Earlier this month we pulled the curtain back on Halo: Campaign Evolved and shared its imminent release date of July 28 – or July 23 if you pre-order the Premium Edition and get up to 5 days of Early Access. While we have been busy sharing lots of news, highlighting features like split-screen and online co-op, and creating fun videos with Sgt Johnson, we know you all still have plenty of questions. 

Today, we’re setting aside some time to answer some of the most common ones we’ve seen online and in our mentions. We plan on doing this again, so please keep sending your questions our way and we’ll try to answer them in our next Q&A!

Q: Do you need to find Skulls in-game before you can apply them?A: Yes! In order to apply Skull modifiers in-game, you will need to find and collect them. There are 3 Skulls hidden on each mission in Halo: Campaign Evolved and another 3 that are granted upon unlocking Campaign Remix.

Q: Will there be any additional Collector’s Editions up for sale?A: We are humbled and blown away by the overwhelming excitement for the Collector’s Edition. This was always intended to be a limited edition offering but safe to say demand has far exceeded what was projected and produced.
The Collector’s Edition is officially sold out and there are no plans for a restock.

With regards to reports of reselling – Our retail partners have audited orders and found no evidence of widespread scalping. Only a tiny percentage of purchases showed suspicious behavior, and in those cases, orders were refunded and units were put back up for sale. As a reminder, some customers may choose to cancel their pre-order, so there’s always a chance a few more units trickle in over the coming weeks.

If you’re a fan of awesome Halo statues, we are working with partners to release even more Halo: Campaign Evolved collectibles throughout the year to help celebrate 25 years of Halo. Stay tuned for more info.

Q: Are there any XBOX account requirements to play the game solo or co-op?A: Yes, just as you do today for Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo Infinite to ensure smooth cross-platform progression, to play Halo: Campaign Evolved you will need a Microsoft account and XBOX Gamertag, regardless of the platform(s) you play on. This enables both cross-platform play and cross-platform progression.

If you’d like to jump in immediately on July 28, we recommend having an XBOX account created beforehand to help save time once you put the disc in the tray.

Q: Will there be a Photo Mode or Theater Mode?A: The Blind Skull, which hides your HUD UI, weapons, and hands from view, combined with the Acrophobia Skull, which allows you to fly, should be able to provide some incredible screenshot opportunities, but there are no current plans for a Photo Mode or Theater Mode in Halo: Campaign Evolved.

Q: Can I turn off hitmarkers in-game?A: Yes. We like to start by providing as much feedback to players as possible, so this is enabled by default, but you should feel free to turn this feature off via the in-game settings.

Q: Can I wear the Mark IV armor in the base 10 missions?A: We love the Mark IV armor too, so we understand the desire to wear it everywhere, but it will only be available in the 3 new bonus missions.

Q: How does the new 3rd Person mode work? Is it possible to play this way right from the start?
A: The ability to play in 3rd Person is an optional way to experience the game that can be enabled once you’ve found the “Perspective” Skull hidden in one of the game’s 13 missions. To learn more about Skulls and the new Remix feature in Halo: Campaign Evolved, check out this blog! 

Q: Will the Stanchion be useable in the bonus missions or in the main missions via Campaign Remix? 
A: Sgt Johnson’s Stanchion, which was featured in our new missions trailer, is his personal weapon and not one he likes to share. As such, it will not be featured outside his personal use in the prequel missions.   

Q: If I customize my Spartan, will they show up in cutscenes with that armor? 
A: To ensure that the narrative remains as faithful to the original game as possible, the personalized customization options you choose will not show up during cutscenes.

Q: Will LASO mean playing the game with truly all Skulls active?A: We’ll have a specific selection of Skulls for LASO. Similar to MCC, it won’t be all Skulls, but it will still be extremely challenging. We’ll share more about the specific LASO selection in the lead up to launch.

Q: How does the game balance enemy encounters for Co-Op?A: If you load up a Co-Op session via split-screen or online play, each mission will scale appropriately depending on how many people you have in your lobby. This will show up in a few different ways: 

• Number of enemies: You may encounter a higher number of enemies, though this is largely determined by your difficulty selection.

• Rank of enemies: Enemies have a chance to upgrade to a higher rank. The more players, and the higher the difficulty, the higher the chance they will upgrade.

