Halo Infinite is set to reintroduce a vehicle last featured in a Halo game 15 years ago, alongside a new weapon and various playlist updates.
As detailed in a Halo Waypoint blog post, the Halo Infinite Fall Update 2025, launching on August 5th, will introduce the Falcon to multiplayer. This marks the vehicle`s first appearance in the series since Halo: Reach in 2010. The Falcon will be a centerpiece of a limited-time mode called `Famished Famished Falcons,` a twist on `Hungry Hungry Hippos,` where four teams of three will race to capture a single neutral flag using the vehicle. Equipped with a machine gun on one side and a grenade launcher on the other, the Falcon will also be integrated into specific Big Team Battle maps and standard BTB playlists.
The update also introduces the Vestige Carbine, a new semi-automatic rifle firing radioactive green projectiles. While a new addition, it bears a visual resemblance to the Needle Rifle from Halo: Reach. Although the blog post doesn`t specify its availability in standard playlist maps, the Vestige Carbine will be featured in the `Banished Slayer` playlist, an asymmetrical slayer mode where one faction uses UNSC weaponry and the other, including the Vestige Carbine, utilizes Banished armaments.
The Fall Update 2025 will furthermore kick off `Operation: Shadows,` an ONI-themed event. This event introduces cosmetics inspired by the Office of Naval Intelligence, a prominent intelligence and black-ops agency within the Halo universe. Players can earn rewards through a free 20-tier event pass, which includes the Whisper armor set and Spartan Points, or opt for a 50-tier Premium Operation Pass that grants three additional armor sets.
Beyond new content, the Fall Update 2025 revises existing playlists. Most Firefight modes will no longer enforce separate first-person and third-person perspectives, offering players the flexibility to switch between POVs within the same playlist. Extraction game modes will receive enhanced objective markers for clearer identification of sites, and Extraction points will temporarily lock after an offensive team secures an objective, allowing defenders a brief regrouping period. The Halo Infinite Fall Update 2025 is scheduled for release on August 5th.
While the long-term future of the Halo franchise remains somewhat ambiguous, Microsoft has affirmed that additional Halo titles are in development. Last year, 343 Industries rebranded as Halo Studios and announced a pivot to Unreal Engine 5 for future games, moving away from their proprietary Slipspace engine. Halo Studios indicated this shift aims to expedite game development. During the conclusion of June`s Xbox Games Showcase, Phil Spencer hinted that 2026, marking Xbox`s 25th anniversary, would see the `return of a classic that`s been with us since the beginning,` strongly suggesting a new Halo installment.