Halo: Campaign Evolved is about to drop players back on the ring, and nobody wants to spend launch day watching a progress bar instead of fighting Covenant. Here’s everything you need to know about preload times, storage requirements, and how to get the download started on every platform.
When Does Halo: Campaign Evolved Launch?
The full remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, rebuilt in Unreal Engine 5, launches globally on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC. The release is a simultaneous global launch, so there’s no regional rollout on the standard release date.
Players who picked up the Digital Premium Edition or Collector’s Edition get in five days early, through an Early Access window that opened July 23, 2026.
Early Access Preload Times By Region
Early Access unlock times for Premium and Collector’s Edition owners:
| City | Local Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 8:00 AM PDT | July 23 |
| New York | 11:00 AM EDT | July 23 |
| Mexico City | 9:00 AM CST | July 23 |
| São Paulo | 12:00 PM BRT | July 23 |
| London | 4:00 PM BST | July 23 |
| Berlin | 5:00 PM CEST | July 23 |
| Riyadh | 6:00 PM AST | July 23 |
| New Delhi | 8:30 PM IST | July 23 |
| Hong Kong | 11:00 PM HKT | July 23 |
| Tokyo | 12:00 AM JST | July 24 |
| Sydney | 1:00 AM AEST | July 24 |
| Auckland | 3:00 AM NZST | July 24 |
Standard edition owners will get their preload window closer to the July 28 release, though an exact time hasn’t been locked in yet. If you’re playing on Xbox Series X|S or PC, the standard edition is also included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass starting July 28.
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Halo: Campaign Evolved File Size
Now that preload has gone live for Early Access owners, the actual download sizes are confirmed instead of estimated:
- Xbox Series X|S: 69.80 GB
- PC: 68.86 GB
- PS5: Not officially confirmed yet, but expect a similar size to the Xbox build
Clear at least 70 GB of free space before you start the download, and leave extra room for day-one patches that almost always ship alongside a launch like this.
How to Preload Halo: Campaign Evolved
On Xbox: Open your Xbox Series console’s library and search for Halo: Campaign Evolved, or head to My Games and Apps if you’ve already pre-ordered. Select the game and hit Download. You can also queue the download remotely through the Xbox mobile app by searching for the game and tapping Download to Console.
On PlayStation: Open the PlayStation Store and search for Halo: Campaign Evolved, or go straight to your library if you’ve pre-ordered. Select the game and choose Download to start the preload.
Also read: 9 Games Leaving PlayStation Plus in August
On PC: Open the Halo: Campaign Evolved page on Steam or the Microsoft Store, depending on where you purchased it. If you’ve pre-ordered, the game should already be sitting in your library. Select it and click Download to begin.
Once the download finishes, your platform will mark the game as ready, but it stays locked until your specific unlock time hits.
Don’t Get Caught Downloading on Launch Day
With file sizes pushing past 68 GB across every platform, waiting until unlock time to start your download is a rough way to spend the first few hours of a new Halo game. Queue the preload as soon as your window opens, double check your storage space, and you’ll be ready to step back onto the ring the second the servers go live.
