Halo: Campaign Evolved: Release Date, Price, Pre-Order, Early Access and Game Pass

Quick answer: Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28, 2026 at 8:00 AM PDT, and it’s day one on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Pre-orders have been open since June 7. The Digital Standard is $49.99 and the Digital Premium is $69.99 — and Premium is the one that unlocks early access from July 23. A Game Pass subscription on its own does not include that early access, but subscribers can pay $20 for the Premium Edition Upgrade to get in early. Here’s every detail, and the parts Microsoft hasn’t announced.

Everything at a glance

Where things stand as of 18 July 2026 — 10 days from launch, 5 days from early access:

Release date and the early-access window

Halo: Campaign Evolved releases on July 28, 2026 at 8:00 AM PDT, as a simultaneous global launch. The date was confirmed at the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, 2026, and it’s still listed across Xbox.com, Halo Waypoint, Steam and PlayStation.com as of today — no delay has been announced.

One detail that gets misreported: Japan and select Asia-Pacific markets show July 29. That is not a later release — 8:00 AM PDT is 15:00 UTC, which is already past midnight in Japan. It’s the same moment, just a different local calendar date.

Early access begins July 23, 2026 at 8:00 AM PDT. Halo Studios words it carefully as “up to five days of early-access play” — so treat five days as the ceiling, not a promise of a full 120 hours. Early access is tied to the Digital Premium Edition or the Collector’s Edition, not to pre-ordering as such and not to a subscription.

Worth knowing: there is no beta, no demo and no technical test for this game. The July 23 window is the only way to play before launch, and it’s paid.

Editions and price

In the UK, Standard is £49.99 and Premium £69.99. Microsoft did not publish a GBP price for the Collector’s Edition, and the $20 upgrade is listed as “price varies by region” with no regional table — so if you’re outside the US, check your own storefront rather than converting.

The Collector’s Edition is sold out, confirmed in an official Halo Waypoint update dated June 8, 2026. We’re not linking resale listings.

Pre-ordering any edition unlocks the Foundry Armory Pack — classic 2001-style armour and weapon skins. That is the pre-order bonus; everything else is tied to which edition you buy, not to when you buy it.

Is Halo: Campaign Evolved on Game Pass?

Yes — day one, on July 28, on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Xbox Wire states it plainly: the game “will be available day one with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.” Halo Waypoint matches it. (The Xbox store page only says “Included with Game Pass” without naming tiers — the tier detail comes from Xbox Wire and Waypoint.)

That tier restriction is the standing rule for day-one releases, not something specific to Halo: day-one titles land on Ultimate and PC Game Pass only.

Two things a subscription does not get you:

• It does not include the July 23 early access. Subscribers start on July 28 with everyone else.
• It does not cover the Steam version. PC Game Pass is the Microsoft Store build. Xbox Play Anywhere likewise covers Xbox and the Microsoft Store PC version — not Steam, and not PS5.

The $20 route into early access

This is the question most people are actually asking, and it has a clear official answer. Halo Waypoint states:

“Owners of the Digital Standard Edition or Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers may upgrade to the Digital Premium Edition for only $20.00 (USD, price varies by region).”

So if you have Ultimate or PC Game Pass, $20 upgrades you to Premium — which is what carries the July 23 early access and the Premium extras. The Xbox store listing for that upgrade lists “up to 5 days early access, beginning July 23, 2026” among its contents.

What about Premium and Essential?

Not announced. Game Pass Premium’s plan terms cover Xbox-published games “within about a year” of launch, but that’s a description of the tier, not a commitment with a date for this game. Game Pass Essential has no announced timeline at all. Anyone giving you a specific month for either is guessing.

There is also no PlayStation Plus announcement — on PS5, this is a paid purchase.

Platforms, and what’s actually in it

Officially confirmed platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC via the Microsoft Store and Steam, and PlayStation 5 — the first mainline Halo to launch on PlayStation hardware, day and date. It supports Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Play Anywhere, and it’s rated Steam Deck Verified.

There is no Xbox One or other last-gen version, and no Switch, Epic Games Store or GOG release announced.

On the game itself — the single most common misconception is worth stating plainly: the name is literal. This is campaign only. There is no competitive multiplayer.

What’s included:

• A complete Unreal Engine 5 remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign — all 10 missions rebuilt with new visuals, cinematics, motion capture and re-recorded voice work. Halo Studios calls it a “ground-up remake”; new work is layered on systems carried over from the original, so “rebuilt from nothing” overstates it.
• Operation: METEORITE, a new three-mission arc set about a year before the original, starring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson — 13 missions in total.
• Co-op: solo, 2-player split-screen on console, or up to 4-player online, with full crossplay and cross-progression across Xbox, PC and PS5.
• Nine additional weapons drawn from later Halo games, a drivable Wraith, vehicle hijacking, optional sprint, a large set of Skulls and a Campaign Remix mode.

So which way should you buy it?

• You have Ultimate or PC Game Pass and can wait until the 28th — do nothing. It’s included at no extra cost.
• You have Ultimate or PC Game Pass and want it on the 23rd — the $20 Premium Edition Upgrade is the cheapest route in.
• You don’t subscribe and just want the campaign — Digital Standard at $49.99.
• You want early access outright — Digital Premium at $69.99. Note that $49.99 + the $20 upgrade lands at the same $69.99, so there’s no penalty for starting with Standard and deciding later.
• You’re on PS5 — buy it; there’s no subscription route on PlayStation.

Frequently asked questions

Is Halo: Campaign Evolved on Game Pass?

Yes — day one on July 28, 2026, on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Not Essential or Premium, which have no announced date for it.

Can I play early with Game Pass?

Not with the subscription alone. Early access from July 23 requires the Digital Premium or Collector’s Edition — but Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can buy the $20 Premium Edition Upgrade to get it.

How much does it cost?

$49.99 Digital Standard, $69.99 Digital Premium, $20 for the Premium upgrade. The $199.99 Collector’s Edition is sold out.

Is it on PS5?

Yes — day and date on PlayStation 5, the first mainline Halo on PlayStation. There’s no PlayStation Plus inclusion announced, so it’s a paid purchase there.

Does it have multiplayer?

No competitive multiplayer. It’s the campaign, playable solo, in 2-player split-screen on console, or up to 4-player online co-op.

Is this the same as Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary?

No. Anniversary (2011) was a remaster of the same campaign. Campaign Evolved is a new Unreal Engine 5 remake with added missions, weapons and modes.

The bottom line

July 28 is the date, Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass get it day one, and $20 is the number worth remembering — it’s what turns a subscription into July 23 early access, and it’s also the gap between Standard and Premium if you’d rather start cheap. The genuinely unannounced pieces are Premium and Essential timing and anything on PlayStation Plus; treat any specific date for those as speculation. We’ll refresh this at early access on July 23 and at launch on July 28.

More: our Xbox Game Pass July 2026 line-up covers the rest of the month’s additions and what each tier costs, and the 2026 games calendar tracks every confirmed release date left this year.