One of the major headlines coming off the reveal of Halo: Campaign Evolved was that, for the first time ever, Master Chief and the Halo franchise are coming to PlayStation. While that was enough to garner attention for the 25th-anniversary project, when I was at Halo Studios in May for our current issue's cover story, we got on the topic of what PlayStation fans can expect when Halo: Campaign Evolved finally arrives on Sony's platform in July.

“Halo has traditionally been a one-console franchise all the way back to its origins,” game director Greg Hermann told us in October. “We’ve seen in the past few years with Master Chief Collection or Infinite that we’ve expanded onto PC, and then really started to understand what it meant for us to do cross-platform development, and then what crossplay meant in some of these circumstances. Moving onto PlayStation was just a natural evolution of that. We were building on a lot of foundation work that Unreal Engine provides for us, but it really wasn’t too foreign to us to add another platform and make sure we budgeted across development timelines, ensuring that everybody gets a premium experience for their device.”

With that mentality, loyal PlayStation players will finally have the chance to experience the foundational shooter through this remake, complete with crossplay and cross-progression, in case they want to play the remake's four-player co-op with some of their friends over on the Xbox side of the fence. However, it may feel like sacrilege to suggest that a PlayStation console might be the best place to play a Halo game, but after going over the PS5 Pro enhancements, it sure sounds like PS5 Pro will be the best place to play Halo: Campaign Evolved. The PS5 Pro edition of Halo: Campaign Evolved uses PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, SSD optimization, faster loading, 3D audio, and DualSense-exclusive features, leading me to believe that even Microsoft's Xbox Series X will have a hard time keeping up with the experience on PS5 Pro.

When I ask Halo Studios, they decline to directly say that PlayStation 5 Pro is the best place to play Halo: Campaign Evolved, but it seems relatively clear. However, with the most recent Xbox Showcase, the platform holder is poised to roll back its recent stance on bringing some of its franchises to other platforms, beginning with Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution. As Xbox's flagship franchise since its inception, it would be unsurprising to see future Halo games join those titles, but that remains to be seen. For now, Halo: Campaign Evolved is set to arrive on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on July 28. 

To learn more about Halo: Campaign Evolved, subscribers can check out our cover story. To learn more about Microsoft's current strategy, read our conversation with Xbox chief creative officer and former head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty here. 

Today we revealed our latest Game Informer cover story, an exclusive deep-dive look ahead at the upcoming release of Halo: Campaign Evolved, alongside a look back at the profound impact of Halo: Combat Evolved, featuring interviews with the original creators who helped shape that milestone project 25 years ago.

As a thank you to fans of the magazine and Halo more broadly, we’re making our new cover art available for download (in multiple sizes and formats) for free, without logo, wording, or other embellishment. 

We also had the chance to speak with lead concept artist Sam Wood, who created this beautiful piece to grace our cover, and learn about his inspirations, process, and some secret insights into the colors and positioning of everything you see on the cover. 

We hope you enjoy!

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GI: What were your goals/vision behind this art piece?

Wood: To properly introduce Halo: Campaign Evolved, we wanted to create a cover image as bold and colorful as the game itself. We knew we wanted a piece that celebrated the 25-year history of the iconic franchise, while also introduce the franchise to new audiences. So the piece needed something of the legendary about it as well.

Was there a specific style you were shooting for?
Our Studio Art Director, Chris Matthews, proposed a classic sci-fi movie poster composition; a “hero pyramid” with the Master Chief dominating the center and a large ensemble of heroes and enemies around him.

With that brief, I couldn’t avoid walking in the footsteps of the late Drew Struzan, who used masterful compositions, accurate portrait drawing, and translucent airbrushed colors to create truly iconic movie poster art. Also inspired by Struzan, I used deliberate color grouping to organize the image into warmer and cooler zones, which makes the complex composition easier to take in.

Any particular inspiration behind this approach?

Unlike a lot of concept art and illustration, this is an image that doesn’t show one specific character, scene, or moment, but is rather a collage of faces and figures, with supporting details and thematic elements surrounding them. Thus, it feels timeless and a bit nostalgic. The characters hang in an undefined space, lending them a larger-than-life presence. The fact that the visual relationships are symbolic rather than literal invites us to ponder how we feel about them and how they relate to one another across the entire Halo saga.

What is your general process start to finish for a piece of art like this?

Following my usual approach, I started out with several rounds of black-and-white thumbnails and sketches to get the composition locked in. These were accompanied by color and value studies. The next step was to go into Unreal Engine to light and pose each character individually. While not a technique I always use, digital renders are invaluable for achieving accurate character likenesses on a tight timeline. I composited these renders into a single Photoshop document and then got to work painting, lighting, and adding visual effects to bring the final image together.

Any insights or context to share about what is depicted in the image?

This image revolves around the Master Chief, flanked by the two companions – Cortana and 343 Guilty Spark – who accompanied him through most of his adventure on the first Halo Ring. Clustered around these three are a selection of friends and foes, most of whom will be familiar to longtime players – though one or two might be new faces. Each half of the image is dominated by a color symbolizing one of the threats faced in the game: the browns, yellows, and oranges of the encroaching Flood and the alien purples, blues, and teals of the Covenant. Only Master Chief’s iconic green armor defiantly breaks free from this scheme.

