Hell freezes over - "Halo" appears on the Playstation 5

Domagoj Belancic

25.10.2025

Translation: machine translated

Microsoft's flagship Xbox game "Halo" ventures onto a Playstation console for the first time. The port is of enormous historical significance.

It's been rumoured for a long time, but now it's official. A remake of «Halo: Combat Evolved» is in the works and will be released in 2026 - alongside the Xbox Series X/S and PC - also for the PS5.

Here you can see a trailer for the remake:

The new edition is called «Halo: Campaign Evolved». It will be realised in Unreal Engine 5 - in 4K, with new animations, voice recordings, improved level design and revised cutscenes. The story will be expanded to include three prequel missions. You can also expect further new content - including additional weapons. The Master Chief will now also be able to sprint.

The multiplayer part is not included in the remake. The campaign can be played in co-op mode with up to four players. And yes - cross-play between Xbox, Playstation and PC is possible.

In this video, the developers reveal background information about the project:

Imagine travelling back in time and telling Xbox and Playstation fans who were enemies in the noughties that «Halo» would one day be released on a Playstation console. Both camps would laugh at you - and maybe even spit at you.

That would be like someone claiming that Mario will be bouncing around on the PS7. Unbelievable. Blasphemy. And yet, with the remake of «Halo: Combat Evolved», it's now a reality.

The end of the console wars?

Microsoft has radically adapted its strategy in the gaming sector in recent years. Since 2018, the Redmond-based company has acquired numerous studios and massively expanded its portfolio of successful game franchises. In particular, the billion-euro acquisitions of ZeniMax/Bethesda (including: «The Elder Scrolls», «Starfield», «Doom», «Indiana Jones») and Activision Blizzard King (including: «Call of Duty», «World of Warcraft») caused quite a stir.

With the growing number of studios, Microsoft increasingly moved away from the traditional console business model. Instead of exclusive games for the Xbox console, there are more and more multiplatform titles.

In recent months, Microsoft has already released high-calibre and formerly exclusive titles such as «Forza Horizon 5», «Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2» or «Indiana Jones and the Great Circle» for the PS5 - and in some cases also the Switch. Yes, even the «Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024» will follow in December.

The fact that «Halo» is now also being released on the PS5 (and rumoured for the Switch 2) is therefore no surprise. And yet the port has an even more symbolic character than the previous, formerly exclusive Xbox games.

«Halo» on a Sony console signifies the end of an era. It is a «point of no return». When even «Halo» appears on the PS5, there's no stopping it. The floodgates are open, anything is possible, the console wars are over.

Of course, apart from Sony, there is still Nintendo with its Switch 2, which is sticking to the old console business model with exclusive titles. But the Japanese company has always been in its own world anyway and has tried to avoid the expensive technology battles of Sony and Microsoft. Switch and Playstation can continue to coexist in their own spheres with their exclusive titles.

The selling point of the new Xbox will no longer be exclusive games, but the Game Pass - Microsoft's games subscription with hundreds of titles. It remains to be seen whether the calculation will work out - especially against the backdrop of rapidly rising subscription prices.

Domagoj Belancic

Senior Editor

Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.ch

My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.

---

News + Trends

From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.

Show all

These articles might also interest you