Halo: Campaign Evolved marks the first time that Halo franchise has stepped into the PlayStation ecosystem, but provides PS5 users Master Chief Collection instead would have been the perfect way to introduce newcomers to the series. There are many reasons to be excited about Halo: Campaign Evolved. But that only gives players a small dose of what could have been experienced with such a big transition to a new platform.
The Master Chief Collection is one of the best possible deals for those interested in checking out Halo for the first time. It's even just the perfect buy for longtime fans. Six games in a pack is hard to beat, and this would have done it Halo on PS5 even more exciting. The campaign developed looks good, but six games with dated graphics is still a superior offering than a remake with a fresh coat of paint and updated controls.
Bringing the Master Chief Collection to PS5 before the campaign developed would have been better for not only Halo fans, but the entire franchise
There has been much discussion on Reddit as to whether The campaign developed on PS5 is worth getting excited about or not. For the most part, PS5 users are happy, but many have been vocal about wanting to get Master Chief Collection first. An ongoing feeling among players is that The campaign developed feels like the first step in trying to remake a variety of games so that more money can be made by selling each one as a separate release.
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There is already the question of The campaign developed requires two PlayStation Plus subscriptions to play co-op on the couch that annoys people, so the thought of possibly having to spend more money on every single remake Halo Studios might have in the works only adds to the frustration. Sure, the standard version of The campaign developed is priced at $50, which is easier on the wallet than the standard $70 and handful of games that GTA 6 and Mario Kart World which cost $80. Still, having to pay for a game that's already in a great bundle on Xbox and PC is understandably frustrating.
Every Halo game included in the Master Chief Collection
- Halo: Combat Evolved
- Halo 2
- Halo 3
- Halo 3: ODST
- Halo: Well
- Halo 4
If Xbox really wanted PS5 users to get the ultimate taste of Halo franchise, it would have made a lot more sense to just give players the first six titles instead of trickling out remakes one at a time. Also, now that Xbox is making changes to its exclusivity plans, HaloTime with the PlayStation can be incredibly short-lived.
Xbox is embracing big exclusives again, which could hurt PlayStation's chances of getting more Halo
The announcement of The campaign developed last year marked a big step in Xbox saying goodbye to exclusivity. But a lot has changed since that announcement. Moving away from exclusives was a decision made under Phil Spencer's leadership, but new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has taken over. She's made a lot of big moves since becoming CEO, with one of the most important being a newfound investment in keeping certain franchises exclusive to Xbox.
Xbox has already tried to bring one of its other big exclusives to Sony consoles. Gears of War: Reloaded was decently successful on the PS5, but it was a short-lived effort to try and expand the franchise. Gears of War: E-Day is confirmed to be an Xbox exclusive, despite many assuming it is Reloading thought the prequel was a shoo-in to get a PS5 release.
Console exclusives are important, but this could also throw a wrench into Halo Studios' remake plans. It is very possible that the next Halo remake will be made exclusive to Xbox again, which would kill the series' PlayStation potential before it even gets off the ground. If only the Xbox had a green one Master Chief Collection PS5 port, this wouldn't be a problem.
The future of the Halo franchise is uncertain in more ways than one
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Image via Halo Studios -
Image via Xbox Game Studios -
Image via Halo Studios
Beyond leaks and rumors that Halo Studios is already working on one Halo 2 and Halo 3 remake, what awaits the series down the road is a big mystery. Halo infinite hasn't exactly been a high point for the franchise, and it's now been five years since its release with no follow-up in sight. The fans have been waiting for Halo 7 news for a while now, but Halo Studios has been incredibly quiet about what to expect.
Xbox's recent restructuring hopefully means more Halo coming sooner, rather than later
Xbox is restructuring its business in a massive way. This has unfortunately resulted in a round of mass layoffs and parting ways with smaller studios such as Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, Undead Labs, and Arkane Lyon. Asha Sharma's Xbox memo has made it clear that this is an effort to make the company's operations more efficient, but it's also a move aimed at turning the majority of attention and resources to Xbox's biggest franchises.
The campaign developed definitely feels like an attempt to load players per game, but it's also likely a way for Halo Studios to experiment with and get used to using Unreal Engine 5. Future Halo Games will be made solely with Unreal Engine 5, so Campaign Evolve is a huge testing ground for the engine swap.
If this brings more resources to Halo Studios, it can hopefully do the trick to get Halo 7 finished faster. The Halo franchise has hit a rough patch lately, which means Halo Studios has some seriously high expectations to meet in order to turn things around. Now that Halothe future of the PS5 is also a giant question mark looming over the series, it will be interesting to see how The campaign developed works on a Sony console and affects future plans. The Master Chief Collection on PS5 felt like the perfect way to give PlayStation fans the essentials Halo starter pack, but only offer The campaign developed may have backed Halo Studios into a corner where only a remake gets to experience life on a new console.
- Released
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28 July 2026
- Developer
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Halo Studios
- Publisher
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Microsoft Studios
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-platform play
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Yes – all platforms
