Published Jul 23, 2026, 12:00 PM EDT
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Halo: Campaign Evolved is looking to bring back the magic of the original Halo in remake form, and the team over at Halo Studios mostly succeeded. There are a lot of changes involved in Campaign Evolved, which makes sense as the original Combat Evolved is 25 years old at this point.
In the years (and decades) since, Halo fans have seen a ton of changes. The addition of the sprinting mechanic from Halo 4 onward was a big change, and that was pretty much the point where many fans were split. There are still a lot of folks who prefer the original trilogy, but plenty of newer fans are also big into ODST and Reach.
The Halo series has evolved so much, even without the help of remakes, and now we’re poised to enter a brand-new era of the saga following the events of Infinite. But before that happens, it’s time to explore a classic.
Out of all the changes in Halo: Campaign Evolved, the injection of post-Halo 1 weapons into the mix is possibly my favorite. While some purists may not like the idea of a few later weapons leaking into the first entry, as a long-time Halo fan, it felt like a natural fit.
The addition of the Energy Sword, Sentinel Beam, Fuel Rod Cannon, Needle Rifle, and Battle Rifle is immediately apparent, especially if you’re playing through the three new missions in Campaign Evolved. The weapon diversity is off the charts, and you can constantly change your tactics as the situation demands. Playing the new missions in co-op really gets this point across.
Playing with these weapons in the old school Halo framework is a blast, as it presents completely new solutions to existing problems from the first game. As someone who has played countless hours of the Combat Evolved campaign, it was fantastic to see everything in a new light.
This has been a controversial addition since Halo 4, but much of that debate has been laid to rest since it originally came out. At this point, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that we’re going to get a sprint feature in a 2026 shooter.
That said, having played through Campaign Evolved, the sprinting feature doesn’t really detract from the intent of the original game. Some levels were expanded a bit, but you’ll only notice those reworks if you’re looking for them in most stages. The reworked layouts help everything come together nicely, including the expanded mobility options for the Chief.
It sounds weird, but the added sprint and the enhanced hijacking mechanics make Master Chief more of a force in the Halo universe. He feels more like a super-soldier Spartan in the remake, given that more modern conveniences were added.
While not everyone is going to love all the changes, these bits in particular are a success, and don’t fundamentally alter the core of the original.
In a very odd move that seems contrary to the current way Microsoft is doing business, Halo: Campaign Evolved is now a fully cross-play game. Although you may need to sign up for an extra account to get it all working, the ability to play Halo co-op between an Xbox and PlayStation console is a dream come true for Halo fans who have been there since the beginning.
25 years ago, the console wars were in full swing. With the Xbox as the outsider and the PlayStation considered the favorite, it was a tough uphill battle convincing people to try out Halo. But once the craze really took over, and it became the next GoldenEye 64, it was much easier to coax people into testing out the series.
The rest is history. But now, you can play it on more platforms, and play it together. I don’t think anyone could have predicted this would have happened back in 2001. Some enthusiasts were even skeptical that Xbox would last 25 years.
Skulls have been vastly expanded upon, which is a huge plus for hardcore fans and newcomers alike, looking to wring every last minute of gameplay out of Campaign Evolved. For those of you new to the series, think of skulls as challenges or cheat codes, depending on which ones you enable. They can be used to alter the game in some way, and make it tougher to play or just different.
42 skull modifiers are present in Campaign Evolved, which is pretty huge given that you can mix and match them. Here are three of the biggest modifications on offer:
Across the game, you’ll find three skulls in each core mission, as well as three in all three of the new campaign levels. As you unlock more, you can change the game in different ways, so it’s fun to experiment as you go.
After unlocking three skulls, you’ll be able to test out the new “Campaign Remix” mode. This is brand-new to Campaign Evolved, and allows players to try out remixed weapon and enemy layouts, amid other skull modifiers. It’s the sort of thing that adds a lot of replay value, even if you’ve already played the original game a ton.
You need to do this for completed missions, but your first run of Halo: Campaign Evolved shouldn’t take too long. The runtime of Campaign Evolved is roughly the same as the original, which can be breezed through in a full day of gaming.
This is a small one, but you can save power-ups for later after picking them up. In other words, after picking up an Active camouflage or Overshield item, you can save it and trigger it with a specific button press.
Given that the active camo timeline was less than a minute in the original game, the ability to grab it, save it, and then deploy it when you need it is a nice change.
As the biggest change of them all, you can play three new missions, all of which take place a year before the events of the original Halo. We won’t spoil what they cover here, but suffice it to say that you’re going to see a new side of the Halo universe. Albeit one that mostly plays out like you’d expect a prequel of an established franchise would play out.
If you’re remotely interested in* *Halo: Campaign Evolved and haven’t played Halo yet, most of these changes will feel natural. If you’re a longtime fan, some of them will mess with your muscle memory, but they’re mostly spot-on changes that you should acclimate to after a few sessions.
Halo: Campaign Evolved ](/tag/video-game/halo-campaign-evolved/)
Science Fiction
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Microsoft Studios
Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
Yes - all platforms
Yes - all platforms
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful yet modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign. Experience the original story rebuilt with high-definition visuals, updated cinematics, and refined controls, plus three brand-new prequel missions featuring the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson.