Microsoft is reportedly set to release a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster in 2026.
During the Xbox Games Showcase 2025, Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer teased a number of new games coming out next year, including the new Fable, the next Forza, Gears of War: E-Day, and "the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning."
While that’s an obvious tease for Halo, The Verge reporter Mark Warren has said it specifically relates to a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster.
here's Xbox chief Phil Spencer announcing Gears of War: E-Day for 2026, and in the same year "the next Forza" and a tease of a Halo CE remaster pic.twitter.com/tTueF3YQcR
— Tom Warren (@tomwarren) June 8, 2025
Warren had reported on the existence of this game before, which is apparently under consideration for release on rival platforms including PlayStation 5. Of course, Microsoft remastered Halo CE with 2011’s Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, which was made a part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection.
This is not a brand new Halo game, then, which we know Halo Studios, which used to be called 343 Industries, is using Unreal Engine 5 to build. In 2024, Halo Studios released a seven-minute video showcasing the results of Project Foundry — an experimental project designed to show a Halo game built using the Unreal Engine. While it's not much more than a tech demo, it offered a glimpse at a fresh beginning for Xbox's flagship franchise in the wake of 2021's Halo Infinite.
For more, check out everything announced at Xbox Games Showcase June 2025.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
