Halo: Campaign Evolved – 10 Major Differences From the Original

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The news is now confirmed: Halo is coming to PlayStation! This marks a significant shift, as Microsoft is bringing its three biggest franchises – Halo, Gears of War, and Forza – to competitor platforms. But it’s not the Halo games most fans expect. Instead of Halo Infinite or the Master Chief Collection, it’s a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved that will launch in 2026. The team, now known as Halo Studios, is essentially rebooting the series, aiming to introduce a new audience to the story of Master Chief.

Halo’s developers at Halo Studios are aiming to update the classic game while staying true to its original spirit – they don’t want to change things just for the sake of it. So, what is new in the remake? How does it compare to the original Combat Evolved? And is there anything fresh for veteran players to enjoy? Here are ten of the biggest changes, starting with…

Four Player Campaign Co-op

The classic co-op campaign is back, letting you play with a friend on the same screen. Plus, for the first time in the series since Halo 3, you can team up with up to three other players online for even more chaotic fun. It’s currently unknown if you’ll play as Master Chief or as a Marine, but we’re looking forward to finding out!

If you’re hoping to play with friends locally on the same PC using split-screen, you’ll be out of luck – this feature is only available on consoles.

Rebuilding Levels and Encounters

Players of the original game will remember its campaign levels weren’t designed for four players. For Campaign Evolved, the developers are completely rebuilding “almost every level and encounter” to make them better, according to creative director Max Szlagor. He explains that building the new technology required them to carefully re-examine every part of the original game as they revisited it.

This means carefully considering how everything—from enemy encounters to level design—will work with so many players. While screenshots of The Silent Cartographer suggest a significant change, the goal is to maintain the familiar Halo experience that fans expect and enjoy.

Improved Wayfinding

A key improvement that should please longtime fans and make the game easier for newcomers is better pathfinding. Players who struggled to navigate The Library level in the original campaign will be happy to know it’s been reworked. Along with new dialogue from Guilty Spark that adds to the story, Halo Studios is refining the level’s flow, adding more varied combat, and enhancing the way the environment tells its story.

Sprinting

The game is getting some improvements to aiming and controls, but the biggest change is the addition of sprinting. Now, Master Chief can run faster into – or away from – combat. Interestingly, sprinting started as an optional armor ability in Halo: Reach and then became standard in Halo 4. If you prefer the slower, more strategic gameplay of the original Combat Evolved, you can disable sprinting and play just like you remember.

“New” Weapons

Calling these weapons ‘new’ isn’t quite accurate. The Needle Rifle, Beam Sword, and Battle Rifle have all appeared in previous Halo games. The Needle Rifle was first seen in Halo: Reach, with a modified version in Halo 5: Guardians. The Beam Sword debuted in the original Combat Evolved and became a player-usable weapon in Halo 2. The Battle Rifle also first appeared in Halo 2 and has been a consistent, well-balanced weapon ever since. By adding these three to the standard arsenal, Halo: Combat Evolved increases the total number of available weapons to nine, offering players more options than in the original game.

Piloting the Wraith

The game is adding a few more vehicles to drive. The original Halo had four: the Scorpion and Warthog from the UNSC, and the Ghost and Banshee from the Covenant. While the Covenant also had the Wraith tank, players couldn’t actually drive it. Now, you can – you won’t have to wonder what it would have been like to control it anymore!

Just a quick update: Halo Studios is tweaking the Warthog. They’ve added a small spot for a fourth player on the vehicle’s bumper, so everyone can join the ride – unless you decide to leave someone behind!

Hijacking Enemy Vehicles

Plus, you can now steal vehicles from enemies – a feature that wasn’t originally in the first Halo and didn’t appear until Halo 2. This means you can jump onto the side of a vehicle (or even the front, to avoid crashing) and pull the driver out to take control. It’s a classic Halo element, and it’s now available in the original game’s campaign.

3 New “Prequel” Missions

Beyond the main campaign, Halo: Campaign Evolved will include three additional, brand-new missions. These missions act as a prequel, focusing on the early adventures of Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson. While specific details are still limited, players can anticipate fresh character moments, gameplay mechanics, characters, locations, and even enemies with updated behaviors. How these missions connect to the original story, their length, and any new lore they reveal remain to be seen.

“Dozens” of Skulls

Skulls were first introduced in Halo 2 and later added to Combat Evolved Anniversary if you played with the upgraded graphics. In Halo: The Master Chief Collection, they’re used to significantly change the campaign, offering a tougher challenge – even randomizing the weapons you find. This remake has the most Skulls of any game in the series, with dozens hidden throughout. They make the game so difficult that the developers at Halo Studios don’t even think it’s possible to complete a ‘LASO’ run – playing the entire campaign on the hardest difficulty with all Skulls active. However, they’re excited to see dedicated players attempt it.

Cross-Play and Cross-Progression

The original Halo: Combat Evolved didn’t have robust online multiplayer, and playing with others on different systems or carrying progress across platforms wasn’t possible. The upcoming Campaign Evolved changes that. Players on Xbox and PC can now play the first game’s campaign together, and even team up with players on PlayStation 5. Plus, the community director, Brian Jarrard, has hinted that Halo will be available on PlayStation in the future, meaning this is just the beginning for the series.

No Competitive Multiplayer

Halo Studios hasn’t mentioned any competitive multiplayer modes, which is surprising considering the game is called Campaign Evolved and was revealed at the Halo World Championship Series. They might still announce it later, though. It’s possible one of the other Halo projects currently in development is a free-to-play multiplayer game connected to this remake, but as it stands, the remake itself doesn’t include multiplayer.

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2025-10-27 17:42