• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

McDonald’s Monopoly game is back, and the fast-food giant is going back to its roots.

“This year, McDonald’s is going all in on the classic peel -- what first made Monopoly at McDonald’s so iconic,” according to MLive. “With all the pieces in your hands, fans will now have just one way to peel, with all gameplay done in the app.”

While downloading an app can be annoying, the prizes this year might make it worth it.

“The rewards this year range from menu items—no one can turn down free fries!—to loyalty points to bigger prizes like a Carnival Cruise Vacation, a trip to Florida's Kennedy Space Center, or a 2027 Jeep Cherokee,” according to Southern Living. “The card you're really hoping to see, though, is the Chance card, which can earn anything from gift cards to Grubhub or Ulta Beauty, to a cash prize of up to $1 million.”

The fan-favorite promotion is returning to stores nationwide starting Oct. 6 with a "simplified experience,” according to USA Today.

“McDonald’s first teamed up with Hasbro to launch the prize-winning Monopoly promotion in the ‘80s,” according to AllRecipes. “Like the board game, customers collect properties on select menu items to win prizes ranging from free McDonald’s food to gift cards, cash prizes, and even physical items, like a brand-new car or video game system.”

Upon the game’s return last year after a 9-year hiatus, McDonald’s shifted to a digital format with the goal of modernizing the experience, boosting app engagement, and tying the game to the MyMcDonald's Rewards loyalty program.

“This year, we’ve seen many brands lean into nostalgia, from Pepsi reviving its old logo for a Vacation collab to General Mills’ beloved Halloween cereals returning to shelves with a Jim Henson twist,” according to AllRecipes. “We also recently learned that Wendy’s plans to throw it back to the early ‘00s by bringing back its iconic yellow packaging later this year.”

U.S. fans should consider themselves lucky. McDonald’s Monopoly will not return to U.K. restaurants in 2026, after more than 20 years of the popular promotion, according to The Sun.

Company representatives stated they are focusing on new promotions and evaluating future campaigns based on customer feedback.