Unsurprisingly, Xbox – console and PC included – seemingly constitutes 42 percent, followed by 41 percent on PlayStation. The former is all the more notable around 2.1 million allegedly played through Game Pass. Less than 600,000 paid $20 for a Premium Edition Upgrade, which granted five days of advanced access.

As for why Steam apparently underperformed compared to the other segments, the firm’s “Steam review-sentiment analysis” noted that Halo: The Master Chief Collection may have played a part. Available for $40 and sometimes dipping to as low as $10, it includes multiple titles and competitive multiplayer – something that Campaign Evolved lacked.

Coupled with 8.5 million copies reportedly sold on Steam, the value proposition may have caused those on the platform to avoid it. As for PlayStation, which allegedly saw 544,000 copies sold for $32 million in revenue, Elliott claims that “the Xbox faithful were simply far more primed for this than PlayStation owners were.”

You can learn more from Alinea’s report below. Neither Xbox nor Halo Studios has said anything about Halo: Campaign Evolved’s sales performance or player numbers, much less the plan for the franchise’s future. Stay tuned for more updates on that front, although a secret ending in the remake could point to Halo 2 getting the Campaign Evolved treatment.

As Emma, players team with Koo, a Malefact, to slay the Nushi and the Beast itself to ensure the survival of the Capital. What starts as a road trip-style action-adventure slowly gives way to something else entirely. Of course, the parrying system and command-based tactics (courtesy of Koo) remain consistent throughout.

You can check out our review for Beast of Reincarnation here. We gave it an eight out of ten, praising the art direction, combat, and exploration, though it’s severely hampered by presentation and technical issues (not to mention some dull interactions). Unfortunately, it seems the PC version has launched in a rougher state.

It currently sits at a “Mixed” rating with 51 percent of the 930 user reviews giving it a thumbs-up. Besides the lack of variety in enemies and music, issues such as blurriness (despite turning off depth of field), the iffy camera, and lack of AMD FSR 4 support have rubbed some players the wrong way. Game Freak has yet to announce any fixes or improvements, so stay tuned for updates.

This guide for Halo: Campaign Evolved lists the locations of every Skull to be found in the game, as well as their utility.

How To Unlock Campaign Remix Mode And Three Bonus Skulls

Campaign Remix mode lets you play previously completed missions again with a default set of three bonus Skulls turned on, as well as rolling for one of two modifiers to visibility. The latter are not Skulls, and can be turned off i.e. default effect, but cannot be turned on simultaneously as each other. Any additional Skulls you have acquired through gameplay can be selected as per your preference.

The bonus Skulls can be optionally turned on in regular Campaign mode.
You will automatically unlock Campaign Remix by simply collecting any three convenient Skulls you come across during gameplay, in no particular order:

The three bonus Skulls that then unlock right alongside Campaign Remix are:

Adaptation Skull: How To Randomize Enemies

If the squad composition and numbers of enemies you encounter on missions feels a little too stale and predictable, this Skull will completely randomize it every single time. You can potentially encounter enemies from any faction anywhere, including opposing forces, which means that if Armistice is on, they will all be focused on you rather than on each other.

Reload Skull: How To Randomize Weapon Pickups

Wield an assortment of weapons instead of the faction-locked world pickups you would normally expect on a playthrough. Just about anything is fair game, including weapons never seen previously in the original Halo, such as the Brute Spiker.

Armistice Skull

In Campaign Remix mode, the enemy randomization effect is balanced out by this Skull, in situations where two rival factions of enemies spawn together: Armistice prevents them from immediately engaging and killing each other, and instead they will turn their focus entirely to you.

If turned off in a normal Campaign playthrough however, this can create some interesting gun battles for you to take advantage of, as your opponents destroy themselves.

Speed Limit Skull: How To Disable Sprint

Disables sprint.

Mission: The Pillar Of Autumn

When tasked with meeting Captain Keyes on the Bridge, find this Skull lying on the ground right at the start of the mission by hopping up the large cylindrical vats and onto the walkway above.

Magnified Skull: How To Unlock The Original Halo MA5B Assault Rifle

60-round magazines for the AR are now standard-issue.

