Halo Campaign Evolved is Master Chief's most beautiful return, amputated of half its soul

We awaited it with a mix of excitement and dread, and it's finally here. Halo: Campaign Evolved, the remake of the 2001 monument, redoes Combat Evolved in Unreal Engine 5 and grafts on three new missions. The result is sumptuous, faithful, moving in places to the point of goosebumps. And yet, once the controller is set down, a strange feeling settles in, that of having found an old friend missing an arm. Because this Halo, however beautiful, skips what filled our schoolkid evenings: multiplayer. For our pre-release take, head to the Halo Campaign Evolved preview, and to survive the campaign, the Legendary guide.

The context

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a remake of the legendary Halo Combat Evolved, developed by Halo Studios and available since 28 July 2026 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series. In a historic first, it's the very first time Halo lands on PlayStation. The game rebuilds the original campaign with an Unreal Engine 5 graphics engine, while keeping the physics inherited from Reach, and adds three new missions, Operation Meteorite, serving as a prelude a year before the events of the game. The campaign plays in up to four-player online cross-platform co-op, with two-player split screen on consoles. The critics followed, with an average of 84 on OpenCritic and 81 on Metacritic, 88% of reviews recommending it.

The gameplay: a sumptuous, faithful remake

Let's start with what lands, because there's plenty to be moved by. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a technical success and a respectful homage. The Unreal Engine 5 overhaul is splendid, the game has never looked this good, and yet it scrupulously preserves the feel, level design and aesthetic that made the original so beloved. The floaty sensation of the Warthog, the familiar buzz when Master Chief's shields recharge, it's all there, intact, like a childhood memory you'd replay for real. That's the whole strength of the approach: modernizing the tech without betraying the soul, and controller in hand, Combat Evolved's action still holds up twenty-five years on.

The additions are of good quality too, and that's far from a given for a remake. The three bonus missions of Operation Meteorite slot in so naturally they feel like they've always been part of the game, even enriching the arsenal and bestiary with elements from later Halos. The whole comes with real generosity for completionists, with thirty-nine Skulls and thirteen terminals to dig up, plus a Campaign Remix mode that replays the missions with modifiers. And for newcomers, especially those who only own a PlayStation, it's simply the best entry point the series has ever offered to one of the greatest campaigns in shooter history.

What sticks

And this is where the shoe pinches, cruelly. Halo, for a whole generation, was as much the campaign as the multiplayer, those entire evenings battling four on a split screen. Yet Halo Campaign Evolved completely skips competitive multiplayer. The title is called Campaign Evolved, sure, but remaking Halo while amputating what defined its legacy leaves a gaping void, all the more paradoxical when you remember those hours of multiplayer on the big Xbox are precisely what feeds our nostalgia. It's like replaying your memories without the half that made them unforgettable, and for many veterans, that lack will weigh heavily in the balance.

The other reservations are more classic but very much present. Part of the 2001 level design shows its age and hasn't been retouched, giving a dated feel in places that the brand-new visuals don't fully mask. Above all, the PS5 version suffers at launch from serious performance issues, with framerate drops reported on several missions, a real problem for a shooter, while the PC version runs much better. Finally, at fifty euros, while it's not the full price of big productions, the absence of multiplayer makes the content-to-price ratio debatable for veterans who have already replayed this campaign dozens of times.

What we take away

Halo Campaign Evolved is a gorgeous paradox. As a remake, it's a near-success: the Unreal Engine 5 overhaul is sumptuous, the faithfulness to the original's feel is exemplary, the bonus missions slot in beautifully, and the action still holds up twenty-five years on, proof of Combat Evolved's timeless genius. For a newcomer, especially on PlayStation where Halo had never set foot, it's the best imaginable gateway to a legendary campaign. On that ground, the performance deserves praise without reservation, and the emotion of finding the ring again in its most beautiful version is very real.

But it's impossible to skip over what's missing, and that lack is enormous for whoever lived the series' golden age. The absence of competitive multiplayer amputates Halo of half its soul, the very one that filled our evenings, and turns a potentially legendary package into a superb solo relic. Add the performance issues on PS5, a level design dated in places and a debatable price for veterans, and the enthusiasm is tinged with a stubborn regret. It's a remake we warmly recommend to the curious and to newcomers, but one that day-one fans will approach with a mix of joy and bitter nostalgia. The music still resonates, magnificent, but it plays at half.

Verdict

A sumptuous, faithful Unreal Engine 5 remake of Combat Evolved, enriched with three new missions, but amputated of all multiplayer: the best entry point for newcomers, a bittersweet return for veterans.

Strengths:

• A splendid Unreal Engine 5 overhaul, faithful to the original's feel
• The three new Operation Meteorite missions, perfectly integrated
• The best entry point in the series, especially on PlayStation
• Generosity for completionists, Skulls, terminals and Remix mode

Weaknesses:

• The total absence of competitive multiplayer, a gaping void
• Performance issues on PS5 at launch
• A 2001 level design dated in places
• A debatable price for veterans, given the solo content alone

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Tested on PC.