McDonald's Monopoly is coming back Oct. 6, and you could win $1 million

Players first need the McDonald's app, a MyMcDonald's Rewards account, and registration for Monopoly. The game is open to U.S. residents 18 and older, who must register before ordering. Starting Oct. 6, buying an eligible item earns a physical game piece that can be peeled from the packaging and scanned in the app. Depending on the piece, it might reveal an instant food or Rewards points prize, add a property toward a Collect to Win set, or unlock a play in the digital Chance Card game. Ordering eligible items through the app or using a Rewards code can also earn bonus Chance Card plays through Nov. 1. Players can enter up to eight game piece codes and play up to eight Chance Card games per day.

Game pieces will be distributed through Nov. 1 while supplies last, but the digital portion continues a little longer: Chance Card plays remain available through Nov. 8, and most prizes must be claimed by Nov. 22. Buying food isn't the only way in, either; the game's rules include a mail-in option for obtaining a game piece without making a purchase, though requests must arrive by Nov. 2. Unlike last year, there's no online free-entry option.

McDonald's is spreading Monopoly pieces across all three major dayparts rather than limiting the promotion to burgers and fries. More than 30 menu items are eligible, including Egg McMuffins at breakfast, Quarter Pounders with Cheese, and large fries. Select large hot and cold beverages are eligible as well.

Not every order automatically comes with a chance to play. Game pieces are attached to designated packaging for participating products, and they're available only while supplies last at participating U.S. restaurants. McDonald's lists the promotion's featured foods and timing in its Sept. 22 announcement.

Players have four routes to winning: instant food prizes, instant Rewards points, Collect to Win, and the Chance Card game. Instant prizes include menu items and between 1,500 and 7,000 MyMcDonald's Rewards points. Completing property sets raises the stakes considerably, with prizes including Carnival cruises, VIP tours of Kennedy Space Center, 2027 Jeep Cherokees, Polaris vehicles, and $100,000 cash awards.

The Chance Card side, which players unlock with game pieces and bonus plays from qualifying purchases, adds prizes such as Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Ulta Beauty gift cards, along with $50,000 toward a home down payment or college debt. Twenty-five winners can receive "McDonald's for a Year" in the form of a $1,040 gift card, while the biggest prize is $1 million, paid as $50,000 annually over 20 years. McDonald's puts the overall odds of winning any prize at 1 in 5, though most of those wins are food.