Halo Campaign Evolved reworks its most infamous mission and adds sprinting, but its dev is "not trying to rewrite Halo's legacy"

After all the rumors, it's finally official. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full, Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original tale that started it all. And yes, it's coming to PlayStation as well, in a relatively unsurprising move that still makes my brain feel a little funny. But Halo Studios (the rebranded 343 Industries) is making plenty of changes "to create a new experience that balances nostalgia with the expectations of today's gamers." That means adjustments to the likes of its most notorious level, The Library, along with features such as sprinting and the ability to pick up more enemy weapons.

I last played through the first Halo's campaign (via the Master Chief Collection) in 2021, and, while you can certainly see its age, it's still worthy of consideration among the best FPS games. It's good to see that legacy carrying forward, although it's somewhat of a bitter pill that we probably got it as a result of Halo Infinite's relatively damp performance. Creative director Max Szlagor says the team has "been able to carefully rebuild almost every level and every encounter with more fidelity" for Halo: Campaign Evolved, including jumping the co-op game from two up to four players.

"We're so excited about bringing Halo to those who may not have had a chance to play it in the past," executive producer Damon Conn explains to Xbox Wire. "At its heart, Halo is about connection; we're thrilled to meet a new generation of players on their platforms of choice to fall in love with Halo the same way we did. We're not trying to rewrite Halo's legacy - we're trying to immerse you in it like never before. This is Halo for everyone."

Some of the additions are marked and obvious. There will be three completely new prequel missions, set prior to the rest of the story. You can now sprint, a feature that was absent from the original trilogy (though it can be turned off here). Many weapons that weren't usable by players until later entries can now be picked up, including the Energy Sword, Battle Rifle, and Needle Rifle. Halo Studios has also incorporated vehicle hijacking and the ability to pilot the Covenant Wraith tank, both first-time inclusions for this campaign.

Elsewhere, there will be quite a few notable changes for veterans to spot. Encounters and spaces now need to accommodate up to four players at once, and Halo Studios is also tackling "wayfinding, navigation, and diversity in enemy encounters." It points to the infamous Library level, known for both its sudden shift in gameplay pacing as you deal with swarms of the Flood, and its confusing layout that can leave you running in circles.

"In The Library specifically," Szlagor notes, "we wanted to reevaluate the pacing and enhance the environmental storytelling. We've added new lines to Guilty Spark, which guide players through the level, and there's new dialogue that gives more insight into the narrative as it plays out. We're not changing the stories, it's about refining and adding context to this moment, and other levels like it, so players can stay on track."

As for the feel, game director Greg Hermann explains that "All of the new content created in Unreal Engine 5 is layered on top of code and systems carried directly over from the original games. That legacy code is instrumental in maintaining that authentic 'Halo feel' within gameplay." He says it allows the team to "achieve the desired visual goal with Unreal's photorealistic rendering capabilities, with the simulation systems of Halo living and breathing beneath it."

If you're a challenge-seeker, there's good news, because the remake features "the most Skulls ever in a Halo campaign." These typically let you ramp up the difficulty with all manner of modifiers, although I'm sure we can expect some of the sillier stalwarts such as Grunt Birthday Party, which causes the Covenant's diminutive footsoldiers to burst into a shower of colorful confetti when defeated.

The three biggest points of concern will be the extent of the redesigns, the choice of engine, and the generative AI question. Making adjustments to improve problems with the original is a worthwhile pursuit, but there's a careful balance to be struck between preservation and progress. The decision to use Unreal Engine 5, meanwhile, will put the onus on Halo Studios to not fall foul of the performance gripes that have arisen in some other UE5 games such as Borderlands 4 and Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2.

As for the use of generative AI, Hermann simply tells Rolling Stone that "It's a tool in a toolbox," noting, "We use Photoshop. There's generative fill, for example. The boundary lines can get a little fuzzy." An Xbox representative then reached out to add, "There is no mandate to use generative AI in our game development, and that includes Halo: Campaign Evolved." Unfortunately, it seems that's the clearest answer we'll get for the time being.

Halo: Campaign Evolved launches in 2026 via Steam and the Xbox app. It'll be available for PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on day one. You can wishlist it for now if you want to be notified when it arrives.

Reminisce on the olden days with our pick of the best classic PC games you should try in 2025, or take a look through the best single-player games that we recommend right now.

What did you think of the announcement? Drop into the PCGamesN Discord and tell us whether you're excited to see Halo return, or whether you'd prefer something totally new.