Halo: Combat Evolved remake announced at Halo World Championship 2025, arriving next year (Halo: Campaign Evolved)

Halo Studios has confirmed the existence of a long-rumored Halo: Combat Evolved remake at the Halo World Championship 2025, named Halo: Campaign Evolved. The reveal comes as a celebration at Halo Infinite’s last-ever esports tournament officially supported by the developer.

Halo: Combat Evolved remake coming in 2026 with extra missions

Hell has officially frozen over, people: Halo is coming to PlayStation. As part of the announcement, the developer confirmed that the Halo: Combat Evolved remake is releasing on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Even just a few years ago, the idea of Xbox’s mascot making its way to PlayStation was near-unthinkable, a sign of the changing times around exclusivity in recent times. And yes, there is crossplay.

The announcement confirmed that the Halo: Combat Evolved remake, which is launching next year, will be campaign-only (if Halo: Campaign Evolved wasn’t a giveaway). This could be tough news for players wondering what the future of Halo esports holds, as they’ll have to wait for the next mainline for a multiplayer component. Why Halo Studios has excluded multiplayer from the Halo: CE remake remains unclear. However, there will be three new prequel missions set before the events of the original game, featuring Master Chief, Sergeant Johnson as well as “new environments, gameplay, characters, and enemies.”

Gameplay from the Halo: CE remake looks excellent, showing off the true power of Unreal Engine 5. The franchise made the jump to the popular engine last year, and this will be the first game in the series to use it, after Halo Studios decided to ditch its proprietary Slipspace engine. Some elements of the reveal will be controversial, after more modern gaming features, such as sprint, were shown off in the Halo: Combat Evolved remake. Whether this decision pays off for Halo Studios, remains to be seen.

The new title is the second Halo: CE remake, following 2011’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary. However, that title was more of a faithful remaster, whereas this is more of a full remake of the 2001 classic.

What does this mean for Halo esports?

The future of Halo esports remains unclear. HCS for Halo Infinite is coming to an end following the Halo World Championship, and we’re already seeing some pro top players flocking to Call of Duty. In truth, it could be a dire time for the scene if Halo Studios doesn’t announce a Halo multiplayer game soon.

Still, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the new Halo: CE remake plenty. But I can’t lie – Blood Gulch in Unreal Engine 5 would have been a sight to behold.