Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28: price, Game Pass and the PC you need

Early access begins July 23 at 8am PDT

Halo: Campaign Evolved has two launch dates. Premium and Collector's Edition buyers unlock the game on Thursday, July 23 at 8am PDT, 11am EDT, 4pm BST and 5pm CEST. The standard launch follows at the same times on Tuesday, July 28. Xbox confirmed a single global release time, apart from the calendar rolling into July 29 in parts of Asia-Pacific.

The remake is coming to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC through both the Xbox app and Steam. It is the first Halo released on a PlayStation console. Cross-play, cross-progression and four-player online co-op are included; two-player split-screen is restricted to consoles. Competitive multiplayer remains in The Master Chief Collection.

The Standard Edition has every mission; Game Pass follows on July 28

The Standard Edition costs $49.99, £49.99 or €59.99. It includes the original ten-mission campaign and Operation: METEORITE, a new three-chapter story set one year earlier. Premium does not lock away any missions. Pre-ordering any edition adds four Foundry Armory cosmetics for Master Chief's armor and assault rifle, with no playable content attached.

Premium costs $69.99, £69.99 or €79.99. The extra money buys five days of early access, cosmetics, a digital artbook, a digital manual and Troy Denning's Hungry Buzzards short story. The $199.99/€199.99 Collector's Edition adds a 12-inch Master Chief statue, light-up Cortana chip, SteelBook, prints and a physical manual. Xbox Series X and PS5 packages contain a disc; Steam gets a code. Halo Waypoint details the contents and supported regions.

Halo: Campaign Evolved joins Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on July 28. It is not a day-one release for Essential or Premium. Microsoft's plan page says Premium receives Xbox-published games within their first year, but it gives no later date for Halo.

Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can buy the Premium upgrade to start on July 23. That means paying extra for five earlier days and the digital extras; the complete campaign is included the following Tuesday. Current additions and departures are in our July Game Pass guide.

PC needs 100GB—and the stores disagree about Windows

The official minimum target is 1080p at 60fps on Low: a Ryzen 5 3600 or Core i7-10700K, 16GB of RAM and a Radeon RX 6600, Intel Arc A580 or GeForce RTX 2060 Super. Every configuration calls for an SSD with 100GB free.

Halo Studios' High target for 4K at 60fps lists a Ryzen 7 7700 or Core i7-12700K, 32GB of RAM and either a Radeon RX 9070 or GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The middle 1440p/60fps profile calls for a Ryzen 7 5700X or Core i5-12600K, 16GB and an RTX 3070 or RX 7600 XT.

The storefronts disagree on one important requirement. Xbox lists Windows 10/11 as supported platforms, whereas Steam currently requires Windows 11 at both minimum and recommended levels. Microsoft has not explained that mismatch. Windows 10 users should wait for a corrected listing or a direct support answer before ordering.

It is a remake, while the 2001 game survives elsewhere

Halo Studios rebuilt the campaign with Unreal Engine 5, new cinematics, re-recorded performances, remastered music and revised pacing. The Library's famously repetitive corridors get clearer direction and more varied encounters. The studio says legacy code still helps drive how the game behaves, even though its environments and presentation have been remade.

Nine weapons from later games, enemy-vehicle hijacking, a driveable Wraith and more Skulls are also included. Operation: METEORITE gives Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson three completely new missions. Unlike the 2011 Anniversary release, Campaign Evolved cannot switch to the classic graphics: it changes the campaign and leaves The Master Chief Collection as the place to play the original.

Should you pre-order or wait until July 28?

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members can wait until July 28 and try it without paying again. The Premium upgrade only makes sense if the earlier weekend matters to you. If you want to own it, the Standard Edition contains the complete campaign and all three new missions.

PC buyers should also wait for Microsoft to clear up the Windows 10 discrepancy and for final performance tests. Pre-ordering adds cosmetics, not a discount or another mission. We will follow the launch in INSERT FUTURE's Gaming channel.