A New Halo Game Is Officially Coming Before The End Of 2026

3 hours ago 12

Published Oct 5, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond.

Halo is entering one of the biggest transitions in franchise history, as Microsoft recently confirmed that Activision will take the reins on the next major Halo title, with a newly assembled team developing the project while a much smaller Halo Studios continues supporting the franchise's existing games and community. The change arrived alongside another round of Xbox layoffs, making an already uncertain period for Master Chief and company even harder to predict.

For longtime fans, the news creates plenty of questions about what Halo will look like under its new leadership. Activision's experience with enormous shooter franchises could open the door to an ambitious new era, but handing one of Xbox's defining properties over to an entirely new team is a seismic change.

Fortunately, fans won't have to wait for that next major installment to see if the shift pays off. Another official Halo game is arriving before the end of 2026, offering a very different way to revisit one of the series' most familiar adventures.

Halo Returns This Year With A Brand-New Game

Halo: Campaign Evolved – The Board Game brings Master Chief's original fight against the Covenant to the tabletop, reworking the familiar campaign into a more compact tactical experience. Developed by Mantic Games in partnership with Halo Studios, the game takes its inspiration from the same story being revisited in Halo: Campaign Evolved, giving longtime fans yet another way to return to the events that started the franchise.

Players step into the role of Master Chief and work through eight different mission maps inspired by the campaign. Combat revolves around taking on Covenant forces while searching for weapons, throwing grenades, completing objectives, and earning combat medals along the way. Characters and enemies are represented through reference cards designed to keep their abilities and combat information readily accessible, suggesting a relatively streamlined system rather than an especially heavy tabletop adaptation.

Mantic has positioned the game as an approachable take on Halo rather than a sprawling campaign game, with individual sessions expected to last just 30 to 60 minutes, which will be appealing to fans who don't want to commit to an hours-long tabletop session.

There are still some details that remain unclear, however. Mantic's original announcement described Campaign Evolved as supporting one or two players, while subsequent retail information has referred to it as a solo game (via ICv2). A more extensive explanation of its mechanics, components, and progression systems has also yet to be revealed.

The Halo: Campaign Evolved Board Game Arrives In November

Campaign Evolved board game featuring Master Chief.

Halo: Campaign Evolved – The Board Game is currently expected to reach retailers on November 14, 2026, giving Halo fans another official release to look forward to before the end of the year. Mantic Games originally announced only a broader Q4 2026 launch window, but subsequent retail information has narrowed that down to a mid-November arrival.

Pricing appears to be set at a $59 suggested retail price in the United States. Several tabletop retailers are already accepting preorders below that figure, including sites like Game Nerdz and Gamers Guild AZ. Other stores have listed similar discounts, although availability varies, with some retailers already being sold out.

That means interested players do not necessarily have to wait until November to secure a copy, although Mantic's own announcement page has yet to offer a direct preorder or provide extensive purchasing information. The game is being distributed as a standalone boxed release rather than an expansion for Mantic's existing Halo: Flashpoint miniatures game, making it a separate entry point for players interested specifically in Master Chief;s campaign.

With the November launch approaching, there is still room for Mantic to reveal additional component details on the new Halo board game and clarify some lingering questions about the final ruleset before copies begin reaching stores.