Looking at 'Halo: Campaign Evolved' Ahead of Its July Launch
Few games had more of an impact on me than Halo: Combat Evolved. I can still remember my friends endlessly replaying the campaign well past midnight or getting four controllers together for multiplayer, including the one third-party controller that always led to last place. Fast-forward to the present day, and I completed my first playthrough of the campaign with my daughter earlier this year.
All of which is to say I was hyped to get a remote preview build of the upcoming remake Halo: Campaign Evolved for my Xbox Series X. It consisted of two levels-The Silent Cartographer, which has been featured in trailers, and Assault on the Control Room-and came with several skulls already unlocked. Nothing from the recently announced new missions was available, nor was a mode called Campaign Remix.
Diving into the action, the standout is, of course, the graphical overhaul. Developed in Unreal Engine 5, Campaign Evolved looks excellent as you drive your Warthog around the beaches or engage in tank combat across snow-covered zones. It's a sizable jump beyond anything we've seen from the franchise, including Halo Infinite.
Within that, though, the beauty of the exterior sections is such that it really drives home just how bland and repetitive the interiors are. The fact that the original game faced a time crunch and did some recycling of locations isn't news, nor is how similar long stretches of hallways can be on some levels, but with the graphical glow-up it stands out more than ever. I get wanting to remain faithful to the source material, but it feels like more could have been done to spice up some of these areas.
One concession to modernize the game a little is the introduction of visible waypoint markers so that you don't get turned around inside those similar hallways and rooms. Notable changes to the original on the gameplay side include sprinting, which looks fine when you have a two-handed weapon and all kinds of silly when you're holding the pistol, and aiming down sights using the left trigger. You also can now hijack Covenant vehicles as well as pick up and wield swords dropped by Elites.
These changes are welcome, making the gameplay feel a bit more modern, although purists will doubtless deride them rather than simply not utilizing them. We'll have to wait and see if the three-mission prequel campaign unveils any additional tricks-with no preexisting levels constraining it, there's certainly an opportunity for the developer to stretch its wings with the Master Chief.
After spending a few hours playing the levels and messing with skulls, I'm left with two distinct thoughts: 1) fans of the Halo series should thoroughly enjoy the updated look and gameplay tweaks, and 2) newcomers to the franchise might find the level design outdated-the demo contained arguably the two best levels in the game, and even there it was noticeable.
There is, of course, a lot more to be seen and experienced with Halo: Campaign Evolved, and on a personal level, I cannot wait to play the full game repeatedly. I just hope it does well enough that we finally get a long-overdue remake of Halo 3, the actual best game in the series.
Related: The Top 10 Games Shown at Xbox Games Showcase 2026
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 12:25 AM.