For several months now, Halo fans have long awaited for official details about the next major Halo game as Halo Infinite nears its four-year anniversary. While it’s still unknown if the next Halo game will be Halo 7 or the rumored Halo: Combat Evolved remake, CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer did suggest that a Halo game will release in 2026 with the “… return of a classic…” at Xbox Games Showcase 2025. On top of this supposed release window, Halo Studios recently announced new details of the novel Halo: Edge of Dawn: A Master Chief Story, which may reveal details of Halo 7 once it’s published in December.

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Halo: Edge of Dawn Explained

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Initially teased at the Halo World Championship 2024 and later officially announced in early January 2025, Halo: Edge of Dawn: A Master Chief Story is the 38th Halo novel ever published. The sixth Halo novel written by Kelly Gay, Edge of Dawn is slated to take place shortly after the end of Halo Infinite’s campaign, centering around the continued journey of Master Chief, The Weapon, and Fernando Esparza. Still set in 2560, Edge of Dawn follows Master Chief continuing to fight off Banished forces as he struggles to regroup UNSC Infinity survivors and search for the missing combat medic Lucas Browning.

Browning may be familiar to players who collected all of Halo Infinite’s audio logs, as Browning was captured by the Banished and later forced to release the Xalanyn known as the Harbinger from her Cylix. Shortly after the Harbinger’s revival, Browning was tortured at Chak ‘Lok’s Tower and the House of Reckoning.

While surviving Spartan-4 Nina Kovan planned on rescuing Browning, as seen in Gay’s previous Halo book, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, the combat medic was driven insane by secrets told to him by the Harbinger at the House of Reckoning. According to Edge of Dawn’s synopsis, Browning is stated to still be alive and possibly holds the key to unlocking deeper mysteries within Zeta Halo.

The Antagonist of Halo: Edge of Dawn

Master Chief, The Weapon, Fernando Esparza, and Lucas Browning aren’t the only returning Halo Infinite characters in Edge of Dawn, however, as they will all be hunted by the Banished Sangheili cyborg blademaster Jega ‘Rdomnai. Originally considered to be dead at the end of Infinite, Edge of Dawn reveals that ‘Rdomnai survived his fight against Master Chief and is “… hellbent on vengeance” for the Spartan’s killing of Banished War Chief Escharum. Based on the deaths of Escharum, the Hand of Atriox, and most Bloodstars, ‘Rdomnai may assume control of the remaining Banished forces on Zeta Halo and issue them all to prioritize the elimination of Master Chief.

How Halo: Edge of Dawn Could Reveal Details of Halo 7

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With Halo: Edge of Dawn being a direct follow-up to Halo Infinite’s campaign, its events may reveal details about Halo 7’s narrative as well as potential gameplay aspects. In a recent Halo Waypoint article showcasing Edge of Dawn’s cover art, Halo Studios compares the upcoming book to 2003’s Halo: First Strike. This book took place immediately after the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and explained how Master Chief, Cortana, and Sergeant Avery Johnson made their way back to Earth just before the beginning of Halo 2. First Strike also debuted several aspects that would go on to be featured in Halo 2, such as the Brutes making their first appearance in the 2003 novel.

If Edge of Dawn is structured similarly to First Strike, details from the book could potentially go on to appear in the next mainline Halo game. For instance, Halo Studios recommends people read Rubicon Protocol before reading Edge of Dawn, suggesting that Kovan and possibly Spartan-4 Tomas Horvath may appear in Halo 7. With the tease of Browning having connections to Zeta Halo’s mysteries, Edge of Dawn may lead Master Chief to encounter Atriox and the Endless to directly set up Halo 7’s main conflict. Edge of Dawn may even set up smaller details for Halo 7, such as finally revealing The Weapon’s newfound name and a potential release date of late 2026 based on how First Strike was published a year before Halo 2’s release.