Halo Officially Returns This Autumn With A Brand-New Prequel

Just in case you didn’t already feel old, allow me to help: 2026 is the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and by all accounts Microsoft has been making some big moves so far this year. Of course, this also means it’s been 25 years since the original Halo: Combat Evolved landed, and Xbox has some pretty massive plans for Halo this year, with multiple new releases lined up.

The big release you need on your radar is Halo: Campaign Evolved, which is a ground-up remake of the game that started it all. There’s no solid release date for this remake yet, but November 15, 2001 is the day Halo originally launched. Is that too close to GTA 6, though? We’ll have to wait and see. Fortunately, Campaign Evolved isn’t all the Halo coming this year.

If you want an entirely new story set during the time of the original game, Halo: Parasite’s Wake is for you. This is a brand-new novel from writer Tim Lebbon, and is set during the events of Combat Evolved. Rather than following the exploits of the super-powered Master Chief, we’re shown the Flood outbreak on Installation 04 from the perspective of the UNSC Marines.

Here’s the official synopsis for the upcoming novel:

2552. As the planet Reach falls to the alien alliance known as the Covenant, a lone human ship, the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, fled into slipspace and has arrived at a place that could change the course of the decades-long war. An ancient and mysterious ringworld, Halo. With human forces scattered across the surface of this immense alien construct, Staff Sergeant Marvin Mobuto must now lead his fellow crewmates—survivors from the ship’s brig—back to the Autumn’s crash site to rally and regroup with their allies. Desertion, drunk-and-disorderly, and murder are only a few of the charges that Mobuto’s squad carries, and keeping them in line might prove to be just as difficult as surviving the zealous and entrenched Covenant warriors who believe they have found the gateway to paradise.
But as war rages across the ring’s landscape for control of the installation’s weapons and secrets, a far more terrible threat from deep within Halo’s underworld is helishly unleashed, that transforms this conflict into a desperate battlle of survival for UNSC and Covenant alike.

According to official listings, Halo: Parasite’s Wake is set to release in paperback form on October 20. We obviously can’t say for sure whether or not this indicates that Halo: Campaign Evolved launches around the same time, but the two projects would certainly make for a nice double-bill as we look back through Halo history. An October release date for the remake would also neatly sidestep the terrifying prospect of releasing anywhere near GTA 6.

In addition to Halo: Campaign Evolved and the release of Parasite’s Wake, Halo Fest 2026 will take place in Seattle this December. This is a three-day event taking place December 12–13, 2026 that’ll feature a fan convention and a special live concert. Basically, it’s a really good time to be a Halo fan.