New Features and Changes in Halo: Campaign Evolved vs. Halo 1

Halo: Campaign Evolved, the highly anticipated, cutting-edge remake of Halo: Combat Evolved—the first entry in Microsoft's legendary shooter franchise, originally released for Xbox in 2001—is finally here. Now that the game has launched, plenty of players, from newcomers to longtime fans, will be eager to get their hands on it. But... what exactly has changed in this new version? What gameplay additions and new features does it offer? There are quite a few worth knowing about. Below, in this section of our guide, we've rounded up the main features that set this modern reimagining of Master Chief's first adventure apart from the original.

Modernized Controls: All the Smaller Gameplay Tweaks

Halo: Campaign Evolved naturally benefits from a modernized control scheme while retaining the feel of the original game. To achieve this, it introduces the following quality-of-life and gameplay improvements:

• Customizable controls: You can remap the controls and adjust the layout to suit your preferences.
• New sprint ability: You can sprint at any time, letting you quickly reach cover or escape from enemies in a tight spot.
• Updated Warthog controls: You can steer using the left analog stick, control the camera with the right stick, accelerate with R2 and brake or reverse with L2 (although the classic driving controls are still available if you prefer them).
• Regenerating health: Just like your shields, your health now gradually regenerates over time, although much more slowly. This means you no longer need to search for health packs.
• Remixed enemy encounters: The remake adds new twists to many battles, including changes to enemy deployments designed to keep returning players on their toes.
• Manually activated power-ups: Power-ups such as Active Camouflage no longer activate immediately when picked up. Instead, they are stored in your inventory so you can use them whenever they will be most effective.
• Relocated items and vehicles: Like some enemies, certain items and vehicles have been moved around within missions to create a more believable experience that better fits the world of Halo.
• Vehicle hijacking: You can now hijack enemy vehicles such as Ghosts and Banshees during missions, something that was not possible in the original game.
• Aiming down sights: Every firearm has been updated to support aiming down sights for greater accuracy.
• Weapons from other Halo games: This new version lets you use weapons that were not available in Halo 1 but appeared in sequels such as Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo: Reach. These include the SMG, Needle Rifle, Fuel Rod Gun and Beam Rifle.
• Online multiplayer: In addition to two-player local split-screen co-op, the game supports online co-op for up to four players per session.

An Extra Campaign: New Bonus Missions

Perhaps the biggest new gameplay addition in Halo: Campaign Evolved is its brand-new extra campaign. Alongside the original campaign and its 10 iconic missions, the remake includes three never-before-seen bonus missions that expand the established canon.

These bonus missions take place one year before the events of the original Halo and put you in control of Master Chief and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson as they embark on a dangerous mission to steal valuable navigation data from a Covenant research vessel.

The missions feature completely new environments and weapons not found in the original campaign, including the burst-fire Battle Rifle, Brute Plasma Rifle and Spiker. Together, they offer around three hours of gameplay, making them a great excuse for anyone eager to experience more Master Chief adventures.

More Content: New Collectibles and Secrets

Halo: Campaign Evolved also introduces another exciting new feature: additional hidden secrets scattered throughout its missions in the form of skulls and terminals.

First, there are 42 skulls in total. These collectibles allow you to apply special modifiers to missions. Some skulls can randomize enemy factions, introduce new challenges, increase the difficulty and much more. The selection ranges from fan favorites to exciting new variants that let you remix the campaign and add even more replay value. They are hidden throughout the environments, so you will need to explore thoroughly and search every corner to collect them all.

There are also 13 terminals hidden throughout the levels. Finding them unlocks new lore entries in the main menu that expand on the Halo universe, provide access to classified information and offer more context about its world, events, characters and much more.

Graphical and Technical Improvements

Finally, it's worth remembering that Halo: Campaign Evolved is a remake rather than a straightforward remaster. The game has been rebuilt from the ground up to take full advantage of modern technology and current-generation console hardware.

The following video by ElAnalistadeBits offers a visual comparison between the remake, the Anniversary edition and the original Halo, showing just how much the game has changed:

Halo: Campaign Evolved is powered by Unreal Engine 5. Its visuals have been completely rebuilt in high definition and 4K, including the character, weapon and environment models. As a result, the game features denser geometry, more realistic materials, advanced lighting, more spectacular cutscenes with newly reimagined performances, improved facial animations and enhanced particle effects—everything you would expect from a cutting-edge game released in 2026.

Naturally, the sound design has also received a major overhaul, including every weapon and the game's ambient audio. The soundtrack has been remastered, while the original cast has returned to record new voice performances.