilt version of the classic story that started it all.”

Since Microsoft has been publishing a lot of games on other platforms, does this mean Halo will be coming to PlayStation 5?

Yes, Halo: Campaign Evolved will be released for Xbox Series X|S, PC, and PS5. And yes, I did clarify with Halo Studios that the PS5 version will be released day-and-date with the Xbox and PC versions.

Is this weirder than Sonic games coming to Nintendo consoles?

It’s at least on that same level of weird, yeah.

Is Halo Studios adding any PS5 Pro enhancements?

I asked this question, and Game Director Greg Hermann didn’t say much, only telling me, “It’s safe to say that it will be tuned for the target devices.”

OK, so when will Halo: Campaign Evolved be released?

So far, all Halo Studios will say is “2026,” but it seems highly likely that it will be released close to the 25th anniversary of Combat Evolved’s release, which will be on November 16, 2026. In other words, Fall 2026 seems like a safe bet.

Campaign Evolved? Does that mean there’s no multiplayer?

Sort of. There is campaign co-op for two players in split-screen, or up to four players online. Cross-play is supported.

Wait, cross-play? Does that mean I can play co-op with a friend who’s on PS5 while I’m on Xbox or PC?

Yup.

Finish the multiplayer thought. What do you mean by “sort of” with multiplayer?

As the name suggests, this is campaign-only. When I asked about why they’re not also remaking Halo 1’s fantastic multiplayer in Unreal Engine 5 – think about how glorious Blood Gulch and Hang ‘Em High and Sidewinder would look in UE5! – Game Director Greg Hermann told me, “Right now we’re just focused on the 25th anniversary and the campaign here.” Executive Producer Damon Conn added, “Halo Infinite and [Halo: The Master Chief Collection] provide really great experiences for multiplayer.” Which is true…though that doesn’t help PS5 owners very much. Unless…

Does this pave the way for Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo Infinite to get ported to PS5 to get PlayStation players caught up on the series?

We’ll have to check back on that one. Conn said, “There is an opportunity for us to grow the fanbase. We’re bringing the most players to Halo ever. So that growth is what we’re truly interested in. And this paves the way for future stories and Halos.” So…maybe?

Will Campaign Evolved be a full-price game?

I asked but didn’t get an answer. Personally, $50 feels right to me without proper multiplayer, but Microsoft already tried to raise its first-party game prices to $80 this year, so I’m probably being naively optimistic with that $50 thought. At least there’s new single-player content here, though.

Did you just say “new single-player content”?

Yes! I didn’t get any details beyond the very basic description: Campaign Evolved will include a three-mission prequel story arc revolving around Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson. I asked if those missions will be available straight out of the box or if they’ll need to be unlocked, perhaps by completing the campaign. Halo Studios did not have an answer for me.

Are there any gameplay changes?

Yes, lots of little ones, actually. Vehicles are now destructible and they can be hijacked, as they were in every subsequent Halo game after Combat Evolved. You can also now pick up and wield any weapon the enemies can, which means you’ll have access to the Energy Sword, among others, in this campaign. The Warthog has four seats now (the extra one is on the back, like riding on the lowered tailgate of a pickup truck), and you can pilot a Wraith tank. I didn’t get to see any of the Flood in the chunk of The Silent Cartographer mission I played, but Halo Studios says they’ve implemented dismemberment for Flood enemies. The team also told me that “level design has been thoughtfully updated” to smooth out pain points. Presumably they meant the Library, but they didn’t specify. Also, the cinematics have all been completely redone, with new mocap and freshly rerecorded dialogue from Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana).

Any other updates?

One other notable one: Skulls! Halo Studios is adding Skulls to Campaign Evolved, and lots of ‘em. The most Skulls ever in a Halo campaign, apparently, and the total number is “dozens.”

Does it still feel like Halo in Unreal Engine 5?

In my brief experience so far, I’d say yes. See my preview for more about that.

We’ll have much more on Halo: Campaign Evolved as development progresses, so stay tuned! In the meantime, be sure to tune in to our weekly Xbox show, Unlocked, for long-form discussion on everything happening in the world of Xbox.

Ryan McCaffrey is IGN's executive editor of previews and host of both IGN's weekly Xbox show, Podcast Unlocked, as well as our monthly(-ish) interview show, IGN Unfiltered. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's "Taylor ham," not "pork roll." Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.