Halo: Campaign Evolved Set for 2026 Launch on PlayStation, Xbox and PC

When Brian Jarrard, community director at Halo Studios stepped onto the stage at Halo World Championship 2025Seattle, Washington, he announced that Halo: Campaign Evolved will finally break the franchise’s 24‑year Xbox‑only streak and arrive on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2026. The revelation came at precisely 10:00 AM PT during the opening ceremony at the Climate Pledge Arena, catching a live audience of tens of thousands and a worldwide livestream audience of millions.

Background and the Road to PlayStation

Since its debut on November 15 2001, Halo Studios—backed by Microsoft and its publishing arm Xbox Game Studios—has kept Halo firmly inside the Microsoft ecosystem. The original Halo: Combat Evolved launched on the first Xbox and helped define console shooters.

That exclusivity began to wobble in 2023, when Sea of Thieves and Pentiment quietly appeared on PlayStation. The trend accelerated with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (2024) and Forza Horizon 5 (late 2024), culminating in a full‑scale Gears of War port in early 2025. Industry analysts described the shift as Microsoft’s “cross‑platform pivot,” a strategy to boost Xbox Game Pass subscriptions across rival hardware.

Speculation about a Halo PlayStation debut started on October 10 2025, when a well‑known Halo dataminer using the handle grunt.api posted a cryptic PS5 logo with the caption “The Ring has expanded.” Two days later, gaming outlet Rebs Gaming confirmed the tease was about an upcoming Halo title on PlayStation.

Announcement at the Halo World Championship

Jarrard’s live remarks were punctuated by a short clip of the new trailer, which debuted just five minutes later on Xbox Wire, the PlayStation Blog, and Halo’s official socials. “It’s a huge deal, it’s been a long time coming,” Jarrard said. “We’re super excited to welcome even more players to the franchise we love, and to let them fall in love with Halo the same way we did 24 years ago.” He added, “Halo is on PlayStation going forward, starting with Halo: Campaign Evolved.”

After the ceremony, a round‑table stream at 1:00 PM PT featured creative director Joseph Staten, studio head Pierre Hintze, and Jarrard. They explained that development began in January 2024, fueled by community feedback gathered during the Halo 20th Anniversary celebration in November 2021.

• Release window: 2026, day‑and‑date across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
• Platforms: PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam.
• Pricing: Available on Xbox Game Pass at launch, standard purchase option coming later.
• Cross‑play: Enabled for four‑player co‑op across all platforms.

What Halo: Campaign Evolved Actually Brings

The remake promises a "faithful yet modernized" experience of the original campaign. High‑definition textures, ray‑traced lighting, and re‑engineered cinematics will sit beside the classic level design that made the original a benchmark for shooters.

Key gameplay upgrades include:

1. Updated controls optimized for dual‑sense haptics on PS5 and refined stick response on Xbox.
2. Local two‑player split‑screen co‑op, a nod to the series’ early multiplayer spirit.
3. Four‑player online co‑op with shared progression, meaning a player’s unlocks travel with them whether they jump on a PS5 or an Xbox.

In addition to a polished recreation, developers are adding three brand‑new pre‑quel missions that explore Master Chief Petty Officer John‑117 and Sergeant Avery Johnson’s operations before the Pillar of Autumn’s fall. These missions flesh out the lore surrounding the activation of the ringworld and give longtime fans fresh narrative content.

Notably, the classic multiplayer modes from the 2001 title will be absent; the focus is strictly on the single‑player saga.

Why This Is a Big Deal for Xbox Game Studios

Bringing Halo to PlayStation shatters a long‑standing brand boundary. For Xbox Game Studios, the move is less about market share on a rival console and more about bolstering the value proposition of Xbox Game Pass. By offering a flagship franchise on all major platforms, Microsoft hopes to entice gamers who prefer PlayStation hardware to still subscribe to its service.

Analysts point to the $2.3 billion revenue boost Microsoft saw after the Forza Horizon 5 PlayStation launch as a precedent. "Cross‑platform releases are an emerging revenue stream," said TechInsights senior analyst Maya Patel. "Halo’s fanbase is huge, and the goodwill from making it available everywhere could translate into more Game Pass sign‑ups and higher engagement across the board."

Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters—located in Redmond, Washington—has been humming with activity since the decision was made. Internal memos leaked to the press describe the project as "a watershed moment for the franchise and a litmus test for our multi‑platform strategy."

Looking Ahead: Release Timeline and Community Reaction

Fans can already add the game to their wishlists on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, and Steam. Pre‑orders are slated to open in the first quarter of 2026, with a possible early‑access beta in late 2025 for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members.

The community’s response has been overwhelmingly positive. Threads on Reddit’s r/Halo subreddit have already topped 20,000 up‑votes, with many gamers sharing personal stories of playing the original on the first Xbox. "I grew up with Halo on the original console; being able to play the same story with my kid on a PS5 feels surreal," wrote user @SpartanKid.

Whether the cross‑play implementation will be seamless remains to be seen, but the development team has pledged regular updates leading up to launch. Jarrard hinted at a series of developer diaries next month that will showcase the new pre‑quel missions and technical breakthroughs.