Halo hits PS5 for the first time, plus Game Freak's post-Pokémon debut on Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass is adding eight titles between late July and early August 2026, and the headliner is genuinely historic: Halo: Campaign Evolved launches July 28 on PS5, Xbox, and PC simultaneously — the first mainline Halo campaign to ever appear on a PlayStation console. Game Pass subscribers get it on day one at no extra cost.
The Halo remake
This isn't a remaster. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full rebuild of the 2001 original in Unreal Engine 5, with overhauled visuals and a brand-new three-mission story arc called Operation: METEORITE. It supports four-player online co-op with cross-play and cross-progression across all platforms, per Xbox Wire (June 7, 2026). The PS5 day-one launch is Microsoft's clearest signal yet that major Xbox franchises are going multiplatform permanently — not as timed exclusives or ports that arrive years later.
Game Freak outside Pokémon
Beast of Reincarnation arrives August 4 on PC, Xbox Series, and ROG Xbox Ally, also included in Game Pass Ultimate on day one. It's Game Freak's first original AAA IP that isn't Pokémon — a post-apocalyptic action RPG set in a ravaged Japan in the year 4026, with a visual style drawing from Studio Ghibli. The studio kept its core team small and brought in external partner studios to handle the bulk of development, according to Wikipedia.
The rest of the wave
Hell is Us (July 23, PC and Xbox Series) is the other notable addition. Jonathan Jacques-Belletête — art director on Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mankind Divided, now serving as creative director — leads the project for publisher Nacon. It's an atmospheric third-person action game with no HUD and no quest markers. Reviews at its commercial launch in September 2025 were mixed; Eurogamer called it "cryptic and tedious," so temper expectations.
The full late-July/early-August additions:
- The Planet Crafter (PC, Xbox Series) — available now - Shift at Midnight (PC, Xbox Series) — July 22 - Hell is Us (PC, Xbox Series) — July 23 - Halo: Campaign Evolved (PC, Xbox, ROG Xbox Ally) — July 28 - Mistfall Hunter (PC, Xbox Series) — July 30 - Corsair Cove (PC) — July 31 - Heretic + Hexen (PC, Xbox, ROG Xbox Ally) — August 4 (moves to Game Pass Premium) - Beast of Reincarnation (PC, Xbox Series, ROG Xbox Ally) — August 4
Eight titles leave the library on July 31, including Celeste, Crusader Kings III, and Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord — worth finishing or saving to your library before they go.