Mission: The Pillar Of Autumn

Continuing on, this Skull is atop the row of lockers you will pass on the way to the bridge during the assault on the ship.

Perspective Skull: How To Unlock The Third-Person Camera View

Changes the player camera to third-person.

Mission: The Pillar Of Autumn

While evacuating the Pillar of Autumn, right after the Cortana cutscene with Keyes, return to the bridge and descend underneath the pilot stations to find the mission’s final Skull.

Grunt Funeral Skull

Grunts die in a blaze of plasma.

Mission: Halo

On the objective to eliminate hostels and secure lifeboat crash sites, at the one farthest left of the start, find the Skull high up the sloped portion of the structure. Reaching it will require some platforming.

Give & Take Skull

Firing your weapon drains your shield, but dealing damage to enemies recharges it.

Mission: Halo

Proceeding along the mission, you will eventually pass through a stream with a large rock on its left bank. The Skull is in plain sight near it.

Floor Is Lava Skull

Take continuous damage whenever touching the “ground”.

Mission: Halo

At the lifeboat crash site that is situated in the rocky terrain, find the Skull atop one of the massive rock formations.

Iron Skull

Dying in co-op resets you to your last checkpoint, dying while solo restarts the level.

Mission: The Truth And Reconciliation

While boarding the Battle Cruiser, right at the point with the grav lift, ignore it and head for the edge of the area and peer over it for the Skull on a lower ledge.

Endurance Spec Skull: How To Make The Warthog And Scorpion Indestructible

UNSC vehicles cannot be damaged.

Mission: The Truth And Reconciliation

While attempting to locate the ship’s brig, in the chamber with the wrecked Wraiths, explore the other side of the room, where the curved columns are located. You will need to climb them using the container as a stepping stone, and then platform across to the column with the Skull atop it.

Foreign Skull

Players cannot use weapons from another faction.

Mission: The Truth And Reconciliation

On the objective to eliminate the threat, you will need to time the acquisition of this Skull as it is locked behind doors that spill out enemy forces and lock up again. These are the doors in the rear right of the hangar.

Bandana Skull: How To Unlock Infinite Ammo And Grendades

Infinite ammo and grenades.

Mission: The Silent Cartographer

While clearing the Landing Zone of hostiles, enter the cave topside to find the Skull just lying on the ground.

Acrophobia Skull: How To Unlock Flying Mode

The Corps: Now issue rifles AND wings.

Mission: The Silent Cartographer

While trying to locate the security system’s override substation, take down the pair of Hunters and then platform your way up the slopes of the structure there. The Skull is lying atop the platforms up there.

Hip Fire Skull: How To Disable Zoom

All weapon zoom functionality is disabled.

Mission: The Silent Cartographer

On your way to finding the Silent Cartographer, you will encounter another pair of Hunters and assorted forces to defeat. While descending further down, peer over the side of the path to see the Skull on a platform below.

IWHBYD Skull

It would have been your dialogue.

Mission: Assault On The Control Room

As you proceed through the substructure, you will be in the Scorpion tank at a bridge teeming with the enemy. Annihilate them, cross the bridge, and park the Scorpion on the left by the sloped snow. Platform up there using the Scorpion to find the Skull.

Angry Skull

Enemies fire their weapons faster and more frequently.

Mission: Assault On The Control Room

As you head for the Control Center Ziggurat, you will relinquish the Scorpion and eventually arrive at a trio of angular arches. The last one has the Skull lying atop it.

Cowbell Skull

Physics mass of objects is reduced, making them more easily displaced.

Mission: Assault On The Control Room

As you head for Halo’s Control Room, you will reach a bridge that you can drop down off of, and onto another structure running perpendicular to it. Inside a sort of channel in it, is the Skull.

Fog Skull: How To Disable The Motion Tracker

Motion Tracker is disabled.

Mission: 343 Guilty Spark

As you try to locate Captain Keyes, head upwards left of the ship wreck, and platform up the rocks by the tree to find the Skull on the ground there.

That’s Just… Wrong Skull

Enemies have increased awareness of the player.

Mission: 343 Guilty Spark

Continuing on, you will encounter a panicked marine that opens fire on you. You will have to eliminate him in order to acquire this Skull from his body.

