It’s the summer of remakes for gamers. After Star Fox in June and Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced earlier in July, Halo: Campaign Evolved is next up. As the title implies, it’s a remake of the first Halo game, but only its campaign mode. It will not include any PvP online multiplayer.
However, that hasn’t stopped people from enjoying it. Reviews are out for Halo: Campaign Evolved, and critics are glad to revisit an all-time classic with glossier visuals. That said, as was the case with Black Flag Resynced, some wonder how essential Campaign Evolved‘s glow-up was. At the time of this writing, Halo: Campaign Evolved has an 81 on Metacritic and an 83 on OpenCritic.
GameSpot’s Jordan Ramée called Halo: Campaign Evolved “the best way to play through Master Chief’s first game” in an 8/10 review, and noted that it’s an “odd sensation” to play a Halo game on a PlayStation console for the first time. They noted that changes to Halo: Combat Evolved‘s story allows for Campaign Evolved to better flow into future Halo games. “The changes are so much better that Campaign Evolved feels like the new gold standard for playing through the first Halo — I’d recommend this over Combat Evolved Anniversary. Every change feels like an improvement on what came before.”
A feeling of “been there, done that” is shared among reviews. “Most of what makes Halo: Campaign Evolved work in 2026 is what made the original Halo so great all those years ago on the original Xbox,” Kotaku’s Zack Zwiezen wrote. “Halo Studios smartly sticks as closely as possible to the original game’s level design, combat encounters, and cutscenes. Yes, everything looks more ‘real’ and detailed, and hardcore fans will spot different enemy spawns, but for the most part, well, this is Halo. Again. […] And yet, I find myself struggling to enjoy it as much as I feel like I should.”
Because of its adherence to the original game, Campaign Evolved shares some annoyances and shortcomings with Combat Evolved. “Certain stretches do rely on repeat corridors for a little too long. Working your way through The Library alongside Guilty Spark, grinding through Covenant ship hallways, or backtracking during Two Betrayals; these aren’t the most exciting parts of Halo,” IGN’s Michael Higham wrote in a 7/10 review.
The new prequel missions are a mixed bag. “While they’re not exactly revolutionary levels, they fit the mold of a traditional Halo campaign in terms of encounter design and challenge. That also means a chunk of time is, again, spent on bobbing and weaving through ship hallways as you mow down the usual suspects,” IGN’s Higham wrote. Polygon’s Ford James enjoyed them, particularly for the the new features that aren’t present in the main campaign, writing, “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?”
Our review was higher on Halo: Campaign Evolved than most, calling it “one of the best remakes of all time.” Meanwhile, Eurogamer’s Dom Peppiatt gave it a 4/5 and GameRadar’s Will Sawyer gave it a 3.5/5.
Polygon’s James recommends Halo: Campaign Evolved for any FPS fan, and is excited for what it means for the future of the franchise: “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.”
Halo: Campaign Evolved will be released on July 28 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. It’s playable now for owners of the digital Premium Edition.