5 Big Changes Coming To McDonald's In 2026

Despite the brand's unrivaled international name recognition, McDonald's has never been one to rest on its laurels. There were the Happy Meal movie-tie-ins of the '80s, '90s, and early 2000s which continued through the 2010s; the burger-giant competed with Starbucks by introducing the McCafe concept; and it expanded morning service by introducing fast food breakfast options. These days, McDonald's is relying on novelty, nostalgia, and value to draw in customers after two major drops in sales numbers (in 2020 and 2024) have shaken the company's confidence. 

All signs point to a return to business as usual in that department, with strong global and U.S. sales in 2025. Still, McDonald's knows there are always competitors nipping at its heels. The brand wants to stay ahead in an economic environment that's getting tougher to navigate — several big-name fast food companies have been closing locations over the last few years. Pizza Hut is shuttering over 250 locations in 2026, for example, while Wendy's closed dozens of locations in 2024. 

This might be good news for McDonald's lovers in the long run. There's a few ways to save money at McDonald's via a good, old fashioned value menu as well as a brand new signature burger, the Golden Arches, to try. Other changes to look forward to this year include a new secret menu, some excellent Happy Meal tie-ins, and a bunch of new drinks developed at the McDonald's spin-off beverage spot CosMc's. 

There have long been questions around McDonald's secret menu, or lack of one. Instead of an official secret menu, lovers of the golden arches usually rely on ordering hacks to create weird and wonderful off-menu items like cotton candy Sprite, an upgraded egg and cheese bagel, or the frankly Frankenstinian land, sea, and air burger.

This is changing in 2026, as McDonald's has announced the rollout of a new "secret menu" based on viral hacks from customers. For now, it's only available in international location. In the United Kingdom, the new menu reportedly includes a Surf N' Turf burger (aka a double cheeseburger with the pollock square from a Filet-O-Fish added), Big Mac sauce as a dipping sauce option, and a Chicken Cheeseburger. 

Some of these sound like something we would try, and all seem very TikTok-ready. Perhaps McDonald's is trying to regain control of its online image after its CEO, Chris Kempczinski, went viral while attempting to eat the new Big Arch Burger. Either way, it remains to be seen when American customers will be able to try out the delicious new McDonald's "products" for themselves. 

In what seems like a cruel bid to make Millennials feel extremely old, it's rumored that another Pokémon Happy Meal is planned for 2026. This one will mark 30 years of the Pokémon franchise, which is where the feeling ancient comes in, at least for this (actually-younger-end-of-millennial-if-we're-being-specific) food writer. Pokémon started with the launch of two Gameboy games and a card game in 1996, so this collaboration will be a nod back to that era. The Happy Meals will reportedly come with trading cards as well as other Pokémon-themed toys. 

While this heavily anticipated Happy Meal hasn't appeared yet, we have seen the release of other interactive and nostalgic Happy Meals. This year we had the Mario Happy Meal (which can't make me feel old, as Mario has been around longer than I have) as well as McDonald's own trading card game. Perhaps this is all a warmup for the nostalgic Pokémon collab? We should really give them a break if they're a little slow, Ash must be in his 40s by now. 

McDonalds has big plans for beverages in 2026. After testing drinks like flavored cold brews and dirty sodas last year at its spin-off drinks locations, CosMc's, the home of the Big Mac is going to roll some of the new beverages out on its standard menu. While CosMc's itself may not have been a great success, with many locations already closing, it seems like the science-fiction-inspired soda spot was a good proving ground for these new products. 

It's likely McDonald's is trying to appeal to Gen Z customers with the new dirty soda combinations like Dirty Doctor Pepper, and the company has reportedly been investing in equipment to make drink-mixing easier and facilitate a real move into the beverage space. Never a brand to do things by halves, McDonald's is also launching Red Bull-based drinks and fruity energy beverages; intending to compete with Starbucks' Refreshers, which are also caffeinated, fruit-flavored drinks. The fast food chain's efforts will likewise be taking aim at the success of cold, caffeine-heavy drinks from Dunkin' and Taco Bell.

Look, it's 2026. There has to be some bad news along with the good. In the scheme of things, how important is McDonald's dipping sauce? I suppose that's a personal question. It depends on how much you like to lubricate your nuggets and fries. True sauce lovers may be upset by recent rumors that McDonalds is starting to get stingy with dipping sauces, but it's only expected to get worse as food prices rise and corporate belts are tightened. 

Some McDonald's locations are now giving out only one dipping sauce with a six-piece nuggets order. If customers want more, they'll have to pay for it. Sure, a couple of sauces won't break the bank when they only cost a quarter and change, but stealth-adding charges to orders seems like a pretty low move from a company that makes billions a year in profits. 

A bullish new growth strategy is the connecting tissue between all recent and upcoming changes at McDonald's. The brand has created a new "Restaurant Experience Team," which seems to be something like a think tank made up of people across many sectors, including operations, supply chain, franchising, development, restaurant design, delivery, and the fast food giant's innovation arm, Speedee Labs. It's unclear exactly what the growth strategy this team is behind will involve, but it aims to counter rising food costs and reduced foot traffic through innovation that keeps up with emerging trends.  

To McDonald's credit, it has released a new value menu this year, which is a meaningful response to the need for affordable fast food options. But the question remains, can the fast food chains everyone already knows really innovate themselves out of market saturation, boycotts, and a rising cost of living by offering dirty sodas and following TikTok trends? It remains to be seen throughout 2026 and beyond.