While 2025 Has Been Fairly Quiet For Halo, 2026 Will Likely Be the Exact Opposite

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In four years from now, by November 2025, Halo Infinite will celebrate its fifth birthday and the Halo franchise will reach a venerable age of 24 years. Given that Halo Infinite remains the sole Halo game released in this decade, fans have expressed concerns about the series’ position in today’s competitive gaming landscape. Although Halo Infinite’s multiplayer seasons and additional universe content have been generally well-received since 2021, it is high time for an official announcement regarding upcoming Halo titles. With Halo Infinite set to turn five and the franchise turning 25 in 2026, autumn 2026 might be the ideal or at least the most opportune moment to unveil the next significant installment of the Halo series.

The History of Halo Game Announcements

The Halo series has historically not followed a regular pattern when it comes to disclosing and launching new games compared to other franchises like Call of Duty. Though development for Halo: Combat Evolved started as far back as 1995, the game wasn’t publicly unveiled until July 1999 at the Macworld Conference & Expo, a full two years before its official launch in November 2001. Halo 2 was announced a year later in September 2002 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but due to development difficulties, it didn’t hit the shelves until November 2004. Halo 3 wasn’t officially disclosed until about two years after that at E3 2006, with the game being released approximately a year later in 2007.

In 2006, Ensemble Studios’ “Halo Wars” was first unveiled at Microsoft’s X06 event, but it wasn’t until early 2009 that the game saw release, approximately two years later. Initially announced as “Halo 3: Recon” at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show, the game was later renamed to “Halo 3: ODST”. A demonstration of “ODST” was exhibited at E3 2009, following which Bungie officially declared the development of “Halo: Reach”, a year before its launch in late 2010. “Halo: Reach” marked the final “Halo” game developed by Bungie. However, the franchise’s new caretakers, 343 Industries, kicked off their tenure with “Halo” by announcing the release of “Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary” at E3 2011.

343 Industries’ Original Halo Game Announcements

At E3 2011, not only did they announce a remastered version of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, but 343 Industries also unveiled the development of Halo 4, which was to be launched in late 2012. Halo 5: Guardians was initially teased at E3 2013 without any specific title or release date. More information about Halo 5 followed at E3 2014, along with the official announcement of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Guardians officially hit the shelves in late 2015, and around the same time, the development of Halo Wars 2 was announced by both 343 Industries and Creative Assembly at Gamescom in August 2015. Finally, Halo Infinite was first revealed at E3 2018, but due to development complications and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t publicly available until late 2021.

After the launch of Halo 4, a series of smaller Halo games were unveiled and made available, such as Halo: Spartan Assault, which was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, Halo: Spartan Strike, revealed in 2014, Halo: Fireteam Raven, announced in 2018, and Halo Recruit, initially announced in 2017.

Halo’s Future Development Projects

For much of the lifetime of Halo, it looked like Bungie and 343 Industries would announce a new Halo game just a few months after releasing the previous one. But following criticism from Guardians and internal troubles at 343 Industries and Microsoft, the pace of Halo game development slowed significantly in the 2020s. The ten-year plan for Halo Infinite to lead the Halo franchise seemed to be in jeopardy after issues within 343 arose following Infinite’s release, leaving the future of Halo games uncertain. However, whispers started circulating in 2024 about either a new Halo 7 or a remake of Halo: Combat Evolved being developed.

During the 2024 Halo World Championship, it seemed that rumors about the rebranding of 343 Industries to Halo Studios and their plan to create future Halo projects using Unreal Engine 5 through Project Foundry might be true. This announcement was accompanied by various images and models of Halo in Unreal Engine 5, showcasing a Mark V armored Master Chief in an environment reminiscent of Installation 04 or 07, as well as a Flood-contaminated Halo ring. Given the strong resemblance to Halo: Combat Evolved in many of these visuals, numerous fans believed that this could be a hint toward a possible remake of Halo: Combat Evolved being the next significant Halo release.

A Potential Reveal Window for Halo 7

It appears that there have been hints and job postings indicating a potential development of Halo 7 as a sequel to Infinite or both Halo 7 and a remake of CE. Regardless, enthusiasts of the Halo franchise can engage in speculation regarding when the next Halo game might be unveiled. Given that 2026 marks Halo’s 25th anniversary, many supporters anticipate some form of Halo project to be disclosed at the upcoming 2025 Xbox Games Showcase in June or even at the 2025 Game Awards. However, if Halo Studios has only recently embarked on creating the next Halo game, as suggested by Project Foundry’s announcement, the next Halo game may not be unveiled until 2026, with a potential release date of November 2026 for the series’ exact 25th anniversary.

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2025-06-02 19:35