It's a day unlike any other in Halo history: Halo: Campaign Evolved is now available worldwide, not just for Xbox Series X|S and PC, but for the first time in the series' history, also for PlayStation 5. Master Chief is officially leaving the exclusive Xbox world. The remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, completely rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, is also part of Xbox Game Pass from launch.
Players who purchased the Premium or Collector’s Edition since July 23rd could already dive in via the Early Access phase. However, as of today, all players can jump in, regardless of platform.
What the Remake Offers
Visually, Campaign Evolved is a complete reinterpretation of the 2001 campaign, while the core gameplay remains intact. New additions include three officially canonical prequel missions titled “Operation: METEORITE”, expanding the story surrounding the arrival on the Ring world.
- Complete graphics and lighting remake based on Unreal Engine 5
- Three new canonical missions (“Operation: METEORITE”)
- Online co-op for up to four players
- Splitscreen co-op for two players on supported consoles
- Playable for the first time on PlayStation 5, plus Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud
- Included with Xbox Game Pass from day one
Why There's Still No Classic Multiplayer
The biggest point of criticism is quickly apparent: Campaign Evolved offers no competitive multiplayer mode. No Slayer, no Capture the Flag, no ranked matches – just the campaign in co-op. For a game whose original multiplayer component made genre history, this is hard for many to understand, especially since the price is barely lower than that of the Master Chief Collection, which already offers this scope. In discussions on Reddit and in the Steam community, the same assumption is repeatedly voiced: Microsoft and Halo Studios apparently don't want a new, free PvP offering to siphon players away from their own Halo Infinite.
A Historic Break, Foretold
The fact that Halo, for decades the flagship of Xbox exclusivity, is now landing on PlayStation shows just how much Microsoft's strategy has changed since the major studio closures and the reorientation of the Xbox business. From our perspective, the technically impressive remake is a clever move to reach a new target audience – but the missing multiplayer component seems like a deliberate brake to avoid unsettling their own Infinite community. So, those hoping for the full Halo experience with PvP will have to stick with Halo Infinite. You can find our report on the rather mixed review scores for Campaign Evolved and the start of the Early Access phase on July 23rd in our archive.
Source: Xbox Wire, ScreenRant, Shacknews
Have you already picked up Campaign Evolved, and what are your thoughts on the missing multiplayer? Let us know in the comments!
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