Digital Foundry has published its technical analysis of Halo: Campaign Evolved, offering a detailed look at the remake’s performance and visual upgrades across Xbox Series X and PC. The preview points to a substantial graphical overhaul powered by Unreal Engine 5, while also revealing some early technical shortcomings.
On Xbox Series X, the game’s Performance Mode targets 60fps and reportedly maintains that frame rate consistently throughout the demo showcased to the outlet. The mode uses dynamic resolution scaling, with internal resolution typically ranging between 50% and 75% of the final output. According to Digital Foundry, image quality often resembles an internal resolution of around 1080p while still producing a clean presentation.
Despite prioritizing frame rate, Performance Mode retains several advanced rendering features, including hardware ray tracing, Unreal Engine 5’s Lumen global illumination system, and Mega Lights technology for local and interior lighting. The remake also features enhanced volumetric effects, denser environmental detail, improved water rendering, and significantly more complex geometry than previous versions of the game. To maintain performance, certain transparent effects such as explosions dynamically reduce their rendering resolution during demanding scenes.
A Quality Mode has also been confirmed for Xbox Series X, though no performance or resolution figures were disclosed during the preview period. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series S version was absent from the hands-on event, with Digital Foundry reporting that it was not yet ready for coverage.
On the PC side, high-end hardware appears capable of handling the game comfortably. An RTX 5090 system was able to run the title at 4K with maximum settings while maintaining 60fps with substantial GPU headroom. Frame Generation support is included, and the game offers proper ultrawide monitor support, including cutscenes that scale correctly without black bars.
Testing on a more mainstream configuration featuring a Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 4060 produced less consistent results. Running at high settings with DLSS Balanced and a 1440p target resolution, the game generally operated just below 60fps. Digital Foundry identified CPU limitations as the primary bottleneck. On the ROG Ally X, the game ran slightly above 30fps at its lowest settings with low TSR upscaling, making a 30fps cap the most practical option. No Steam Deck testing was conducted, though the analysis suggested the handheld may struggle with the game’s demanding Unreal Engine 5 feature set.
Beyond the visual upgrades, Campaign Evolved introduces several gameplay additions. Players will be able to wield the Energy Sword, hijack vehicles in a manner similar to Halo 2, use a Warthog horn, activate collectible equipment items such as Overshields, and experience new missions, additional skulls, and a mission remix system featuring alternative enemy and weapon combinations.
The preview build was not without issues. Digital Foundry noted temporal noise, shimmering in darker scenes, ray-tracing denoising artifacts, foliage pop-in, shadow-related problems, and a limited graphics settings menu on PC. Even so, the outlet’s early impressions indicate that Halo: Combat Evolved Campaign Evolved delivers a significant technical leap over both the original release and Halo Anniversary, while largely preserving the atmosphere and identity of Bungie’s classic shooter.
