Halo: Campaign Evolved will get the Firefight mode for free this winter

Halo: Campaign Evolved will get the co-op mode Firefight this winter, added through a free update that Halo Studios and Xbox announced on 12 November 2026 on Xbox Wire. Released on 28 July 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC, and included in Game Pass, the game is a remake of the campaign of Halo: Combat Evolved, the first Halo, released in 2001 on the original Xbox. The date of the update has not been announced yet.

Firefight: four players against waves of enemies in Campaign Evolved

In Firefight, four players team up against enemies controlled by the game and must survive successive waves of attackers. Introduced in 2009 in Halo 3: ODST, the mode has been part of the series for almost twenty years. For this remake, Halo Studios mentions new maps and a wide choice of weapons, but has not published a list.

Visitors to Xbox FanFest in Seattle will be the first to play it, on the evening of 12 November. Halo Studios will give more details at Halo Fest, on 12 and 13 December 2026 in Seattle, where the mode will also be playable on both days. Xbox made the announcement for Halo's 25th anniversary, as the first game was released on 15 November 2001.

A remake of the campaign only

The game takes the 2001 campaign with new graphics, new animations and a remastered soundtrack, and adds Operation: Meteorite, three new missions in which the Master Chief fights alongside Sergeant Johnson. The campaign can be played solo, by two players in split screen on console, or by up to four online. On PC, the game is sold on Steam and the Microsoft Store.

At launch, the remake was criticised because it offered no multiplayer mode other than this co-op: no player-versus-player matches and no Firefight. The announced update adds the latter, while Halo Studios has announced nothing for the former.

Video games 2026: Campaign Evolved on disc for PS5 and Xbox Series

Rated PEGI 16, the PS5 and Xbox Series boxed versions contain the game disc, but a content download is still required. Online multiplayer requires a PlayStation Plus subscription on PS5, and Game Pass on Xbox.

On Xbox Series, the standard edition uses the same Master Chief artwork as on PS5, in the console's green case.

Also on Xbox Series, the Premium Edition includes the full game, the Alpha Halo Armory pack, a digital story and an art collection.

Halo essentials

Our feature on Halo collectibles, published for the game's release in July, covers every product range from the saga, from Master Chief Funko POP figures to MEGA sets based on Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST and Halo Infinite.