Other Xbox Developer Direct is planned for January, a senior Microsoft official confirmed, in addition to the release of one of the studies presented at the event. The upcoming live stream will mark the first showing of Xbox games in 2026.
The first Xbox Developer Direct took place in early 2023. Since then, Microsoft has made it an annual event that takes place every January, showcasing various first-, second-, and third-party Xbox games that are nearing completion. This trend is now set to continue for the fourth consecutive year.
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Fourth Xbox Developer Direct confirmed for January 2026
In a recent interview with Variety, Microsoft Studios head Matt Booty confirmed that the company is planning the next Xbox Developer Direct for January 2026. As with the first three editions of the show, the event will focus on demos of various Xbox titles that will be released over the next year. However, the circumstances are slightly different this time as Microsoft is facing a good problem. “We've got more stuff coming up this year than we can fit into one Dev Direct show,” Booty explained, hinting that the generational series of Xbox games will continue into 2026.
Xbox Developer Direct 2026 will include Forza Horizon 6, Fable, or both
In addition to sharing this big promise of content for 2026, the Microsoft executive also revealed one of the studios that will be featured during the January showcase: Playground Games. Given the event's focus on soon-to-be-released titles, this suggests that the next Xbox Developer Direct will include it Fable, Forza Horizon 6or both. Fable was postponed to 2026 this February while Forza Horizon 6 was announced with a 2026 release window in September. If only one appears on the showcase, a new one Forza Horizon the title appears to be a more likely candidate as it is already rumored to release in the first half of 2026, while a specific launch window is still unknown. Fable restart.
Usually [Xbox] Dev Direct is all about highlighting what's coming up for the year ahead. There's more to come this year than we can fit into one Dev Direct show.
Xbox Developer Direct 2026 may take place on January 22
The last two iterations of the Xbox Developer Direct took place on the penultimate Thursday in January. If this pattern holds, the 2026 showcase will take place on January 22nd. In that case, Microsoft would be expected to officially announce the showcase with a specific date between January 8 and 13 based on its typical communication cadence. The announcement may also include confirmation of some of the games that will appear at the event, which has been the custom in past years. Most – if not all – of the titles shown during the Xbox Developer Direct in 2026 will likely be Day One Xbox Game Pass releases.
Microsoft has no shortage of candidates to present at the next Xbox event
While the first three Xbox Developer Directs featured plenty of games from Microsoft-owned studios, the annual event also featured regular third-party titles, from smaller indies to more ambitious projects. For example, one of the highlights of the Xbox Developer Direct 2025 was the release date announcement Clair Obscur: Expedition 33which turned out to be one of the most acclaimed, commercially successful and universally loved games of the year. The same event constituted a revelation Ninja Gaiden 4while his previous two releases showcased everything from Vision of mana on Ara: The Untold Historysuggesting that the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 may also offer a remarkable variety of content.
First and second party Xbox games are currently in development
|
Game |
Developer |
First announcement |
2026 edition |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The Elder Scrolls 6 |
Bethesda Game Studios |
June 2018 |
❌ |
|
Project: Mara |
Ninja theory |
January 2020 |
❓ |
|
State of decomposition 3 |
Undead Labs |
July 2020 |
❓ |
|
Fable |
Games on the field |
July 2020 |
✅ |
|
Mechanical revolution |
inXile entertainment |
June 2023 |
✅ (rumored) |
|
Marvel's Blade |
Arkane Lyon |
December 2023 |
❌ |
|
FROM |
Kojima Productions |
December 2023 |
❓ |
|
Gears of War: E-Day |
The Coalition, People Can Fly |
June 2024 |
✅ |
|
Forza Horizon 6 |
Playground Games, Turn 10 Studios |
September 2025 |
✅ |
Looking at the list of high-profile first- and second-party Xbox games currently in development, several titles seem like strong contenders for the January launch. In addition Fable and Forza Horizon 6which Booty himself hinted at, at Xile Entertainment Mechanical revolution and the Coalition Gears of War: E-Day their launch is expected in 2026. New Gears of War entry has already been officially confirmed for this release window, while steampunk RPG inXile is only rumored to debut in 2026 based on a recent mention on one of the developers' LinkedIn profiles.
