2026 is the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and it’s been a tough year for the brand with mass layoffs, studio closures/divestitures, and game cancellations. But the celebrations are still going ahead, including an event from the Xbox-owned Candy Crush mobile game juggernaut.
Announced today, Candy Crush Saga is marking the Xbox anniversary with a “Game On” season that brings items and elements from Halo, Fallout, Sea of Thieves, Forza, Doom, Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot, and Spyro into the game through a virtual pin-collection event. Additionally, the popular and recognizable music from some of those games is coming to Candy Crush in “unmistakable Candy style,” developer King said.
The Game On event runs now through December 6. Players earn the themed pins, including Master Chief’s iconic helmet, by progressing through Candy Crush’s various levels throughout the season. The pins are being released physically, too, and people can enter a contest at the Candy Crush website for a chance to win.
In terms of the updated music, Candy Crush Saga is adding “Candyfied” versions of music from Halo, Fallout, Sea of Thieves, Forza, Doom, and Banjo-Kazooie.
You can check out a neat behind-the-scenes video below to see how composer Federico Truzzi worked with the developers at King to remix the songs with a Candy Crush flavor. The music was recorded by the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg and the Bulgarische Orthodoxe Chor Berlin e.V. choir.
In other Xbox anniversary news, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma released a statement marking the milestone, and referencing how the future of gaming could be focused on AI and vibe-coding. Microsoft also released a new hub called Xbox Playback where you can see your biggest Xbox accomplishments over the past quarter-century.
