Halo Infinite’s Fall Update 2025 rolls out on August 5, reintroducing the iconic Falcon vehicle from Halo: Reach after a 15-year absence, alongside a new weapon, playlist updates, and the launch of a major new event, Operation: Shadows.
The Falcon, a two-seater aerial vehicle armed with a machine gun and a grenade launcher, returns to the battlefield in both Big Team Battle playlists and a limited-time mode titled Famished Famished Falcons. In this chaotic mode—drawing inspiration from Hungry Hungry Hippos—four teams of three race to capture a single neutral flag using Falcons.
Joining the arsenal is the Vestige Carbine, a semi-automatic rifle that fires radioactive green bolts. Visually reminiscent of the Needle Rifle from Halo: Reach, it debuts in a new Banished Slayer playlist, where UNSC and Banished weapons face off in asymmetrical combat.
The update also kicks off Operation: Shadows, a covert ONI-themed event featuring a 20-tier free pass with the Whisper armor set and Spartan Points, plus a 50-tier Premium Operation Pass that unlocks three more armor sets.
Gameplay improvements arrive across several modes, with Firefight playlists now allowing players to toggle between first- and third-person views. Extraction game modes receive more readable objective markers and introduce temporary site locks after objectives are captured, giving defenders time to regroup.
This update comes as Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) transitions to Unreal Engine 5 for future Halo titles. According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, 2026—marking Xbox’s 25th anniversary—will see “the return of a classic that’s been with us since the beginning,” heavily hinting at a new Halo entry.
