Halo: Combat Evolved remake confirmed to launch in 2026

Rumours about a remaster or remake of Halo: Combat Evolved had already started making the rounds when Xbox boss Phil Spencer ended this year's Xbox Games Showcase by telling us to expect "the return of a classic that's been with us since the beginning" in 2026. Top that with Halo Studios confirming they would reveal more about future Halo games at the Halo World Championship, and it's understandable fans have been excited. Now it's time to see what we've been waiting for.

Halo Studios has confirmed that the Halo remake is called Halo: Campaign Evolved and will launch simultaneously on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series in 2026. If the title didn't make it clear, this remake won't include the multiplayer, but there are plenty of exciting and great news to compensate for that.

The gameplay and cinematics have been completely redone with new Unreal Engine 5 graphics, better animations, remastered music, and re-recorded voice lines. These things can all be enjoyed together with up to three friends in co-op on all platforms (it even supports cross-progression) and gameplay has been tweaked to match newer games in the series. The latter includes being able to sprint, hijack and destroy vehicles, pick up all kinds of weapons and some small changes to some levels (the press release mentions the Library) to make them more enjoyable.

Speaking of levels, the remake will also include three completely new missions set before the original game starts. That means more story with new friends and enemies in new environments. We'll learn more about all of these things closer to launch.

Sounds good? I've always said that it's always better to see something in action, and Halo Studios agrees. They've given us a 13-minute playthrough of the new version of The Silent Cartographer that you can watch below along with the reveal trailer and roundtable discussion diving deeper into the improvements and changes that await in Halo: Campaign Evolved sometime next year.