Recent industry news suggests that Microsoft is preparing the return of Master Chief in 2026 with a remastered edition of Halo: Combat Evolved.
Microsoft gaming head Phil Spencer hinted at several titles anticipated for next year at the Xbox Games Showcase 2025. While talking about the new Fable coming out, the latest Forza game, and Gears of War: E-Day, Spencer mentioned the return of a classic that has been with us since then.
Mark Warren with The Verge, an industry insider, believes Spencer is actually referring to the Halo: Combat Evolved remake project despite the comments being vague. Back in Warren’s report on how the title was being developed, Microsoft might bring it to competing platforms such as the PS 5. Not Microsoft’s first combat evolved revival.
This wouldn’t be the first time Microsoft has attempted to refresh Halo. In 2011, the company remastered Halo CE through Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which was later added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection package.
The Halo game that’s rumored to come in 2026 will take a different direction compared to the new game currently being worked on at Halo Studios (ex-343 Industries). The studio will develop future entries in the franchise with Unreal Engine 5 unlike any entry before.
Studio Showcases New Engine Capabilities
Halo Studios released a seven-minute-long extensive demo on the results of Project Foundry in 2024. Halo: A Tarus Publishing Campaign was a campaign that aimed to showcase what a Halo game may look and feel like built with Unreal Engine technology. Although the clip was more of a technical demo than actual gameplay, it was the first insight fans had into the next evolution of the franchise.
According to the studio, the Project Foundry showcase represented a new dawn for Xbox’s flagship franchise after Halo Infinite’s lukewarm reception in 2021. The show-off was said to give a hint of potential visual fidelity and technical capabilities that Unreal Engine 5 could bring to future Halo experiences.
The theorised 2026 Combat Evolved remaster could serve as a bridge between the current state of the franchise and whatever direction Halo Studios is planning to take with their Unreal Engine 5 project/s as we move forward.