Did Xbox’s Phil Spencer Hint at a New Halo Game for 2026?

Alright, so here’s what went down at the whole Xbox shindig — and hey, bear with me because this ain’t gonna be some polished PR stuff. So, they had this Xbox Games Showcase, like the big talk of the weekend. Microsoft rolled in right after Friday’s Summer Game Fest, with two whole hours of, you guessed it, trailers and reveals. A ton of game stuff, with a dash of hardware goodies like that new handheld thingy, the Xbox Ally — no clue why that name sticks, but there it is.

Anyway, things wrapped up with this big shoot-the-moon reveal from Obsidian about The Outer Worlds 2. Oh, and some bits on Grounded 2. But I gotta backtrack here… before all that, Phil Spencer — the big cheese of Microsoft Gaming — popped up. He’s chatting about Xbox’s future and how they’re hitting the big 2-5 in 2026. And, curveball, I think he hinted at Halo making a comeback. Or maybe I imagined it?

He tossed out this whole list — a new Fable, Next Forza, and Gears of War E-Day. But those last words, something about “a classic,” had me thinking Halo. Like, come on, it’s been their ride-or-die since day one, right?

Halo’s been around since the dawn of Xbox in 2001. Halo: Combat Evolved was there with the original console. It was the thing, you know? Like I remember endless late nights with Halo 2, 3, and Reach. But the series hit a snag in the 2010s. Halo Infinite in 2021 — yeah, it kinda didn’t shake the world like they wanted, despite all the patches and updates.

Yet, late last year, boom! News drops that Halo’s jumping to Unreal Engine 5. Yeah, you heard right. Folks are buzzin’, talkin’ about this tech demo, Project Foundry, showing off Chief in his old-school armor. It sparked rumors — a new remake? Like, something fresh beyond the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary remaster? Maybe.

So, Phil Spencer could be pointing to this — or maybe it’s something brand new in the Halo saga. My guess? Not another direct sequel to Infinite, but hey, who knows? If it is a sequel, I’m cool with being wrong. Surprises are fun.

Stuff’s still murky, but if they do throw a new Halo our way (hoping it lands on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass soon), I pray it’s chock-full from day one. Halo 5 and Infinite showed up kinda half-baked, and we need more than that, you know?

Whatever may come, count me in as cautiously excited. I’ve been hooked on Halo since forever, so fingers crossed Microsoft finally hits a homerun with this. Only one way to find out. What’s your gut saying?