Halo Campaign Evolved review: one of the best remakes of all time

Jul 23, 2026 - 19:07

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Halo Campaign Evolved review: one of the best remakes of all time

Published Jul 23, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

A new era for Master Chief

Campaign Evolved holding an assault rifle.

Halo: Campaign Evolved attracted an understandable level of skepticism after it was announced in 2025. After all, this isn't the first redux of the game that kicked off Xbox’s iconic sci-fi FPS series. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary was released in 2011, built on the Halo: Reach engine, with revamped graphics and the addition of both skulls and terminals. That was then re-released for Xbox One as part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and again for Windows PC as part of the same collection in 2020.

This time, with Halo: Campaign Evolved, developer Halo Studios took the original game and completely rebuilt it in Unreal Engine 5. The result? One of the best modern remakes we've seen, one that perfectly treads the line between sweet nostalgia and the thrill of a new game.

The very first thing you'll notice is that every cutscene in the game has been completely redone. Some have had significant changes made, while others are minor, but each one looks and feels like it’s from an imagined 2026 Halo game. The lighting is cinematic, character movement is fluid, and graphically, it looks stunning. It also has that perfect sci-fi blend of looking realistic enough to not come off as cartoony while retaining a style that conveys it’s still a video game. While the change in aesthetic will no doubt be controversial (and has been during the game's pre-release marketing push), it represents Halo's tone perfectly and should be the benchmark for the series going forward.

Despite the new engine, anyone who has played a Halo game before will find it immediately familiar. From the get-go, it's clear this is the ultimate version of Master Chief's first outing. Using the assault rifle is like rekindling an old flame; comforting, yet still exciting, although it leaves you longing for greener pastures. By that, I mean the iconic battle rifle, which is absent from the remastered campaign (understandably, since it didn't feature in the original either) but does show up in the game's three new missions.

Campaign Evolved and aiming at two hunters on The Silent Cartographer level.

Three major deviations from the original are the ability to aim down sights with all weapons, sprint wherever you like, and see hitmarkers every time your shots land on an enemy. True Halo purists might bristle at their inclusion, but they’re excellent modernizations that significantly enhance the quality-of-life experience for new players — particularly for those in the PlayStation ecosystem who are checking it out for the first time. Playing a shooter in 2026 without these features would feel lackluster, even if they aren't completely true to the original.

One area where the new engine improves things tenfold is the atmosphere. Take the “343 Guilty Spark” level, for example, when Master Chief discovers the Flood for the first time via a recording from the dead marines. In the original game, while it was obvious what the scene was trying to achieve, it lacked tension. In Campaign Evolved, it feels like a scene that wouldn't be out of place in Alien. Another example comes in one of the three bonus missions. At one point, the power goes out, and you have to find a terminal to turn the lights back on, all while elites with energy swords and active camo are stalking you. It is utterly terrifying.

The three additional levels take place approximately one year before the events of Campaign Evolved, featuring Master Chief alongside the immensely charismatic and quotable Sergeant Avery Johnson. Together, the pair explore a colossal Covenant ship called the Triumph of Tolerance, before setting out to rescue imprisoned UNSC soldiers.

The trio of missions offer a number of weapons not found in the main Campaign Evolved journey, including the needle rifle, spiker, and aforementioned battle rifle, alongside pitting players against enemies from later Halo games, such as brutes. While the missions don't push the boat out too much — the standard Halo formula of clearing a horde of enemies from one area before moving onto the next in order to rinse and repeat is very much in play here — they are a fun romp that introduce some new, albeit temporary, characters in heroic circumstances. Oh, and you get to fly a Seraph (a Covenant fighter ship), so what's not to love?

Halo: Campaign Evolved might receive a beating online from fans of the original who are offended that Halo Studios would try something new with the remaster. Ignore them. The lack of competitive multiplayer is a shame, and as a result, the game is lacking a touch of replayability, but since it's priced cheaper than most games at just $50, it's tough to complain.

There are also a grand total of 39 skulls to find throughout the game (three per mission), along with an additional three unlocked when you find your first two skulls, for a total of 42. These include 26 skulls previously seen in the series alongside 16 brand-new additions. Examples include one that randomizes weapons, one that shifts the perspective to third-person, and one that turns the “floor” into “lava.” And these skulls are well-hidden. In my first playthrough, I only found 12, despite feeling like I searched every nook and cranny, even trying grenade jumps to ascend every ledge taunting me, just above Master Chief's jump height. Skulls aren't mandatory, but if you want to eke every bit of value out of Campaign Evolved, you'll want to hunt them down.

If you've never played a Halo game before, but you know you enjoy shooters, Halo: Campaign Evolved is the perfect place to start. If you're a Halo fan, but it's been a few years since you've played Combat Evolved, Campaign Evolved does just enough to feel like an entirely new game. And if you're a Halo diehard, this really is as good as it gets. Remake or not, if this is the start of Halo’s new era, the future's bright.