No PS Plus Tax for Halo: Campaign Evolved Split-Screen Co-Op on PS5

The Clarification Nobody Should Have Needed

Halo Studios has stepped in to clear up confusion surrounding Halo: Campaign Evolved's split-screen co-op on PS5. Local split-screen play will not require a PlayStation Plus subscription. You can sit on a sofa with another human being and play together without feeding Sony's subscription machine first.

Why This Matters

It sounds obvious. It should be obvious. But in 2024, the fact that offline co-op requiring an online subscription was even a question tells you everything about where the industry has drifted. Back when Halo CE launched in 2001, split-screen co-op was simply a feature — no subscription, no clarification press release required. You plugged in a second controller and that was the end of it.

The PlayStation Complication

Halo arriving on PlayStation hardware at all is still a strange sentence to type. For a generation of players, Master Chief and the green Xbox duke were practically the same logo. Now he's a guest on Sony's platform, and Halo Studios is having to navigate PlayStation's ecosystem rules publicly. The fact they pushed back on the PS Plus requirement for local play is the right call.

Kage's Verdict

Local co-op not requiring an online subscription is the bare minimum, not a feature. The fact Halo Studios had to issue a clarification suggests the bar has been set so low it's practically underground. Still — correct outcome. Two players, one screen, no monthly fee. As it was in the beginning.