Halo: Campaign Evolved will require two PlayStation Plus subscriptions for PS5 split-screen play [Update]
Update 21/06/2026: The official Halo Twitter/X account has said this was an error on their part, and that “Local splitscreen co-op requires a PlayStation account for each player but does not require a PlayStation Plus account.”
After nearly 25 years of Xbox exclusivity, Halo is making its way to PlayStation 5 next month, in the form of Halo: Campaign Evolved. However, if you were planning on playing the game split-screen, Microsoft has thrown a spanner in the works, one which is, unsurprisingly, causing quite a stir.
Halo: Campaign Evolved doesn’t include Halo’s deathmatch component but, frankly, I couldn’t care less. For me, half of the fun of Halo was getting a sibling or pal involved and just racing around in the Warthog while they manned the guns. It didn’t matter if they (or you) were rubbish, it was a real blast. And, best of all, with Halo’s split-screen support you only needed one Xbox!
However, while Halo: Campaign Evolved will feature 2-player split-screen, as confirmed by Microsoft’s own Q&A, each PS5 player will require their own PlayStation Plus account, and each account must be connected to a Microsoft account.
“If you’re playing split-screen on PlayStation 5®, both accounts will need to have PlayStation Plus and be linked to a Microsoft account,” reads the statement. That means you’ll have to pay a minimum of £14.98 per month (£7.99 x 2 PlayStation Essential subscriptions) to play Halo: Campaign Evolved with someone sitting next to you.
Could that be a typo? Does Microsoft actually mean you need a free PlayStation Network account? Apparently not. “Having these active PlayStation Plus subscriptions will also provide access to online co-op play,” the next line reads.
Would-be Halo: Campaign Evolved players are, unsurprisingly, not taking this well. Replies to the official Halo account’s Q&A tweet are filled with ire, with comments such as, “Why would anyone need an active PS Plus membership to play LOCAL co-op? You’re making it real easy to consider canceling pre-orders,” and “Is 343 leadership OUTSIDE OF THEIR MINDS? Is there a CRACK epidemic in the studio??”
It’s not the first time Microsoft has ported a game to PlayStation and required players to link their PlayStation Network accounts to a Microsoft account. But, actually requiring a PlayStation Plus account for split-screen local play? That’s a new one and, given the outcry, we’d expect Microsoft/Sony to offer some clarification.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is released on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 and PC this 28 Jul, 2026.