• Enemy intelligence increases: The enemy AI will avoid grenades more frequently, target and shoot at players more efficiently, and know when to fall back to gain their shields more effectively. 

And, since not everyone in your Co-Op session will be at the same skill level, we’ve also introduced a new feature – Difficulty Modifiers – to help everyone enjoy their time together. Difficulty Modifiers allow each player to adjust settings for themselves, which can help them have an easier time or a more difficult challenge. These settings are: 

• Damage Resistance (increase or decrease how much damage you take from enemies)

• Shield Recharge Rate (increase or decrease how quickly your shields will begin recharging)

• Damage Modifier (increase or decrease how much damage you deal to enemies with weapons and grenades)

• Melee Damage Modifier (increase or decrease how much damage your melee deals to enemies)

• Ammo (Infinite Ammo, Bottomless Clip, etc.) 

So, if you have 4 players in your lobby, expect to face more Covenant resistance than if you play solo, but be sure to take advantage of Difficulty Modifiers to ensure everyone in the lobby is having a good time.
Note: There are some Achievements that will not be earnable when Difficulty Modifiers are enabled for any members of your Fireteam.

Q: Can you still backpack reload?  A: We loved this button glitch in the original Halo: Combat Evolved, so we wanted to preserve its behavior with the “Stowed Reload” Skull, which allows your weapon to reload while on your back to mimic this behavior. Although it’s no longer a button glitch, its spirit continues to live on. 

Q: Will there be more content or features such as additional story DLC, Firefight, new Skulls, more customization, etc. added after launch? 
A: Halo: Campaign Evolved is meant to focus on remaking the original campaign of Halo: Combat Evolved and providing three fun, new prequels missions. There are no plans to expand the game into a live service with continued content or feature additions.

Q: Will there be assassinations?A: No, there aren’t any specific assassination animations, but your traditional backsmacks will continue to provide one-hit kills while helping you avoid detection in stealthier situations. 

Q: Will there be a public demo of Halo: Campaign Evolved ahead of launch?
A: There are no plans to release a demo of the game before launch. If you’re excited and want to get your hands on the game as soon as possible, you can pre-order the Premium Edition[aka.ms] and get up to 5 days of early access beginning July 23, 2026! 

Q: Do I need to play the original missions before I can play the three new missions? 
A: You can play the prequel missions as soon as you launch the game. We want everyone to experience this new story, so we’ve decided not to gate it behind any specific tasks, actions, or paywalls. Load up the game, select the new missions, and enjoy another adventure with the Master Chief and Sgt Johnson. For brand new players, we do recommend starting with the original missions as they are designed to help onboard players with tutorials along the way.  

Q: Is it July 28th yet?A: No, but we’ll get there together! 

We are excited to continue sharing more information over the next few weeks, and we can’t wait to launch Halo: Campaign Evolved on July 28. 

To learn even more about the game, be sure to check out these videos and articles: 

• Cinematic Story Trailer

• New Missions Trailer | Operation: Meteorite 

• Play Your Way | Skulls, Remix, & Co-Op

• 28 Minute Gameplay Demo | Assault on the Control Room 

• 3rd Person Gameplay | The Silent Cartographer 

• Full Achievement & Trophy List 

• Developer Round Table Reveal

• Game Informer Cover Art Reveal[gameinformer.com] 

Pre-order the Digital Premium Edition of Halo: Campaign Evolved[www.halowaypoint.com] and get the Foundry Armor Pack and up to 5 days early-access play starting July 23, 2026. 

On July 28, we return to the ring that started it all with Halo: Campaign Evolved[aka.ms]. While the original game, Halo: Combat Evolved, launched before Achievements were officially established in the XBOX ecosystem, players in the community have always set goals and found unique ways to challenge themselves.

Now, 25 years later, we're excited to share the Achievements that you will be able to unlock when Halo: Campaign Evolved lands next month.

Assemble your co-op completionist crew with 2-player splitscreen on consoles or a 4-player online Fireteam and enjoy the hunt!

Pre-order the Digital Premium Edition of Halo: Campaign Evolved[aka.ms] and get the Foundry Armor Pack and up to 5 days early-access play starting July 23, 2026. Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28, 2026.