Candy Crush Saga Gives Halo, Fallout, Forza and More a Sweet Makeover for XBOX’s 25th

XBOX’s 25th anniversary has arrived in Candy Crush Saga. Out now, the Game On! Season brings together Halo, Fallout, Sea of Thieves, Forza, DOOM, Banjo-Kazooie, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro for four weeks of collectible pins and some very familiar music with a distinctly Candy Crush sound.

For anyone who’s spent years with these games, there’s plenty to recognize. But putting them in the Candy Kingdom meant working out which details to keep, which to play with.

A different kind of armor collection

At the center of the season is an XBOX 25 pin collection. Players earn pins as they progress through Candy Crush Saga levels, collecting characters and moments from across all eight franchises. Look out for Master Chief’s helmet, DOOM’s Cacodemon and Crash Bandicoot’s Dr. Neo Cortex, alongside Candy Crush characters getting into costume.

The teams behind those worlds worked with King on the designs. For Halo, that meant finding room for both the franchise’s most recognizable armor and the personalities of the characters wearing it.

“Halo’s music is such an iconic part of the franchise, and seeing it ‘candified’ into something playful and unexpected, while still being unmistakably Halo, was a lot of fun,” Corrine Robinson, Sr. Halo Franchise Manager, explains. “We took the same approach with the pins: start with the Candy Crush characters and bring in some of the most recognizable elements of Halo. Tiffi in pink Mjolnir armor, topped off with her signature bow, was a perfect Spartan mash-up, while Dachs in Grunt armor quickly became my personal favorite. The Candy Crush team was a fantastic creative partner, and we enjoyed bringing our two very different worlds together in a way that feels authentic to both franchises and, most importantly, fun for the fans.”

Fallout takes the costume changes in another direction. Vault Boy makes an appearance, Dachs borrows Dogmeat’s armor, and Bubblegum Troll gets a Vault Suit. As Daniel Lee, Associate Art Director at Bethesda Game Studios, points out, the Wasteland already knows a thing or two about candy:

“Sugar Bombs, Fancy Lad Snack Cakes, Radioactive Gumdrops, the Wasteland is certainly no stranger to sweet treats. Working with King to bring together two vastly different worlds together has been a real pleasure.

“In addition to our very own Vault Boy making an appearance, you’ll also find Dachs donning Dogmeat’s armor and even the Bubblegum Troll in a Vault Suit! My favorite part however has to be how they’ve paired the music of Fallout with their own incredible soundtrack. What an incredibly fun way to celebrate 25 years of XBOX.”

Turn the sound up

The music deserves a closer listen. Six themes, drawn from Halo, Fallout, Sea of Thieves, Forza, DOOM and Banjo-Kazooie, have been reworked in Candy Crush style and woven into gameplay throughout the season.

The recordings bring together an orchestra, the Bulgarian Voices Berlin choir and, yes, an accordion. Composer Federico Truzzi worked on the arrangements, with King’s Head of Audio Dominique Devoucoux and Audio Lead Sebastian Aav sharing the thinking behind the project in a behind-the-scenes video.

It’s a chance to hear music you know well in a different setting, whether you first heard it exploring the Wasteland, setting sail or playing Banjo-Kazooie. The six tracks will also be available across streaming platforms and participating studio channels, so you can listen outside the game.

For Rare, the collaboration brings both its characters and its music to a new audience.

“Candy Crush is a game which has a universal appeal that brightens up whatever platform you choose to play it on, and the same is true of Rare’s colourful, exuberant worlds and characters,” says Adam Park, Head of Brand and Licensing at Rare. “That’s why the opportunity to bring heroes like Banjo, Kazooie and Pendragon into the Candy Crush universe, where a whole new audience can be charmed by them, was just too good to pass up. And, of course, it’s a huge honor to have iconic tunes from our games reimagined by artists whose interpretations bring a whole new candy flavor to fan-favorite tracks. A perfect match!”

Start your collection

The Game On! Season runs through December 6, 2026, in Candy Crush Saga on iOS and Android. Alongside the pin collection and music, an arcade-themed Leagues event gives players a chance to compete and climb the standings.

Some of the pins are making the jump out of the game, too. VIP players in the US can enter a contest at candycrush.com for a chance to win one of 1,000 limited-edition physical pin packs.

Candy Crush Saga is free to download on iOS and Android. Pick up the game, start collecting, and leave the sound on. You’ll want to hear how those themes have been candified, trust us.