Anything else you'd like to share about this image?

It was a real privilege to get to work on this piece. Sometimes I felt like the mantle of responsibility was resting heavily on my shoulders, but mostly I was just having a blast trying to figure out how to make it all work. If it conveys even just a fraction of how colorful, ambitious, fun, and legendary of how Halo: Campaign Evolved, then I’ll call it a success. 

If you'd like to read our complete coverage of Halo's 25th anniversary, learn exclusive details on Campaign Evolved, and receive this art and issue to lay out on your coffee table, visit our subscription page

To call Halo: Combat Evolved an important milestone in gaming's history would be to vastly understate its influence. The seminal console first-person shooter revolutionized the genre, effectively changing the course of gaming history. This year, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of that all-important first adventure starring Master Chief, Halo Studios is delivering a remake of that title, Halo: Campaign Evolved. We're thrilled to reveal the iconic imagery of Chief, Cortana, and other key figures in the first Halo adventure graces the cover of the next issue of Game Informer.

Back in May we flew out to Redmond, Washington, home of Halo Studios, to spend a full day with the team creating this impressive remake. We played through the entirety of the three new prequel bonus missions and sat down with those behind Halo: Campaign Evolved for hours to dig into the team's philosophy with this remake. Not only that, but we also spent several hours with some of the most important figures behind the original Halo games to learn how Bungie delivered an unlikely classic amidst a season of massive change for the studio. In total, our celebration of Halo: Combat Evolved and in-depth cover feature on Halo: Campaign Evolved spans a massive 22 pages, one of the biggest cover sections in Game Informer history.

And just get a look at this gorgeous art. In an extremely rare move, this art, created by concept artist Sam Wood, will be downloadable in high resolution for the device of your choosing, without the Game Informer logo. You can access the high-resolution art and read an interview with Wood on the creation of the art here.

 

But despite how much space we're dedicating to Halo in this issue, there's still so much more packed into this issue. Within the pages of this issue, we have dedicated features looking at Rayman Legends Retold, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, and Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. We also spoke with Warren Spector about his amazing career and the developers behind Saros. We also have a feature on comedy in video games by Emmy-nominated writer Mike Drucker, as well as a look at the history of controversial games that stirred up moral panics by former Game Informer editor and Marvel's Midnight Suns and Civilization VI writer Ben Reeves. That's in addition to our standard suite of previews, which includes games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Stranger Than Heaven, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, Marvel's Wolverine, God of War Laufey, Control Resonant, and more! 

Subscribers can read the digital edition right now! Physical versions will begin arriving in the mail in mid-to-late June, and you can expect to find the magazine in bookstores and newsstands around the same timeframe. Be sure to subscribe today to receive 10 Game Informer magazines a year (physical and digital) and get the Halo: Campaign Evolved magazine as your first issue!

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is set to help kick off the Halloween season thanks to the reveal of its launch date. The survival horror adventure set in the popular Hellraiser universe is coming on October 8.

The single-player first-person adventure features an original story, with players controlling Aidan as he must rescue his girlfriend from the hellish Labyrinth. Naturally, the infamous Pinhead is front and center, with original actor Doug Bradley reprising the role. Gameplay sees Aidan wielding guns and supernatural abilities such as pyrokinesis, telekinesis, and Hell Chains to battle supernatural threats. Check out the game’s latest trailer below.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is developed by Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games. It will launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. 

Summer Game Fest 2026 has come and gone. But while the GI crew was out in Los Angeles, we took the opportunity to invite a few of our games media pals up to our studio to chat about everything: the state of the industry, how SGF has grown and changed, and of course, all the games we've played (that we can talk about right now). 

Join us for an extra special, extra-long episode of The Game Informer Show, live from Los Angeles, brought to you thanks to Rode and their excellent equipment which powered our entire studio setup. Thanks for the sponsorship, Rode!

Watch or listen here:

Listen to "Summer Game Fest Special Episode w/ Jason Schreier, Janet Garcia, + More" on Spreaker.

Follow our hosts (and guests) on social media:

In order of appearance:

• Alex Van Aken (@itsvanaken.games)
• Marcus Stewart (@marcusstewart7)
• Eric Van Allen (@seamoosi)
• John Carson (@johncarson)
• Myles Obenza (@mylesobenza)
• Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier)
• Jessica Cogswell (@jessicogs)
• Imran Khan (@imrankhan)
• Jesse Vitelli (@mamavitelli)
• Liss the Lass (@lissthelass)
• Janet Garcia (@gameonysus)
• Jill Grodt (@finruin)/(@theindieinformer)

Some helpful timestamps:

• 00:00 - Game Informer Editors Alex Van Aken, Marcus Stewart and Eric Van Allen 
• 33:52 - John Carson, Myles Obenza, and Jason Schreier
• 1:06:30 - Jessica Cogswell, Imran Khan, and Jesse Vitelli
• 1:38:10 - Liss the Lass, Janet Garcia, and Jill Grodt