Halo’s Live-Service Leap: Insider Hints at Fortnite-Style Multiplayer Launching With Halo CE Remake in 2026

Halo looks like it is gearing up for a full-on reset in 2026. Multiple credible leakers are pointing to two big plays: a fresh Halo: Combat Evolved remake focused on campaign, and a separate live-service multiplayer that sounds a lot more Fortnite than Infinite. None of this is official, but the timing lines up with both Halo and Xbox turning 25 next year, and we may get teases at the Halo World Championship later this month.

The gist, from the usual suspects

• Who is making this: Leakers keep referencing Halo Studios (the label being used for the team formerly known as 343 Industries) as the group steering a two-pronged relaunch in 2026.
• The multiplayer: Insider/YouTuber Rebs Gaming says the team is building a long-term, live-service multiplayer project described as being 'like Fortnite.' Crucially, it is a standalone product, not bundled with a campaign.
• How that differs from Infinite: Infinite tried to juggle a single-player campaign and a free-to-play multiplayer under one roof, then face-planted on updates and content cadence. The new plan sounds closer to Warzone: multiplayer lives on its own and runs for years.
• The remake: Rebs Gaming and the Halo Leaks account both claim a full Halo: Combat Evolved remake is underway, primarily focused on the campaign and separate from the live-service multiplayer.
• The tech (nerdy but interesting): That remake is reportedly using a hybrid setup of Unreal Engine 5 plus a modified version of the Halo: Reach engine. Not your everyday pipeline.
• Co-dev help: Abstraction is said to be involved. They have a resume full of moving games into Unreal, so that tracks.
• Platform and features chatter: Leaker Rino (citing Leaks_Infinite) says the CE remake is 'definitely' headed to PS5, will fold in modern gameplay tweaks like sprint, and supposedly shares design DNA with an unannounced Halo game. That same rumor pegs a possible reveal around Oct 24 and hints a new mainline entry could be teased.
• Separate tracks: Rebs says the multiplayer, the CE remake, and the next mainline Halo are all different projects. The multiplayer is its own ecosystem; the remake is campaign-first; the mainline entry is still in development elsewhere.
• The conversation is loud: Creator The Act Man also amplified the 'like Fortnite' angle in a post this week.

Why this adds up

Microsoft has been tilting its big franchises toward live-service for a while. Halo Infinite tried to be that game and never found a steady rhythm. Spinning multiplayer into its own, always-on platform while letting a single-player remake stand alone is a cleaner approach. If you are going for a comeback, doing it during the 25th anniversary lap in 2026 is a pretty obvious swing.

'like Fortnite'

When to expect news

Keep an eye on the Halo World Championship later this month. Some leakers are even pointing to Oct 24 as a possible announcement window. Again: nothing is confirmed.

Temper expectations, but...

All of this is rumor until someone from Xbox says it on a stage. Plans shift, dates move. Still, taken together, the reports paint a picture of a 2026 relaunch built around a campaign-first Halo: CE remake and a separate, long-life multiplayer platform designed to run for years. If that hits the way it is being pitched, it would be the most aggressive reset the series has had in a long time.

What are you hoping for: a faithful-but-modernized Combat Evolved, or a multiplayer platform that can actually keep pace with the Fortnites and Warzones of the world?