Halo: Campaign Evolved

We’re in a strange moment for Halo. Master Chief—once the defining face of the Xbox brand—has been mostly sidelined since 2021. Outside of revisiting older titles, the franchise has been quiet. Today’s release of Halo: Campaign Evolved continues that trend, and reviews have just landed, forming its initial Metacritic profile.

Right now, amusingly enough, Halo: Campaign Evolved sits at 80 on PS5, where most reviews have been published so far. It’s at 86 on Xbox Series X and 77 on PC. These numbers will shift as more outlets weigh in, but the early verdict is essentially: pretty good. And honestly, that’s about what you’d expect from a project like this.

For context, here’s how other Halo titles have scored:

Halo CE – 97

Halo 2 – 95

Halo 3 – 94

Halo: Reach – 91

Halo: The Master Chief Collection ODST – 91

Halo Infinite – 87

Halo 4 – 87

Halo: The Master Chief Collection – 85

Halo 5 – 84

Halo 3: ODST – 83

Halo: Campaign Evolved – 80–86

So yes—Campaign Evolved lands squarely within the franchise’s typical range. Not a miss, not a disaster, and likely reassuring for anyone on the fence. And really, how often do you get to play Halo on PS5? More often lately, but it’s still a novelty.

The release is part of Microsoft’s multiplatform strategy—one the new leadership seems to be partially walking back, but this particular project was locked in long ago. Halo: Campaign Evolved was announced for PS5 well before any policy shifts, meaning Master Chief roaming around on PlayStation—once unthinkable—is now just normal.

As for the next mainline Halo game? We know essentially nothing. Microsoft has said zero in any official capacity beyond acknowledging that Halo does, in fact, have a future. Reporting behind the scenes points to cancelled projects, unclear direction, and the recent wave of layoffs likely didn’t help whatever plans existed—if any were concrete to begin with. So for now, we get releases like Campaign Evolved. It’s good! But it’s also not the new Halo game Xbox should already have out the door if Halo Studios were being managed properly.

Here are a few review excerpts for Halo: Campaign Evolved:

VGC (10/10) – “Halo Studios’ Unreal Engine 5-powered upgrade of the original Halo campaign elevates the original with sublime visuals, smart tweaks, and broad respect for the gameplay feel, design, and aesthetic that makes this game so beloved.”

Game Informer (8.5/10) – “The core game shows its age in some notable ways, but there’s no mistaking the magic that made this formula work all those years ago is still very much intact.”

Insider Gaming (7/10) – “Halo: Campaign Evolved is a must-play game for newcomers to Halo, and it's a great-sounding, amazing-looking first-person shooter with a highly enjoyable story.”

So go ahead—jump back into Halo. Just don’t expect the next mainline entry anytime soon.