McDonald's brings back Monopoly with $1 million grand prize

McDonald's is bringing back its Monopoly game starting October 6, 2026, featuring a headline grand prize of $1 million. According to official promotion rules reported on September 22, 2026, the top prize pays out as an annuity of $50,000 per year for 20 years without interest rather than as a lump sum.

The game operates digitally through the McDonald's app, where customers scan codes peeled from food and drink items. Additional prizes include a 2027 Jeep Cherokee, five 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited vehicles via Bonus Play through November 2, a Carnival Cruise, a trip to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Coca-Cola packages, $50,000 toward a home down payment or college debt, and a Free for a Year food card valued at about $1,040. The promotion will not run in the UK or Australia in 2026.

The promotion arrives as McDonald's faces softer sales trends. Second-quarter 2026 US comparable sales slowed to 0.8%, while global comparable sales eased to 1.3%. In August 2026, CEO Chris Kempczinski stated that the company does not have a strategy problem and simply failed to execute at the required level during the quarter.

McDonald's shares traded at $250.32 at 11:35 AM Eastern on September 22, 2026, up 0.98% on the day but down 16.49% year to date from $299.76. The stock is down 15.08% over the past year, down 6.96% over the past month, and sits well below its February 27, 2026 all-time high of $334.50, having recently reached Dividend King status with 50 consecutive years of dividend hikes alongside a fresh 52-week low.

Several brokerage firms have lowered their price targets on McDonald's: TD Cowen cut its target to $282 from $300 with a Hold rating, Deutsche Bank adjusted to $300 from $325 with a Buy rating, Morgan Stanley lowered to $308 from $319 at Equalweight, Citi reduced to $310 from $345, RBC trimmed to $290 from $295, and UBS moved to $320 from $340.