Halo Studios clarifies PS5 split-screen co-op does not need PlayStation Plus

PlayStation 5 players do not need PlayStation Plus to play local split-screen co-op in Halo: Campaign Evolved, but each player still has to sign in with a PlayStation account linked to a Microsoft account. That clarification matters because Halo Studios’ first round of messaging made it sound as if one of Halo’s most famous living-room features would sit behind a paid subscription on Sony’s console.

The corrected policy is still a fair amount of account wrangling. Halo Studios says every player, on every platform, needs a Microsoft account and Xbox Gamertag for cross-platform play and cross-platform progression. On PS5, local split-screen co-op requires two signed-in PlayStation accounts linked to Microsoft accounts, but not two PlayStation Plus subscriptions. Online network co-op is different: PS5 players need PlayStation Plus, while Xbox Series X|S players need Xbox Game Pass for online network co-op. Halo Studios says the game supports two-player split-screen on consoles and up to four-player online and networked co-op with crossplay and shared progression.

The reason the confusion hit so hard is obvious to anyone who grew up on Halo: Combat Evolved. Couch co-op was part of the series’ identity when the original game launched in 2001, so the idea of putting that feature behind an extra fee on PlayStation 5 felt like a warning sign, not a small typo. This is also the first Halo game headed to PS5, which means every account rule, platform requirement and subscription line is getting more scrutiny than it would on a standard console release. When a franchise long tied to one ecosystem starts landing on another, the friction shows up fast.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a ground-up remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign, set to launch July 28, 2026, with early access beginning July 23 for Premium Edition and Collector’s Edition buyers. Halo Studios has also said the remake includes a new three-mission prequel arc, Operation: METEORITE, set a year before the original story and featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Avery Johnson. For PS5 players, the important takeaway is simple: local split-screen is still intact, and PlayStation Plus is not the price of sitting on the same couch.