Halo: Campaign Evolved, the remake of the first Halo, will become the series’ first game on PlayStation, but PS5 owners will still face more requirements than usual. A Microsoft account will be required to launch the game on every platform, and the PlayStation version is no exception. There has already been some confusion around local co-op on PS5: early wording suggested that even split-screen play on one console would require both players to have PS Plus, but that requirement was later clarified — the subscription is needed for online play, while local co-op requires separate PlayStation accounts and linked Microsoft accounts.
Against the backdrop of the original Halo: Combat Evolved from 2001, these conditions stand out. The first game was not tied to online services, so players did not need subscriptions or third-party accounts. Like many games of that era, it offered its core feature set straight from the disc, without service barriers or paid access to separate modes. Paid multiplayer only arrived in the series with Halo 2, where online play required an Xbox Live subscription.
The new requirements vary by platform. On Xbox Series X|S, the second player in split-screen mode must have a separate Microsoft account, while online co-op requires an active Xbox Game Pass subscription. On PS5, both local co-op players must use separate PlayStation accounts and link their Microsoft accounts, while PS Plus is required for online co-op.
On Steam, things are simpler, but a Microsoft account is still unavoidable: players will need to link one to launch the game. So even Halo’s move to new platforms comes with tight integration into Microsoft’s ecosystem, which may disappoint those who expected simple local co-op in the spirit of the original.
The remake’s pricing has not been announced yet. Still, it is already clear that the entry point for some players will be higher than it was with classic Halo: Campaign Evolved requires not only buying the game, but also linking extra accounts, and for online modes, maintaining active subscriptions on the relevant platforms.