Chris InglisHalo: Campaign Evolved arrived on PC, and consoles on July 28, 2026, marking a momentous transition as Halo Studios’ full Unreal Engine 5 remake of Bungie’s 2001 classic. Setting out on this review, I jumped straight into the brand-new Operation Meteorite prequel missions before touching the main campaign. These three opening chapters do a fantastic job establishing immediate stakes, offering a sleek look at ODST operations on the ground and introducing Brutes early into the timeline. While their linear design feels a bit tight compared to the sprawling sandbox levels that follow, starting here gave me a refreshed perspective before stepping into the boots of Master Chief.
The core story remains as compelling as ever and I never get tired of hearing the iconic intro music of the Halo series. After escaping the fallen military stronghold of Reach, the UNSC starship Pillar of Autumn makes a desperate blind slipspace jump, stumbling upon a mysterious, ring-shaped megastructure orbiting a gas giant. What begins as a desperate guerrilla defense against the relentless alien Covenant quickly morphs into a high-stakes race to uncover the dark purpose of the ring, all guided by the Chief’s dynamic partnership with the AI Cortana.
Visually, the leap to Unreal Engine 5 is amazing. Ancient Forerunner structures feel properly monumental, set against photorealistic alien skies and dense, glowing atmosphere. Dynamic lighting turns dark interior set-pieces into genuine survival horror encounters, and remastered cutscenes bring incredible weight to every core moment. On PC, performance is solid with crisp mouse and keyboard support, though crowded firefights at high settings can still push heavy VRAM demands that warrant a bit of graphic tweaking, especially for my now ageing PC.
Gunplay sits in a comfortable middle ground between Halo Infinite and classic Combat Evolved, blending responsive weapon feedback with an expanded arsenal. The inclusion of 4-player online co-op makes running through these classic encounters with friends chaotic and deeply enjoyable. That modernisation does come with a few trade-offs. Mechanics like sprinting and sliding shift the spatial pacing of tight firefights, and sturdier vehicle physics tame some of the wild, unpredictable charm of classic Warthog runs. Adjustments to sprawling levels like The Library help tone down the original’s notoriously repetitive hallways, but the underlying 2001 layout still reveals its age beneath the gorgeous UE5 polish.
Overall, Halo: Campaign Evolved is a visually magnificent remake that includes some prequel missions and respects its legacy while welcoming modern platforms. Bridging classic encounters with polished new additions and strong co-op performance, it remains an essential return to where the Halo series began.
This review utilised an Xbox key provided by Microsoft and Halo: Campaign Evolved is out now on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation.
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