Halo Remake will launch in 2026 with new prequel missions and Sprint, but no multiplayer

During the Halo World Championship today, Microsoft and Halo Studios officially announced Halo: Campaign Evolved. It's described as a “faithful yet modern” remaster of the 2001 game, and is scheduled to release in 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will launch into Game Pass. The first thing to be clear about is that this is called Halo: Campaign Evolved because it's just the campaign. While online and local campaign co-op is supported, there is no face-to-face multiplayer.

The Unreal Engine 5-powered remaster promises “upgraded visuals” and “refined controls,” as well as online co-op for up to four players. Halo Studios has also added three new missions, as well as more weapons, vehicles, and enemies. Here's a rundown of everything we know about the new remake.

“Rebirth” visual effects

Halo Studios promises a series of updates and upgrades to the classic game.

The game's description reads: “Fight through the original missions, rebuilt from the ground up with enhanced level design, updated animations, and improved pathfinding, refined to maintain the pace without losing the wonder, tension, or heroism of the original.”

Halo Studios promises that the game environment is “reborn with all-new visuals, cinematics, and animations.” The soundtrack has also been remastered, with Halo Studios promising “greater immersion.” The main cast, presumably including Steve Downs (Master Chief) and Jean Taylor (Cortana), are back, and they've recorded new lines for the remake.

sprint

Halo: CE Remastered includes a sprint feature that was not available in earlier Halo games, which may be a controversial change. The lack of sprinting was a notable feature of older Halo games, and one that players loved. Others, however, may be excited about sprinting and bringing the game up to modern standards. Players can disable sprinting if they wish.

New guns and prequel missions

There are nine new weapons in Halo: CE Remastered, including the Energy Sword, which was equipped by enemies in the original version but was unavailable to players. As for the new missions, these are prequel missions featuring the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson's “brand new arc” takes place before the story events you already know.

Another big update is that players can hijack enemy vehicles and drive Ghosts – something that wasn't possible in the original version of the game, but was introduced in Halo 2.

Players can also look forward to a “Campaign Remix” feature, which will allow players to perform any mission they want using a series of modifiers or skulls to alter the experience with things like random weapons and enemies.

On the social front, Halo CE Remastered includes two-player split-screen co-op on console (not available on PC) or four-player online co-op. There is cross-game support and shared progress between console and PC.

Not the first remake

Microsoft released a remastered version of “Halo: Combat Evolved” on the Xbox 360 as early as 2011 through the “Halo: Combat Evolved” Anniversary Edition. The game features updated graphics and online multiplayer support for head-to-head matches, while it also enables players to switch between old and new graphics with the press of a button.

The game is included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, a collection of six Halo games. In addition to the Anniversary Edition of the first Halo game, the set also includes Halo 2: Anniversary Edition and offers campaign and multiplayer support.

No switch 2

Rumor has it that Microsoft is looking to bring Halo not only to the PS5, but also to the Switch 2. However, Microsoft's announcement today did not mention the Switch 2. “Call of Duty” fans are also waiting for a new version of Switch 2, which has been confirmed multiple times by Microsoft and Activision There are still plans to bring Call of Duty to Switch one day.

Not the only new Halo game

In addition to Halo: Campaign Evolved, Microsoft is also rumored to be developing a New real-time Halo game. Microsoft made no mention of the matter today, but previously confirmed it had Several new Halo games are in development. 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the Halo series, and the live service is rumored to launch alongside Halo: Campaign Evolved next year.

Stay tuned to GameSpot for the latest updates.