Looking ahead: Microsoft will release its remake of Halo: Combat Evolved on PC and PlayStation 5. The iconic exclusive joins titles like Forza and Gears of War in crossing over, marking another step in Xbox's vision to let players play where they play and challenging an exclusivity paradigm Redmond calls "antiquated."
For more than two decades, the Halo series has stood as a defining property for Microsoft's gaming business – its green-armored protagonist synonymous with the Xbox brand. That connection will soon change. Microsoft confirmed that a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved will launch on PlayStation 5 in 2026, expanding the franchise beyond Xbox for the first time since its debut in 2001.
The new release, titled Halo: Campaign Evolved, is a full remake built for modern consoles and PC. It includes newly developed prequel missions that expand the story leading into the 2001 game, as well as reworked environments, enhanced lighting and textures, and a completely overhauled audio mix.
The game supports split-screen cooperative play and introduces new weapons and mobility systems, such as sprinting, though it will not include a multiplayer component. The remake is in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC.
The title's move to PlayStation reflects Microsoft's broader rethinking of how it distributes its games. Earlier this year, the company announced it would make key Xbox franchises available on competing platforms, reversing a strategy that for decades emphasized exclusivity as a central part of the brand. The policy shift follows internal efforts to grow profits within the Xbox division, which continues to show steady but slower growth compared to Microsoft's software and cloud businesses.
Several of Microsoft's most popular properties have already crossed into PlayStation's ecosystem. Gears of War: Reloaded debuted on PlayStation in August, followed by the release of Forza Horizon 5 earlier this year. Another title, Microsoft Flight Simulator 24, is expected to arrive on PS5 in December. There are also rumors that a Fable remake will hit the rival console.
Despite loosening its exclusivity policy, Microsoft still maintains limited timing advantages for Xbox players. Xbox president Sarah Bond has described the concept of platform exclusivity as "antiquated," arguing that players now expect major games to be available wherever they play rather than being tied to one console. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, will launch first as an Xbox timed-exclusive in 2026 before becoming available on PlayStation at a later date.