The Xbox Developer Direct 2026 just wrapped up, with the hour-long showcase giving us a better sense of the publisher's agenda as it gets set to celebrate its 25th anniversary later this year. The broadcast took us inside Playground Games, Double Fine, and Game Freak to showcase three key titles from the Xbox Game Studios group, as well as one of the most impressive third-party releases scheduled to land in Game Pass in 2026.
There's a lot to catch you up on, so below you'll find everything announced at the Xbox Developer Direct 2026, as well as links to the latest news, exclusive interviews, and more. And if you want to get caught up on all the action, keep scrolling to find our live coverage from the first Xbox showcase of the year.
Forza Horizon 6
The Xbox Developer Direct kicked off with a first look at Forza Horizon 6, which was given a May 19, 2026, release date for PC and Xbox Series X. Playground Games is going all out as it brings the Horizon Festival to Japan for the very first time, pushing a vast and more vertical open-world to explore from the seat of your favorite sports car. The studio says that Forza Horizon 6 offers the "largest, most diverse and seasonal map yet" as it offers up everything from city streets, steep and winding mountain lanes, and sweeping seaside asphalt roads to race across. It looks absolutely stunning.
Beast of Reincarnation
The Pokemon developers have given us an extensive look into their upcoming "one-person, one-dog action RPG", Beast of Reincarnation. Emma and her canine companion Koo fight together to defeat legions of foes in order to stop a spreading blight, controlling differently in combat while also synergizing. With her sword, Emma unleashes fast parries and slick special moves, while time slows to a crawl for tactically issuing Koo's commands. Certain moves will even boost the other character. Beast of Reincarnation is all about companionship, and "through this flow, Koo's presence is constantly felt by your side," game director Kota Furushima tells us.
Kiln
The annual Developer Direct presentations typically come with a surprise reveal. This year it was Double Fine who were thrust into the spotlight, as the Psychonauts and Keeper studio announced that it has a new video game set to release in Spring 2026 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X. It's called Kiln – a team-based multiplayer brawler based around… pottery. Honestly, it's the sort of wild idea that few studios outside of Double Fine could actually get away with. Sculpt your own unique ceramic creation on a pottery wheel, grab your friends, and send your pots and plates into a battle to extinguish the enemy team's kiln.
Fable
Playground Games finally revealed its vision for the future of Fable. It's a vast medieval fantasy open-world RPG that will let you become the hero of your very own fairytale. This isn't Fable 4, it's a full revival – the first seamless open-world game in the series, with a playspace populated by over 1000 fully-voiced, autonomous NPCs. They are always watching, with their response to your heroics (or lack thereof) shaping your reputation across the land. Head off on adventures, engage in fast-paced combat, or lose hours living your best life (you know, by becoming a property baron or business tycoon). Fable is set to land on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X in Autumn 2026.
- Fable 4 is officially just Fable, and after a 16-year wait it finally launches this fall across Xbox, PC, and PS5
- Fable isn't a sequel, Playground Games lead says, because "we needed to reboot the franchise" and "put our stamp on it" – "It would be inauthentic for us to just try and make Fable 4"
- "We've stuck with the ambition we had right at the start": How Fable's open world fantasy lets you meddle in the lives of over 1,000 living NPCs
And away we go! Thankfully, we've still got under two hours until the broadcast kicks off, so you've still got time before one of the first big broadcasts of the year begins.
One of the biggest intrigues of the night is none other than Fable. It's been 16 years since the last game, and 6 years since Playground's take on the series was announced. The game was supposed to arrive last year, but alas, as often happens, the release date has slipped to this year. Here's hoping we get a more specific date locked in later today.
Xbox Game Studios head Craig Duncan has assured fans "it's definitely worth the wait," so we can only hope that's true.
If you're looking for a quick debrief on Fable, think of an RPG with some ye olde English charm and humor. Here's the blurb:
"What does it mean to be a Hero? Well, in the fairytale land of Albion, that is entirely up to you. With a dark threat looming, your choices will change Albion forever."
We've not had heaps of news on it, to be honest. We did find out last year that Eidos-Montréal is supporting Playground Games with the RPG's development. Aside from that, your best bet is to check when it was last shown off. One Fable lead was very amused to find out that plenty couldn't believe a 2023 trailer was, in fact, real gameplay. It's been a few years since, so hopefully it's only looking better.
Of course, it's not all about Fable today. We're also due to see Forza Horizon 6. If a recent leak is to be believed, a release date might not be far away at all. A leak that came within Forza 5, amusingly enough.
Of course, if you'd like to read more, you can check out our interview with Playground Games from last September. The developers tease the series' "biggest map yet," and say "we can only do Japan once and we want to do it right."
