Halo to launch on PlayStation

Halo: Campaign Evolved, a ground-up remake of the franchise’s first campaign Halo: Combat Evolved, will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2026.

For over two decades, Halo has stood as one of the defining pillars of console gaming and a symbol of Xbox itself. Now, the military science fiction title is coming to Xbox’s arch competitor with cross-platform play and shared progression. This marks a significant moment in one of gaming’s most enduring rivalries.

Combat Evolved’s story follows the supersoldier Master Chief after he crash-lands on a mysterious ringworld known as Halo. With his AI companion, Cortana, he must defend his stranded shipmates from the forces of the alien Covenant. Together, they uncover a dark secret that threatens the annihilation of all life in the galaxy.

“It’s a great time to revisit Combat Evolved for new players, for established halo players, and maybe even for old friends playing on different hardware today to allow them to play together and enjoy the franchise together again,” says creative director Max Szlagor, during a roundtable reveal on YouTube.

Game director Greg Hermann says: “For new players, this is the right time for you to jump in. Think of this as your introduction into this huge franchise [that] we have been building for the past 25 years.”

Campaign Evolved builds on the foundation of Combat Evolved with new missions, refined level design, and modernised gameplay. It supports two-player split-screen on consoles, online and networked co-op for up to four players across console and PC. It includes high-definition visuals, improved controls, and refined level design.

Expanded gameplay

Players can take part in three new missions set before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, joining Sergeant Avery Johnson and encountering new characters, enemies, and environments. These missions aim to add depth to the series’ early narrative while maintaining the tone and scale of the original campaign.

All the classic moments from Halo: Combat Evolved return with enhanced cinematics, now featuring new motion-capture performances and freshly recorded dialogue from the returning cast. The audio experience has also been reimagined, with a remastered soundtrack and rebuilt sound effects that update the distinctive sounds of Halo’s weapons, vehicles, and combat encounters.

Players can access an expanded arsenal that introduces nine additional weapons from across the Halo universe, including the Energy Sword, Battle Rifle, and Needle Rifle. Vehicle gameplay has been updated: the Master Chief can now hijack enemy vehicles, and the Warthog supports an extra seat, allowing a full four-player Fireteam to travel together.

Campaign Evolved introduces the largest collection of gameplay-modifying Skulls in any Halo campaign. These modifiers let players revisit missions with altered weapon spawns, enemy behaviour, player traits, and environmental effects.

A 13-minute gameplay demo video was released alongside the announcement, featuring the fourth mission (The Silent Cartographer) from Halo: Combat Evolved.

The community event Halo Fest was announced to return in 2026. This was revealed during the Halo World Championship, the largest esports tournament for the Halo franchise, which took place last weekend.

Where to play Halo: Campaign Evolved?

Halo: Campaign Evolved will launch on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC in 2026.