They Come Back Skull

Flood Combat Forms reanimated by Infection Forms are much more dangerous.

Mission: 343 Guilty Spark

While leading the marines to the evac point, you will encounter wave upon wave of the Flood en route to the structure. Bear right instead of going to it, and into the growth until you reach a big fallen tree. Use it to reach the opposite end where the Skull is lying atop the rocks.

Tilt Skull

Enhances both positive and negative damage multipliers.

Mission: The Library

While taking the elevator into the lower chambers, you will come across drones engaging the Flood. Bear right and up the sloped section to reach the Skull up there.

Pop Skull

Shooting Flood in their weak point causes them to explode.

Mission: The Library

As you explore the Library, you will take the first elevator down to fight through the Flood wave. At the other end, find another sloped section to clamber up and then jump across to the tiny platform where the Skull is.

Famine Skull

Weapons dropped by enemies contain half the ammo.

Mission: The Library

In the final chamber after the final elevator ride, bear left after descending the ramp with the Flood infestation. The Skull is tucked away in a corner here.

Tough Luck Skull

Enemies always go berserk, constantly dive out of the way, and never run away from a fight.

Mission: Two Betrayals

While heading through the adjacent canyon toward the second pulse generator, take the Banshee but fly even higher than required to the very apex of the spire to find the Skull there.

Black Eye Skull

Your shields will only recharge when you melee enemies.

Mission: Two Betrayals

When tasked to destroy the conduits at each pulse generator, you will descend the elevator en route to the second one. Use the angular arches to access the other side where the Skull is located.

Mythic Skull

Enemies have increased health.

Mission: Two Betrayals

Carrying on, take the Banshee up to the generator and unlock the door with the control panel, but do not go through that door. Head inside the other door to contend with wave upon wave of infected enemies before finding the Skull suspended upon a pedestal at the end.

Catch Skull

Enemies throw and drop more grenades.

Mission: Keyes

This Skull is restricted to Heroic or Legendary difficulty, and is acquired while ascending the grav lift as you find a way to the ship’s bridge.

Blind Skull: How To Unlock Cinematic Mode Without A HUD

HUD and Weapons do not appear onscreen.

Mission: Keyes

Once aboard the ship you will have to get to the shuttle bay. Inside the hangar bay with the wrecked Wraith, descend to the lower level and into the rear area. Go past another Wraith and up a short slope to find the Skull.

Piñata Skull

Punching enemies makes them drop inert grenades.

Mission: Keyes

After finding and terminating Captain Keyes, beat his corpse just like a piñata to spawn this Skull.

Stowed Reload Skull

Weapons continue to reload while stowed.

Mission: The Maw

Tasked with getting to engineering via the cryo storage facility, you will be at the game’s starting location. Terminate all enemies and use the fallen walkway to hop up to the tiny platform on the wall where the Skull is in plain sight.

Boom Skull

Explosion radius is increased by 2x.

Mission: The Maw

As you attempt to expose the cores and destroy them with a grenade or rocket, you will be platforming some debris in order to ascend upwards. Look lower instead, and find a ledge with the Skull on it.

Thunderstorm Skull

Upgrades the rank of most enemies.

Mission: The Maw

As you escape from the Pillar of Autumn before it’s too late, right at the beginning of the Warthog dash you will see side tunnels that serve as shortcuts. You can skip the first one, but definitely take the second in order to find this Skull.

Successfully finding all 39 Skulls will earn you the achievement/trophy “Headhunter”, and is also required alongside every Terminal for the achievement/trophy “Collection’s Addition”.

How To Make Halo: Campaign Evolved More Like The Original Halo: Combat Evolved

The Halo: Campaign Evolved remake makes some major changes to mechanics in the interests of quality of life and simple gameplay evolution in the quarter century since the original Halo: Combat Evolved released.