Another titbit for you - Forza Horizon 6's map is "also dense" with "always something around the corner," despite being much larger than what you get in FH5.
Less than 30 minutes to go until the Xbox Developer Direct kicks off in earnest! Still plenty of time to grab a snack and drink or take a bathroom break. Speaking of leaks, there's still time for something to unexpectedly go live early, though it does appear like Xbox might have things fairly locked down today after some previous oopsies earlier in the week.
With less than 15 minutes to go, now's the time for any last-minute predictions. What do you think? Does Xbox have any surprises in store this time around? Here's hoping this showcase is a whopper considering the high-profile cancellations last year like Perfect Dark.
5 minutes remain! Soon, all (maybe) our questions could be answered. Will Fable still be British? Will Forza Horizon 6 have cars? Will Game Freak's Beast of Reincarnation actually reincarnate a beast, and if so, how many? Stay tuned to find out...
And here we go...
Starting off with a note that all games being shown are day one on Game Pass, also Xbox Play Anywhere. Also, this year marks 25 years of Xbox. Text moving pretty fast, though.
Final note before we get into dev hype montage: everything here is still a work in progress and not representative of a final product. So, you know, many grains of salt.
First up: Playground Games. Makes sense given it's set to appear twice. Forza Horizon 6! Torben Ellert, design director, is excited to show us some cars.
And there they are! Cars! Strap in, everyone, we're going to Japan.
Players start off as a tourist in Japan before climbing the ranks. Apparently there are obstacle courses, races, and so on. "Legend Island" gets unlocked later with its own unique races and the like. Sounds like a whole lot of Japan is available to zoom around in and explore? "This is our largest map, full of verticality" and biomes and so on. Nice.
The devs specifically sought out folks that grew up in and with Japanese car culture to get it right. As one example, player home options intentionally reference a number associated with good fortune. The team also went and captured a whole lot of reference to, well, refer back to while developer the game.
Tokyo City is five times larger than anything the devs have made before and is the largest urban area yet. Forza Horizon 6 also tries to capture the celebration of seasonal changes. You can collect cars, houses, landmarks, stamps, and more as you explore. More than 550 cars at launch. Better balanced roster across levels. New cosmetic tire wear!
Aftermarket cars can be found parked in driveways around the world, which can be unique and rare. GR GT is the Forza Horizon 6 cover car, if that's the sort of thing you're invested in. Cars also sound better than ever, according to Playground. Sure sounds like a car to me! (I know this is important to people.)
New customizable garages at every player house that can fit multiple cars. You can decorate it and invite friends over to check it out. "The Estate" is apparently the place to do your customization, however, as the mountain valley is originally empty and you fully construct and build there – allowing friends to then visit.
Proximity radar, autodrive, and customizable high-contract mode are new accessibility options on top of all the previous Forza accessibility features. Nice.
Open world car meets allow folks to buy cars and head out to events together. "There's more to do in the open world than ever before," the devs say, such as new shared experiences. I want to believe.
Forza Horizon 6 building is also fully multiplayer. You can collab together with friends to make all your stuff. Nice.
Forza Horizon 6 launches May 19, 2026. PS5 comes "later this year" with Xbox and PC first.
...a Gundam tease right at the end?
And that's that! Onto Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak. Devs noting that it doesn't just do Pokemon! It does other original games like Pocket Card Jockey.
Beast of Reincarnation is specifically a post-apocalyptic "one-person one-dog action RPG" set in Japan.
Game began by searching for the right feeling which was, in the end, warmth, trust, and loneliness. Again hitting on the fact that the devs know how to journey with critters, but this world specifically is quite harsh. Ruins of human civilization requires lots of traversal, which is where the protagonist's vine-like hair comes into play. Avatar, eat your heart out.
Plants became a core motif, which isn't shocking given Game Freak's frequent natural themes. The game's also got creatures fused from plants and animals called "malefacts," which can be found around the naturally overgrown Japan of 4096. Emma, the protagonist, can hunt malefacts and store their blight within her body, which is why she lives apart from the rest of people. The dog apparently has a mysterious purpose, because of course.
The eponymous Beast of Reincarnation is apparently threatening the capital, and Emma must absorb power from Nushi -- particularly powerful malefacts -- in order to take it on. Basically, go beat bosses to take their power. But also: there are golems created from people that put their souls in mechanical bodies, and they can also be dangerous.
Emma and Koo, the dog, "resonate" their power. When Emma parries, power builds in Koo, allowing the dog to use "Blooming Art" abilities. Maybe you blind enemies, maybe you create a giant spider lily to hop down onto them. Sort of like a turn-based RPG of sorts. Both Emma and Koo have their own skill trees, of course.
