The classic Halo campaign, reborn with new adventures.
Halo: Campaign Evolved 4K Remake Launches July 28 on Game Pass with New Prequel Missions
Halo: Campaign Evolved, a 4K remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign, is set to launch July 28, 2026 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, with five days of early access starting July 23 for Premium and Collector’s Edition buyers; the remake is campaign-only and will be available via Xbox Game Pass and cloud play. Microsoft and Halo Studios also revealed three prequel missions—together forming Operation: METEORITE—set one year before the original game, starring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson aboard a Covenant research vessel. The missions add new locations, enemy variants, and a broader arsenal of weapons and vehicles, including at least one space-combat sequence, and their story was written in collaboration with sci-fi author Troy Denning. The remake modernizes the original with updated visuals and cinematics, refined controls, and gameplay modifiers such as Skulls. Pricing includes a $49.99 standard edition, a $69.99 digital Premium edition with extra skins, an art collection, and early access, and a $199.99 physical Collector’s Edition with physical collectibles. Separately, Xbox’s limited-time Xbox x Fanta promotion runs through July 30, letting players claim a free Halo: Campaign Evolved cosmetic by scanning a QR code from branded Fanta packaging and completing an in-game rewards mini-game with a chance to win additional prizes.
Key Points
Xbox’s limited-time x Fanta promotion for Halo: Campaign Evolved isn’t just a QR-code/mini-game sweepstakes: after scanning the QR code on branded packaging, players choose one of three “Fanta Rewards Chest” games—“Extract the Cargo,” “Survive the Sweep,” and “Shatter the Spell”—then receive their in-game armor code and enter a sweepstakes for prizes including a ROG Xbox Ally, an Xbox Series S, an Xbox Wireless Controller, and “one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate” (for new subscribers).
In its coverage of the Operation: METEORITE reveal, GamesRadar says Halo Studios is taking “a few nice liberties” beyond a strictly faithful remake—most notably that “Cortana looks much different than her original 2001 counterpart,” and that players can “pilot alien vehicles in massive space battles.”
ScreenRant quotes the game’s official synopsis, describing “Skulls” as “optional modifiers that change combat in fun and challenging ways,” adding “fresh tactics and endless replayability,” and reiterating that the campaign is being rebuilt with “high-definition visuals, updated cinematics, refined controls,” plus a “brand-new three-mission adventure featuring the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson.”
Halo Studios’ own pitch for Operation: METEORITE (as reproduced by Neowin) emphasizes not only new locations/enemy variants/weapons and expanded sandbox play, but also the narrative intent: it will let players “witness a new event that adds to the legacy of their heroic history.”
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