Halo: Campaign Evolved may not need its Ultra preset to look its best on PC. Testing across several systems found that Low settings often produced an almost identical image while avoiding a sizeable performance cost.
PC Gamer’s testing report found that moving from Low to Ultra reduced performance by roughly 20% in most tests. That difference may be easy to overlook at close to 200 frames per second, but it can decide whether a system holds 60 fps at 1440p without upscaling.
Low settings keep most of the visual quality
The first mission showed only a small gap between the two presets. The clearest differences appeared in the game’s foliage and lighting, with Low removing some environmental detail and Ultra producing slightly softer shadows. Blood textures looked nearly the same, while lighting on weapons changed a little in some indoor sequences.
For players using upscaling, the best choice depends on the selected mode. Low graphics paired with DLSS or FSR at Ultra offered a stronger balance than higher graphics paired with a lower upscaling mode. DLSS at Low renders 33% of the target resolution before upscaling, and the performance gap between Low and Ultra graphics was much smaller in that configuration.
At native 1440p with Low graphics, the test systems recorded the following results:
| System | Average FPS | 1% Low FPS |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 5600X, RTX 3070, 32 GB | 51 | 45 |
| Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 4070 Super, 32 GB | 74 | 55 |
| Ryzen 7 7700X3D, RTX 5080, 32 GB | 118 | 100 |
| Ryzen 7 7700X3D, RX 9070, 32 GB | 101 | 90 |
Handheld PCs need a different approach
Gaming handhelds also have access to a Very Low graphics preset. On the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X at 1080p, Very Low paired with FSR Medium produced 43 fps on average, with a 34 fps 1% low. FSR Low reached 49 average fps and 39 1% low, while FSR Ultra fell to 33 average fps and 27 1% low.
Native rendering was much heavier on the handheld, reaching 22 average fps with FSR and 20 average fps with TSR. TSR Low, Medium, and Ultra produced 33, 32, and 31 average fps respectively.
Unless a PC is already delivering frame rates well into the hundreds, Low graphics look like the sensible starting point for a full campaign run. Motion blur is also worth disabling, particularly for players who want a clearer image during movement.
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Halo: Campaign Evolved
Developed by Halo Studios
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a faithful yet modernized remake of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign. Experience the original story rebuilt with high-definition visuals, updated cinematics, and refined controls, plus three brand-new prequel missions featuring the Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson. A broader arsenal of weapons, vehicles, enemies, and gameplay-modifying “Skulls” – optional modifiers that change combat in fun and challenging ways – add fresh tactics and endless replayability.
- Genre: Shooter, Adventure
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2026-07-28
- Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
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Age Rating:
ACB MA 15+ / ESRB M / PEGI 16
