Halo: Campaign Evolved is dropping on PS5 with the kind of split-screen tax that makes couch co-op feel like a premium upsell. Both players need active PS Plus subs plus Microsoft accounts and Xbox gamertags just to play local, according to the June Community Q&A on Halo Waypoint. Xbox side? Second player only needs their own Microsoft account for split-screen, no Game Pass required for local.

This cross-platform nonsense is the real kicker—every platform forces a Microsoft account for "smooth progression," but PS5 gets the double subscription hit for the same local privilege. Reddit threads in r/PS5 and r/halo are already calling it out as poorly worded at best or straight-up greedy at worst, with players comparing it to Nintendo's plug-and-play controllers. The official PlayStation page doesn't explicitly call out the offline split-screen fee in the same blunt way, leaving room for confusion or future clarification before the July 28 launch.

Your KD in the living room just took a hit before the game even ships. Sony players expected better than paying twice to sit next to their buddy and frag aliens.