If you are feeling a touch of nostalgia and want to replicate that original pace and feeling, just turn on the following Skull modifiers:
Speed Limit, to stop sprinting

Hip Fire, to disable smart-link ADS aiming for automatic weapons

Magnified, to unlock the classic Halo MA5B Assault Rifle ammo capacity and specs

Endurance Spec, to make the Warthog and the Scorpion tank indestructible, the way they used to be

There are also some other game settings to be changed through the menus such as restoring the position of the Motion Tracker, turning off hit and item markers, disabling visual effects like blur and shake, and enabling toggle to crouch.

Visual Modifiers

The two visibility modifiers are not Skulls, but can have a significant effect on your gameplay experience. They are also unlocked alongside Campaign Remix after acquiring those first three Skulls, but can be turned on and off at will. They are:

Nightvision

The world is bathed in a neon green effect which might come in handy in the traditionally dark portions of the game. Enemies will be outlined as well.

Spore Visibility

Every mission will feel like one that is infested with Flood spores through this filter, which also reduces visibility and draw distance drastically.

Those are all Skulls to be unlocked in Halo: Campaign Evolved as well as what they can modify in your playthrough.

Taking a long-term look at Xbox’s business strategy going forward, the company seems to be banking quite heavily on PC gaming. Even Project Helix has been described by various people in the company as being a more open platform than one would expect from a console. According to Corden, the company likely doesn’t expect to sell too many units of its hardware, at least for now, due to component shortages hiking up the price. This means that Microsoft as a whole is more likely to weather the storm by keeping its PC games available on the largest marketplaces it can.

However, Steam doesn’t seem to be the company’s only strategy for PC gaming. Game Pass is also noted as being quite important. Corden describes the subscription service as being “designed to capture a separate audience from Steam, targeting users who are perhaps more inclined to otherwise stick to free-to-play titles or seek savings in as many ways as possible.”

Further down the line, there is seemingly also the possibility for Microsoft and Blizzard to open up the latter’s Battle.net launcher to third-party developers and publishers. While details about this are scarce, according to Corden, there is no evidence that the plan is being canceled.

Battle.net already comes with a massive player base thanks to it being the only way to access World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft Classic, and the StarCraft games. Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, we’ve seen the launcher slowly being opened up to include other games by developers under the Xbox Game Studios banner, including titles like DOOM: The Dark Ages, The Outer Worlds 2, Avowed, and even Call of Duty. The fact that users can link their Battle.net accounts to their Xbox accounts further bridges the two services, opening up the potential for even more games coming to Blizzard’s storefront.

Corden also brought up Xbox’s “Positron” system through which users can convert their game discs into digital licenses. Since many of Microsoft’s games tend to be Xbox Play Anywhere releases, this opens up yet another door for the company to bring more PC gamers into its own ecosystem. Details about Positron are still scarce, however, with more expected to be revealed later this month. It could be easy to imagine pairing Positron with the company’s backwards compatibility emulators to help it grow its PC player base.

As for short-term business, however, Corden has noted that Xbox PC still faces several hurdles, including the fact that it is disliked by indie developers due to issues like long certification processes and policies that add complexity to the general process of releasing a game. It is also worth noting that Steam continues to dominate the PC market, and even Epic Games’ Fortnite-fueled deep pockets haven’t been able to keep up.

This is allegedly followed by The Blood of Dawnwalker (1.47 million), Onimusha: Way of the Sword (1.18 million), Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 (1.14 million) and Control Resonant (984,000). Some interesting standouts in the rest of the top 20 include the long-in-development Nivalis Nights (932,000) and Hell Let Loose: Vietnam (851,000).

Mortal Shell 2 is also apparently doing well at 809,000 while Beast of Reincarnation is at a respectable 718,000. Meanwhile, Star Wars Zero Company is reportedly at 655,000 and Gears of War: E-Day has seemingly reached 633,000 as of now (which should increase depending on the multiplayer beta’s reception).

It’s worth noting that the chart only includes games launching in 2026, hence the lack of big names like Fable, Metro 2039 and Resident Evil Veronica. Keep in mind that wishlists don’t necessarily translate into sales, but to the level of interest. We’ll see how these figures change en route to each game’s respective release, so stay tuned.

However, with the next-gen Project Helix supporting Xbox and PC titles, Xbox is seemingly toying with the idea of exiting from Steam. Windows Central’s Jez Corden reported this on the Xbox Two Podcast, claiming “Microsoft has some plans with regards to how they show up on PC. And I don’t know what that pertains to with regards to Steam, but the plans that I know about, and I’m being very careful here, kind of suggest it gives them a window to potentially pull out of Steam. So, I would not be shocked if eventually we do see a universe where Microsoft quits Steam.”

He then clarified on Twitter that he “REALLY” doubts the company would, but “they’re doing something that could potentially give them a window to do so.” Nevertheless, there’s “too much money to be left on the table in my opinion. It was part of a bigger discussion.”

This mirrors rumors that circulated about turning the division around, such as potentially spinning it off or even selling it, even though nothing is set in stone. But there’s even more mystery involved because we don’t know what Microsoft has planned that could cause it to abandon Steam.

Granted, its latest title, Halo: Campaign Evolved, hasn’t set the Steam charts on fire, but it has seen success this year with Forza Horizon 6. Besides becoming the biggest launch for Xbox Game Studios on the platform, Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott estimated over three million sales as of June 1st (which is all the more impressive, given the open-world racer launched on May 19th).

As always, time will tell, and with Project Helix allegedly out in Holiday 2027, we’ll hopefully learn more sooner rather than later.

This guide for the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake is a listing of all weapons to be found, split by faction, as well as any alternate firing modes and strategies against specific enemy types.

All UNSC And Forerunner Weapons

M6D Magnum Pistol

Heavy-hitting semi-automatic pistol with a 2x optical scope for ranged fire, this weapon can dependably one-shot headshot kill unshielded enemies, with just three shots needed for shielded foes.

Rely on this in encounters with Hunters, as you sidestep their rush attack in an effort to blast them in their lower back weak spot.

Aim for the gap in Jackal shields to stagger them, rather than worthlessly expending your ammo directly at it.

MA5B Assault Rifle

This fully automatic rifle has the ammo counter right on it, and a compass as well. The shortened 36-round magazine can be modified with the Magnified Skull for a larger 60-round magazine.

M90 Shotgun

A pump-action, semi-automatic shotgun for all close up occasions, but especially devastating for Flood encounters, as well as charging Brutes. An excellent weapon for claustrophobic corridors aboard downed ships, and underground passages.

S2 AM Sniper Rifle

Long range semi-automatic rifle good for downing vehicles and aliens alike. Two levels of zoom at 4x and 10x make for excellent one-shot headshot opportunities.

M41 Rocket Launcher

An even better anti-materiel weapon, this 2x scoped, dual round launcher can send high-explosive homing rockets at targets and deal splash damage to mobs.

BR55 Battle Rifle

A burst-fire rifle for close to mid-range targeting using its 2x scope. Makes for good shield breaking, with a quick followup to headshots for the kill.

M7 Submachine Gun

Fully automatic 60-round crowd suppression weapon, especially effective against Flood rush mobs in close combat, if you can maintain control of your fire.

Z-130 Sentinel Beam

An energy cannon with an overheat mechanic that must be managed if you hope to use it effectively against Flood forms charging you. 

M9 HE Frag Grenade

Bog standard pineapple grenade that can be timed with its short fuse and bounced into position if needed.

All Enemy And Brute Weapons

Type-25 Plasma Pistol

The semi-automatic alien counterpart to the M6D Magnum may not pack as much of a punch, but makes up for it with an interesting alternate fire: charging the round by holding the trigger launches a bolt of plasma that actively tracks the target, and completely depletes the shields of both Jackals and Elites on impact.

Vehicles are temporarily disabled by the EMP effect, which is especially devastating to flying enemies if timed correctly.

Rapid firing the normal semi-automatic mode can also overload shields, but is prone to overheating if not managed properly.

Type-25 Plasma Rifle

Fully automatic plasma bolt firing rifle great for dropping shields, but it really has to be pulse fired if you want to avoid overheating it and sitting passively as it cools down again.

Type-33 Needler

A fully automatic weapon with the ammo clearly visible, the fired rounds home in on targets and embed themselves in them. With enough shards in a single enemy, you can trigger a significant explosion with a very effective splash damage radius.

Type-51 Needle Rifle

Fire non-homing needles at medium-long range with this automatic rifle, but trigger the same kind of explosion while landing fewer shots.

Type-33 Fuel Rod Cannon

The Hunter weapon of choice, this enemy counterpart to the M41 Rocket Launcher has a higher velocity, but does less damage.

Type-50 Beam Rifle

This sniper rifle is semi-automatic and fires high-velocity plasma beams off of a battery, with heat management being a factor when firing rounds in quick succession.

Type-1 Energy Sword

A lock-on melee weapon that is effectively a one-shot lunge kill on infantry, though it can simply be slashed with as well.

Type-25 Brute Plasma Rifle

The Brute variant of the Type-25 Plasma Rifle fires at a faster rate, does more damage, and overheats quicker to balance things out.

Type-25 Spiker

The Brute exclusive fully automatic weapon is akin to the M90 Shotgun, devastating to unshielded victims, and has melee capability with the attached bayonets.

Type-1 Plasma Grenade

This sticky grenade will attach to any enemy or vehicle and deliver massive plasma damage in a fairly large blast radius. Stick it to a Grunt and let it escape back to its Elite commander for best results. Launch a vehicle into space by tossing multiple grenades at it.

Those are all of the weapons to be found in the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake, and any alternate fire modes available.

In terms of concurrent players, it peaked at 25,376 roughly ten hours after launch. While that’s a massive drop compared to 2021’s Halo Infinite and its lifetime peak of 272,586, the latter offers free-to-play multiplayer. Then again, it is also nowhere near the 161,024 peak of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which launched in December 2019 for Steam.

And while the rating slowly crawled up to “Mostly Positive” during advanced access, it’s dropped back down to “Mixed” with 68 percent of the current 6,119 user reviews giving the thumbs-up. When viewed against the backdrop of other Xbox Game Studios titles, Campaign Evolved is the 17th biggest launch on Steam. It’s just a bit ahead of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (24,863) and a long way from Forza Horizon 6 (302,645), currently the publisher’s biggest launch ever on the platform.

Mileage may vary on the PC version, but we found the remake to be quite enjoyable on PS5. Check out our review, where we scored it 9 out of 10, and our performance analysis, in which the PS5 Pro version proved surprisingly competitive against PC.

First on the list is guest checkout, which allows you to buy games without a Steam account, with its previous iterations limited to hardware and gift cards. Well, picking up a copy of a game from your friend’s wishlist is now seamless, with the option to share lists now on the table. If it’s meant to be a surprise, all you need is the recipient’s email, and the resulting email will have all they need to log into their account and redeem the present. You need to ensure that their account is in the same country of purchase, and that they redeem it within 30 days before it automatically gets refunded to you.

Interestingly, you can now gift games directly to your friends across regions, with Steam calculating the final cost at checkout and saving you the hassle of calculating how many gift cards you needed to cover the price of a game. The recipient needs to be on your friends list, though, so keep that in mind. The announcement rounds out the new additions with expanded wishlist functionality that’s removed the requirement for you to be friends with a recipient to gift someone a game, and the ability to create specific, filtered wishlists that link to share with your family and friends. Anyone sending you a gift gets your details auto-populated in the checkout cart.

All in all, gifting games is definitely going to be more seamless if Steam is your go-to digital storefront. It’s interesting that these changes have come about at a time when there are a lot of conversations around games ownership, but that’s a subject for another conversation.

According to Alinea Analytics’ Rhys Elliott, the DLC packs’ revenue is reportedly quite small compared to the remake. Resynced is estimated to have sold 701,000 copies on the storefront, earning about $35.1 million in revenue, but the DLC adds nearly $1 million on top. The Map Pack has proven the most popular choice with a 6.34 percent attach rate, which makes sense given that it’s only $5.

Otherwise, Black Flag Resynced has proven more successful than Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Aside from higher peak concurrent players, its day one revenue is allegedly 2.35 times higher. That’s despite retailing for $60, $10 cheaper than Shadows at launch.

For more details, check out our review, where we scored it a 9 out of 10. You can also read Ubisoft’s response to the backlash against the DLC, noting that they’re completely optional and not necessary to enjoy the base game.