The rumors are finally confirmed: Microsoft today announced Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remake of the Halo Campaign: Combat Evolved, the first mythical Halo, released at the launch of the first Xbox 24 years ago. The game is expected to arrive in 2026, obviously included in Game Pass Ultimate at launch.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a complete reimagining of the original game, with graphics recreated from the ground up on Unreal Engine 5 (it will be the first game in the series to use a non-proprietary engine), gameplay improvements, new content and the introduction of 4-player online co-op, complete with cross-play with PC and PlayStation 5. Yes, because this will also be the first Halo to arrive on the Sony platform, in line with Microsoft's new multiplatform strategy.

But let's get to the details: Halo Studios ' stated goal is to "bottle" the impact and special moments of the original campaign, offering a memorable experience for both new players and long-time fans. This modern evolution of the iconic story will be brought to life thanks to Unreal Engine 5, promising breathtaking 4K graphics, updated animations, remastered music and completely re-recorded lines of dialogue . But it's not just a technical update: Halo Studios has confirmed that weapons and vehicles from subsequent chapters of the Halo series will be integrated into the game.

The news does not end there. Halo: Campaign Evolved will include three all-new campaign bonus missions , designed to expand and celebrate the adventure that started it all. Halo's co-op legacy will also be enhanced: the game will support the original two-player local split-screen experience on consoles and, as already mentioned, for the first time ever it will introduce online co-op mode for up to four players.

Damon Conn, executive producer of the game, explained the choice to start from the progenitor of the series. Rebuilding the first campaign from the ground up presented the perfect opportunity to create an ideal entry point for new players, while modernizing areas that could benefit from improved pacing and clarity (such as the "Library"). "We wanted to start where it all began," Conn explained, "allowing those who have never played the game to understand the story from the beginning also helps us chart a course for the new Halo stories." Focusing on the campaign also allows you to fully capture the atmosphere and emotional impact of the original.

Maintaining the classic Halo feeling is of primary importance for the studio. To achieve this, the team went back to the original material from 2001, trying to understand how modern updates could complement and not replace the essence of the experience. The goal is to make the game look exactly as we remember it, but smoother and more polished than ever. As Conn added, the campaign has been "rebuilt to be immersive and crafted, true to what players remember, not only visually, but emotionally."

This means that the team avoided modernizing for the sake of it. Max Szlagor, creative director, pointed out that each change was evaluated by asking the same question: "Does it still look like Halo?" The introduction of four-player co-op, for example, required rethinking how the original encounters and spaces could scale to accommodate four players.

The Library is the perfect example of this approach. Szlagor explained that, learning from the experience of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, the team realized that there was a demand for better orientation, navigation and diversity in enemy encounters. Specifically for that level, pacing has been re-evaluated and the environmental narrative has been improved. New lines of dialogue have been added for Guilty Spark, which will guide us through the level, and new dialogues that will offer more insight into the plot. "We are not changing history," Szlagor points out, "it is about refining and adding context to that moment."

Moving on to the gameplay news, in Halo: Campaign Evolved we will be able to wield nine iconic weapons from across the series, including the Energy Sword, the Battle Rifle and the Needle Rifle. "Some of the weapons we're introducing could be used against us in Halo: Combat Evolved by enemies, but we couldn't pick them up," Szlagor said. "Now we can, and it feels natural because it reflects the evolution of the series." We will also be able to count on two "firsts" for this campaign: it will be possible to hijack enemy vehicles and even pilot the Covenant tank, the Wraith, for the first time.

For lovers of challenges, Halo Studios will also include the largest number of Skulls ever seen in a Halo campaign, offering even more ways to modify the experience. And, perhaps most interestingly, the team has added three brand new prequel missions, set before the events of the Halo campaign: Combat Evolved, which will introduce completely new environments, characters and enemies; More details on this will be revealed soon. Now we will also be able to shoot, but it will also be possible to disable this function if we prefer a classic experience.

Greg Hermann, director of the game, then spoke about the use of Unreal Engine 5, clarifying that although the team is switching to the new engine, it is essential that the gameplay remains "100% authentic Halo". All new content created in UE5 is "layered" on top of the code and systems inherited directly from the original games. This original code is instrumental in maintaining the authentic "Halo feel" within the gameplay, while UE5 takes care of providing a photorealistic rendering.

Finally, the team emphasized the importance of community feedback. The "player-first" approach has driven many decisions, using data from user research and the Halo Insider program to stay true to what makes Halo authentic. The goal, Conn concludes, is not to replace the original, but to offer a modern experience that can "stand proudly by its side", capturing that "transformative" feeling of 2001 for a new generation. "This is Halo for everyone," he says.

But the news does not stop only at these news: Halo Studios has in fact released a long gameplay of the Silent Cartographer level, one of the most iconic moments not only of the series but of the entire history of video games, as well as a shorter announcement trailer. These videos show us some very spectacular graphics, demonstrating how the team really wants to amaze us with this game. Find everything below, together with a set of images: enjoy!