McDonald's UK & Ireland has announced a limited-edition menu and digital rewards partnership in collaboration with Microsoft and Xbox.
Rolling out across restaurants and digital channels nationwide starting Tuesday 25 August 2026, the campaign introduces six menu items inspired by iconic video game universes alongside exclusive in-game content unlocked through the McDonald's mobile application.
The collaboration represents a major cross-category intellectual property (IP) licensing agreement for the QSR chain, leveraging gaming culture to stimulate footfall, elevate average basket spend, and drive digital loyalty engagement among Gen Z and millennial demographics.
The promotional campaign, titled "Side Missions", connects McDonald's core food architecture with six gaming franchises: Halo™: Campaign Evolved, Fallout® 76, Forza Horizon™ 6, Overwatch®, World of Warcraft®, and Candy Crush™.
By translating virtual food and character lore into physical menu items, the QSR brand aims to engage the UK's expanding gaming community while driving multi-category trial across chicken, side dishes, beverages, and desserts.
Limited-Edition Gaming Menu Lineup
The promotional menu introduces new flavour profiles, co-branded packaging, and seasonal McCafé additions across six limited-time menu items:
🍗 Black Pepper & Garlic McNuggets®: Inspired by the fictional moa dishes in the Halo™ universe, featuring 100 per cent chicken breast meat in a crispy black pepper and garlic-seasoned coating, served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.
🌶️ Fiery Buffalo Dip: Inspired by the World of Warcraft® character Ragnaros the Firelord, this creamy, tangy buffalo-style dip delivers a fiery chilli kick, engineered to pair with Chicken Selects®.
🧀 Blamco Cheesy Potato Bites: Inspired by the Fallout® 76 franchise, featuring golden, crispy potato rings with a fluffy centre filled with melted cheese, served alongside tomato ketchup.
🍒 Sour Cherry Fizz: Inspired by the Japanese cherry blossom setting of Forza Horizon™ 6, combining chilled Sprite® Zero with sugar-free sour cherry-flavoured syrup over ice.
🍫 Candy Crush™ Choco McFlurry®: Inspired by the Candy Crush™ puzzle game, combining soft dairy ice cream swirled with chocolate-coated biscuit pieces and an indulgent chocolate sauce.
🍩 Sugar Doughnut: Inspired by Kiriko's favourite snack in Overwatch®, featuring a soft ring doughnut dusted in sugar, served in limited-edition character packaging.
Digital Loyalty Integration and App Rewards
Beyond physical menu innovation, the campaign integrates directly into McDonald's digital ecosystem to boost mobile order conversion and app retention.
Through the McDonald's App, registered loyalty members can redeem accumulated Reward points to unlock exclusive in-game digital assets and daily promotional deals across participating titles:
Forza Horizon™ 6: In-game vehicle vouchers to expand player garages.
Fallout® 76: A "Sugar Bomb Bundle" containing themed digital items.
World of Warcraft®: The return of the "Red Hot Portable Bakery" limited-time item.
Overwatch® & Candy Crush™: Digital reward redemptions for Kiriko-themed accessories and digital treats.
The multi-channel activation illustrates how global QSR brand owners deploy high-equity entertainment IP, menu customisation, and gamified digital loyalty incentives to build brand affinity and drive sales velocity across both physical and digital ordering channels.
