Xbox's July 2026 Game Pass wave 2 is built around Halo: Campaign Evolved, with the remake landing day one for Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers on July 28.
Image: purexbox.com
Halo is the clear anchor of Game Pass wave 2 July 2026
Xbox has confirmed that Halo: Campaign Evolved will arrive on Game Pass on July 28, 2026, and that is the headline cut in the Xbox Game Pass July 2026 wave 2 lineup. According to Xbox Wire, the remake will be available through cloud, console, supported handhelds, and PC for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass members. It is a day one Game Pass release, which means subscribers in those tiers get access on the same date as the standard launch.
The immediate catch is tier clarity. Xbox Wire lists Halo: Campaign Evolved for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass, but does not list it for Game Pass Premium or Game Pass Essential at launch. IGN also reports the July 28 availability through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. For players deciding whether to subscribe, upgrade, or buy, that distinction matters more than the usual “coming to Game Pass” shorthand.
Xbox’s own game page describes Halo: Campaign Evolved as a faithful but modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign, rebuilt from the ground up. This is a campaign package, not a new competitive multiplayer launch. Pure Xbox similarly describes it as a remake of the first Halo game with multiplayer excluded. That puts the value proposition in a specific lane: story, co-op, replay modifiers, rebuilt encounters, and the way classic Halo combat has been refitted for 2026 controls.
What Game Pass subscribers actually get on July 28
For Game Pass users, the confirmed Halo Campaign Evolved Game Pass access is broad, but not universal across every Xbox subscription tier. Xbox Wire’s listing says Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC, tied to Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Xbox’s store page adds that the game can be streamed through Xbox Cloud Gaming with Game Pass, played on PC through the Xbox app, and played on supported gaming handhelds.
The Halo: Campaign Evolved release is also listed on Xbox.com as July 28, 2026. Pure Xbox reports that Halo Studios set a single global launch time of 8 AM PDT, 11 AM EDT, and 4 PM BST for standard edition players on July 28, with July 29 applying in Japan and select Asia-Pacific markets. That timing is useful if you are planning a co-op run on launch day rather than checking the app every few hours.
If you are buying rather than subscribing, Xbox’s store page lists Xbox Play Anywhere support, meaning a digital purchase covers Xbox console and PC with no additional cost. That is separate from subscription access. Pure Xbox also reports that the broader paid release includes Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC, but the Game Pass listing itself applies to Microsoft’s subscription ecosystem, not to PlayStation access.
Campaign Evolved is a rebuild with co-op and arsenal changes, not a simple visual pass
Xbox’s official description gives subscribers a clear read on the scope. Halo: Campaign Evolved includes the original campaign rebuilt with HD visuals, updated cinematics, refined controls, improved wayfinding, and a new three-mission story arc featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. The same Xbox page lists an expanded set of weapons, vehicles, and enemies, including nine additional weapons from across the Halo series, enemy vehicle hijacking, and a drivable Wraith.
For an FPS audience, the control and encounter changes are the pressure point. Xbox says the remake adds sprint, aiming refinements, and sharper precision while keeping classic Halo combat recognizable. That sounds like a direct response to the friction of returning to Combat Evolved in 2026, where the original’s movement rules, weapon economy, and level readability can feel slower than modern shooter pacing. The official page also confirms optional Skull modifiers through a campaign remix feature, with randomized weapons, enemies, and environments among the listed effects.
Co-op is the other major confirmed upgrade. Xbox says the full campaign supports two-player split-screen co-op on console only and four-player online co-op, with crossplay and shared progression across console and PC. For Game Pass squads, that is the practical selling point. A four-player online campaign changes how these spaces need to breathe, how checkpoints absorb chaos, and how the sandbox handles extra firepower without flattening encounters.
The July wave is bigger than Halo, but Halo defines the schedule
Xbox Wire’s wave begins with The Planet Crafter, which became available on July 21 for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC across Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass. After that, the “coming soon” slate runs through early August, with seven additional entries listed by Xbox and echoed by VGC and IGN.
Shift at Midnight arrives July 22 for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Xbox Wire identifies it as a day one Game Pass title and describes it as an online co-op detective horror game built around randomly generated shifts and three-player investigations. Hell is Us follows on July 23 for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, and PC Game Pass.
Halo: Campaign Evolved lands July 28, then Mistfall Hunter arrives July 30 for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. Xbox Wire describes Mistfall Hunter as a day one dark fantasy extraction ARPG. Corsair Cove joins July 31 on PC for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. On August 4, Heretic + Hexen expands to Game Pass Premium while also joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on Cloud, Console, Handheld, and PC. Beast of Reincarnation, Game Freak’s action RPG, also arrives August 4 as a day one Game Pass title for Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC through Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
That gives the Game Pass wave 2 July 2026 lineup an unusual spread: co-op horror, melee action adventure, Halo campaign FPS, extraction ARPG, city-builder, classic shooter restoration, and a new Game Freak RPG. Halo is still the obvious center because it is first-party, day one, and tied to one of Xbox’s defining brands, but subscribers who do not care about campaign Halo still have a dense two-week window.
Premium access is inconsistent across the wave
The July and early August slate shows how much tiering now shapes Game Pass news. Halo: Campaign Evolved is not listed for Game Pass Premium at launch in Xbox Wire’s post, while Hell is Us is listed for Premium on July 23 and The Planet Crafter is already available there. Heretic + Hexen is specifically described by Xbox Wire as “Now with Game Pass Premium,” while also joining Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
That mix means players should check the tier attached to each game rather than treating the wave as one shared catalog drop. Ultimate remains the cleanest route for the full spread across cloud, console, and PC where supported. PC Game Pass covers Halo and most of the new day one titles listed here, but console-only players outside Ultimate need to watch the plan names closely.
VGC notes that Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass pricing was cut in April, with Ultimate now listed at $22.99 or £16.99 per month and PC Game Pass at $13.99 or £10.99 per month. Those prices frame the July wave differently than they would have under the earlier higher rates, but the core buying question stays simple: if Halo: Campaign Evolved is the reason you are subscribing, the confirmed launch plans are Ultimate and PC Game Pass.
Leaving games create a real end-of-month squeeze
Xbox also confirmed a July 31 departure list, and it hits several very different audiences. According to Xbox Wire, IGN, and VGC, Back to the Dawn, Celeste, Crusader Kings 3, Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, My Friendly Neighborhood, Rain World, Sniper Elite Resistance, and Whiskerwood leave Game Pass at the end of the month. All are listed for Cloud, Console, and PC except Whiskerwood, which is listed for PC.
For shooter players, Sniper Elite Resistance is the obvious one to finish before the swap. For platformer and challenge players, Celeste and Rain World are the bigger time sinks, especially if you are chasing completion rather than credits. IGN notes that games leaving the service can be bought at a discount while they remain in the subscription library, so anyone mid-run should decide before July 31 rather than after the tile disappears.
The timing also gives Halo a clean runway. Campaign Evolved arrives three days before those removals, so subscribers juggling downloads and storage should plan around both sides of the calendar. Pure Xbox reports reviewers have highlighted an Xbox Series X size of around 69.80 GB for Halo: Campaign Evolved, while also noting preload had not officially begun at the time of its guide. Treat that size as reported, not an official final preload figure, but expect to make room if you are keeping multiple campaign-heavy games installed.
The smart read for Halo players
If you want the shortest confirmed path into Halo: Campaign Evolved on launch day, Game Pass Ultimate covers console, cloud, supported handheld play, and the broader Game Pass feature set, while PC Game Pass covers PC. Xbox Wire and Xbox.com both support the July 28 day one Game Pass timing. Xbox.com also confirms Xbox Play Anywhere for digital buyers, which is the better route if you want permanent Xbox console and PC access without depending on a subscription.
If early access matters, Pure Xbox reports that it begins July 23 for Premium Edition, Premium Upgrade Edition, and Collector’s Edition buyers, with the Premium Upgrade Edition positioned as the cheaper route for players who already own the base game or are playing through Game Pass. That is a purchase decision, not a standard Game Pass benefit. Game Pass members waiting for the included version should plan for July 28.
The cleanest expectation is this: Halo Campaign Evolved Game Pass access gets you a rebuilt campaign package with modern controls, expanded co-op, new missions, added sandbox tools, and remix options on the listed platforms and tiers. It does not confirm a new multiplayer suite, it does not put the game in every Game Pass tier at launch, and it does not change the July 31 removals. For a series built on pacing, readable arenas, and weapon discipline, the real test will be whether the remake’s campaign changes sharpen Combat Evolved without sanding off the fight that made it stick.