The Halo: Campaign Evolved release date is imminent, at least if you're one of those players who's shelled out some extra cash to get access to the five day long early access period. Having played the whole thing, and seen the somewhat gaudy skins you get for the premium edition, I can't say I necessarily recommend it for the cost.

Especially when the game is also coming to game pass day one, giving you an even cheaper way to play through the whole thing. You can also get some skins just for preordering. But if you're a diehard Halo fan and don't mind the extra expense, that early access option is available. Below, I'll explain the premium access release times as well as the regular edition.

Halo: Campaign Evolved early access release times

If you preorder the premium or collector's edition of Halo: Campaign Evolved, you can play the game five days early, from July 23, though this will cost you $20/£20 more at minimum. Here's when the game releases in early access:

• West Coast US: 8 am PDT
• East Coast US: 11 am EDT
• UK: 4 pm BST
• Europe: 5 pm CEST
• Australia: 1 am AEST (July 24)

Not that I recommend it, but there are other benefits to ordering the premium edition, such as six weapon skins and five skins for Master Chief, if you care about that sort of thing.

You'll also get the Foundry Pack if you pre-order any edition, which gives you two Master Chief and Assault Rifle skins, so you might prefer to just do that instead and save some money. As mentioned, Halo: Campaign Evolved will also be available on game pass day one.

Halo: Campaign Evolved release times

The regular edition of Halo: Campaign Evolved releases on July 28, but the good news is that the release times are exactly the same, just five days later, so:

• West Coast US: 8 am PDT
• East Coast US: 11 am EDT
• UK: 4 pm BST
• Europe: 5 pm CEST
• Australia: 1 am AEST (July 29)

If you're unsure as to whether you can run Halo: Campaign Evolved or you want to compare any of the different edition benefits, you can find all the info on Steam.

Can you preload Halo: Campaign Evolved?

Yes, preload for premium and collector's edition holders—so those who can play from July 22—goes live today, though a precise time was never provided. Presumably this preload will also be available to standard edition preorders, but you might have to wait until closer to launch to start downloading.

Kevin Feige has opened up about his plans for the future of the MCU – and it's looking like it's not stopping any time soon. The Marvel Studios head shared some insight with a Chinese publication called Watching Hollywood recently, confirming they have plans for another two decades of movies.

"We were just in a Marvel Studios meeting room, planning movies all the way up to 2042," he told the publication in a transcript shared on Weibo, which has been translated. "Whether we can make it to 2042? Who knows? Will it be those movies? Who knows?"

Speaking of the next stage of the Avengers movies, Feige added that they are a "beginning" of a new era for the MCU, and it sounds like the X-Men will be at the heart of that.

"It will establish a streamlined, simplified, single universe that we can keep up with," he explained. "Some things will be familiar, but many, many things will be entirely new. Going back to what we mentioned earlier about attracting young people and connecting with a new generation of audiences, that's exactly what the next universe will be about. And fundamentally, the X-Men will be at its core."

Feige went on to say that "fundamentally, it's a universe, a multi-stage saga. Much of that is what we're working towards." He even confirmed what the next stage of the MCU might be called, adding: "We're constantly changing, constantly evolving, but having some guidance helps us act more purposefully… especially with X-Men – it's already had 10 movies, some very, very good, some I think haven't lived up to expectations – how do we plan the 'mutant saga' in a very grand way?"

These are some really intriguing comments and we're betting we'll find out more about Feige's plans for the MCU at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con panel. He'll be returning to Hall H this year as we expect to hear more about Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, and the upcoming X-Men movie too.

For more, check out our guide to the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 schedule as well as our breakdown of all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way.

Hasbro has pulled back the curtain on its first Legend of Zelda action figures during San Diego Comic Con 2026, and they're based on some of the most beloved games in the series.

Three Legend of Zelda action figures will lead the Hasbro lineup in Spring 2027; franchise hero Link, villain Ganondorf, and Princess Zelda herself. All of them are inspired by the versions seen in Tears of the Kingdom, and they come with a host of accessories drawn from those games (including the broken Master Sword hilt for Zelda).

Produced by company imprint Hasbro Pulse (which is known for highly detailed action figures and replicas based on everything from Star Wars to Marvel), these Legend of Zelda toys stand at around six inches and feature multiple points of articulation for more realistic poses.

Hasbro Pulse has a reputation for creating impressively screen-accurate figures, and these don't disappoint. They certainly rival some of the best toys in terms of attention to detail. Actually, the thing that impresses me most is how they capture the cel-shaded design of the video game perfectly; they're surprisingly close to their on-screen counterparts.

Here's a breakdown of each figure, including price and pre-order links.

Of course, this is just the start. As revealed last week, Hasbro has the license to produce all kinds of toys and games based on the series – and because Hasbro Pulse creates props like helmets and lightsabers, I'd be amazed if we didn't get replicas based on Zelda mainstays like the Master Sword or Majora's Mask at some point.

What do you think about these figures? Will you be pre-ordering them when they become available? Let us know in the comments.

For more toy-related goodness, you'll want to believe you have space in your collection for this Lego X-Files set.

Xbox has announced Xbox backward compatibility for PC, with four original Xbox games released today on the Xbox app.

In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft says, "Today, we’re introducing Xbox Backward Compatibility on PC, making it easier to play classic Xbox games from the past across PC and handhelds, including the ROG Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X."

The post adds, "As players, we don’t want to leave our gaming legacy behind even as technology continues to evolve and advance. We expect our library of games to move forward with us and to be able to play them in entirely new ways." If that isn't a soft confirmation of Project Helix having backwards compatibility, I don't know what is.

Included in this list is Rare remake Conker: Live and Reloaded, flight combat title Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, failed mascot Blinx: The Time Sweeper, and Bill Gates' favorite game Fuzion Frenzy.

The post continues, "This marks the beginning of a broader effort to preserve Xbox games from the past and bring them to PC over time." Oh, and all four are included with all Xbox Game Pass plans.

Microsoft also says these editions will have enhancements, explaining, "We are also adding new features to make your gaming experience better than ever."

These include "4x resolution upscaling, VSync support, Fullscreen and Windowed display modes, anisotropic filtering, enhanced anti-aliasing, and more. These games also include customizable language and audio settings."

Xbox confirms that Achievements will be coming to these original Xbox games, with the four games released today set to be updated to include them "in the coming months."

Arkane founder asks Xbox CEO "how much" Microsoft wants for the studio: "I'm asking for a friend"