You can also stack katana effects by unlocking specific items. Love to stack effects. Combat is pretty fluid dependent on skills and unlocked effects and how you go about stacking them and then using them, so players will likely play very differently from one another. I believe it.
Beast of Reincarnation is set to release Summer 2026 for Xbox, PC, and PS5. Day one Xbox Game Pass, of course. You "beast" believe my interest in the game has been "reincarnated" thanks to this showcase. Please clap.
What's this? A surprise Double Fine appears! And Tim is... doing pottery?
Tim Schafer is here to introduce the latest game from Amnesia Fortnight, the way the dev spends a couple weeks trying to make something entirely different and new out of internal pitches. Apparently this is PvP? Kiln, online multiplayer pottery party brawler.
Kiln is "high energy, expressive multiplayer action," per Tim. Derek Brand spearheaded the pitch. You make pottery and then use those creations to... beat on other players? Anthropomorphized clay pots breaking each other. Create characters out of any shape with an animated personality.
You create your own body via pottery wheel. "Quench" game mode is 4v4 combat, balance shape and abilities to bring water into enemy territory. Fill up to douse the enemy kiln while avoiding of breaking enemies. Nice.
Art tool doubles as character system and loadout builder. Design lets you easily make whatever design even if you're not familiar with a pottery wheel, featuring sculpting tools and controls. Game can apparently recognize shapes and detect the kind of thing you're making like cups, bowls, and so on.
So, then, what can a vase do if you're a vase? Apparently various abilities are associated with shapes. Makes sense, as much as Kiln makes sense.
Each shape has a special attack! Bottles becoming swords, jugs being megaphones, plates flinging pies, and so on. Everyone brings a little something to the pottery table.
Maps also have specific nuances. Shapes matter there too with things like secret tunnels for specific pots, paths that only fit certain sizes, and so on.
But ultimately it's all about dumping water on kilns. But once the battle is over, you go to the Wedge, a social space to go and make and decorate more pots with your friends. Wanna glaze some pots? You can glaze some pots.
Launches Spring 2026 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Regular updates with expanded decorations, new game modes, and so on. Closed beta very soon.
Last (?) but not least, we turn to the fabled Fable. Ralph Fulton is here to share the first deep dive.
Lots of windup to Fable being Playground's first open world action-RPG. Notes that they want to be faithful to the classic Lionhead trilogy. What does it mean, to you, to be a hero? Game is about choices and consequences, British humor, and "quite a few chickens."
Fable begins you as a child in Briar Hill where your heroic powers emerge and you're Albion's first hero in a generation. But then! Your village is turned to stone by a mysterious stranger, leading you to venture out into the truly open world with seamless transitions.
Bowerstone returns, legendary Heroes Guild included. Huge city, lots of different characters. Humphry the Golden is the reclusive master of the guild. City of Bloodstone includes the leaders of two rival gangs, vying for power.
Fable lets you choose how your character looks with different character heads, skin, hair, tattoos, and scars. (Not body types?) You get to pick how to tackle combat between strength, skill, and magic against single opponents and groups. Ranged weapons help deal with flying enemies, of course. Fable also brings back many classic enemies while adding new ones like the Cockatrice, which breathes fire.
Playground notes that people constantly talk about villagers and townsfolk and NPCs. You can buy a house, get a job, make some money, romance a villager, have kids. Buy another house! Buy all the houses! Buy all the businesses, get rich, marry more people and have more kids. You know, as one does. Systemic, interconnected, with ripples everywhere you go. More than 1,000 "living population" NPCs with a name, role, daily routine, and so on.
You can talk to every single one with fully voiced conversations. Maybe they work for you, because you bought the business. Maybe you're their landlord, maybe you evicted them, so on. Everything to do impacts what the living population thinks of you.
Morality remains central to Fable, with a "slightly different take." Not black and white, lots of gray, and subjective. "No two people see things exactly the same way," which is how it also works in the game.
"Our game will never judge you, but the people of Albion will – loudly." Yes, please, thank you.
Big theme seems to be "your choices change the world," which can shape the landscape across the game. Like, what you do with someone that accidentally turns himself into a giant. Do you kill him? His body sits around, affecting house prices.
When you think about it, a fantasy action-RPG is like a sports car with swords. Much to consider.
Fable comes to Xbox, PC, and PlayStation in Autumn 2026!
That looks to be it! A wrap-up montage of our four games shown today with some key points repeated. Thanks for watching, thanks for reading, and here's hoping we see a whole lot more of Fable in the near future, huh?
