By November 2025,Halo Infinitewill be four years old, and theHalofranchise overall will be 24 years old. In that timeframe,Halo Infinitehas remained the onlyHalogame to be released in the 2020s, causing many fans to worry about the franchise’s standing in the modern gaming market. WhileHalo Infinite’s multiplayer seasons and operations as well as expanded universe content have been relatively well-received since 2021, it’s about time for official news about upcomingHalotitles. WithHalo Infiniteturning five years old and theHalofranchise turning 25 years old in 2026, fall 2026 could be the best if not the latest opportunity to reveal the next majorHalogame.
The History of Halo Game Announcements
TheHaloseries has never really had a consistent structure when it comes to announcing and releasing game entries compared to similar franchises such asCall of Duty. While development ofHalo: Combat Evolvedcan be traced back as early as 1995,Halowasn’t officially revealed to the public until July 1999’s Macworld Conference & Expo, about two years beforeHalo: Combat Evolved’s official debut in November 2001.Halo 2was formally announced a year later at September 2002’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, but due to development issues,Halo 2wouldn’t be officially released until November 2004.Halo 3wouldn’t be officially announced until about two years later at E3 2006, with the game officially debuting roughly a year later in 2007.
Ensemble Studios’Halo Warswas similarly formally announced in 2006 at Microsoft’s X06 trade show, butHalo Warswouldn’t be released until just over two years later in early 2009.Halo 3: ODSTwas initially announced asHalo 3: Reconat 2008’s Tokyo Game Show but was soon thereafter retitled to Halo 3: ODST. A full gameplay demonstration ofODSTwas later shown at E3 2009 and shortly after the demo,Bungie formally announced the development ofHalo: Reach, just over a year beforeReach’s debut in late 2010.Halo: Reachwas the finalHalogame developed by its founder Bungie, but the franchise’s new stewards, 343 Industries, officially began their tenure withHaloby announcing the release ofHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversaryat E3 2011.
343 Industries’ Original Halo Game Announcements
AlongsideHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversarybeing announced at E3 2011, 343 Industries also officially announced the development ofHalo 4, about a year before the game’s debut in late 2012.Halo 5: Guardianswas initially announced at E3 2013, though the game had no official title or release window detailed at that time. More details ofHalo 5would come at E3 2014 alongside the formal announcement ofHalo: The Master Chief Collection. WhileGuardiansofficially debuted in late 2015, 343 Industries and Creative Assembly previously announcedthe development ofHalo Wars 2in August 2015 at Gamescom.Halo Infinitewould later be first announced at E3 2018, but due to development issues and conflicts from the COVID-19 pandemic,Infinitewouldn’t be publicly released until late 2021.
A few smallerHalogames were revealed and released followingHalo 4’s debut, includingHalo: Spartan Assaultannounced at 2013’s San Diego Comic-Con,Halo: Spartan Strikeannounced in 2014,Halo: Fireteam Ravenannounced in 2018, andHalo Recruitannounced in 2017.
Halo’s Future Development Projects
For a good chunk ofHalo’s history, it seemed that Bungie and 343 Industries began a trend of announcing the official development of at least oneHalogame a few months after the release of a prior title. However, in the wake of backlash fromGuardiansand internal issues at 343 Industries and Microsoft, game development onHalogames appeared to slow substantially in the 2020s.WithHalo Infinite’s initial ten-year planfor spearheading theHalofranchise likely being scrapped following internal issues surrounding 343 afterInfinite’s release, the future ofHalogames seemed to be in limbo. This was until 2024 when rumors began to appear of eitherHalo 7or aHalo: Combat Evolvedremake being in development.
These rumors appeared to be somewhat supported during the 2024 Halo World Championship when 343 Industries officially rebranded itself as Halo Studios and announced that futureHaloprojects will be developed with Unreal Engine 5 throughan initiative called Project Foundry. Several test images and models ofHaloin Unreal Engine 5 were released with this announcement, featuring a Mark V armored Master Chief in an Installation 04 or 07-like environment as well as a Flood-infected Halo ring. With most of these images harkening back toHalo: Combat Evolved, many fans speculated that these images were clear evidence of aHalo: Combat Evolvedremake being the next majorHalorelease.
A Potential Reveal Window for Halo 7
Later rumors and job listings seemingly suggested thatHalo 7was being developed as a follow-up toInfiniteor that bothHalo 7and aCEremake are currently in development. Regardless of which game is in development,Halofans can speculate on when the nextHalogame may be announced. With 2026 beingHalo’s 25th anniversary, many fans believe aHaloproject of some kind could be revealed at the upcoming2025 Xbox Games Showcasein June or potentially at the 2025 Game Awards. However, if Halo Studios has only recently begun development on the nextHalogame, as Project Foundry’s announcement suggested, the nextHalogame may not be revealed till 2026, possibly November 2026 at the latest for the series’ exact 25th anniversary.
