The fourth annual Xbox Developer Direct will be shown later today, promising a closer look at some of Xbox’s biggest games of the year.
Xbox first held a Developer Direct in January 2023, and has since returned with it every January to show off some of its upcoming releases.
While the Xbox Games Showcases held in the summer tend to focus on quantity – with trailers and reveals of a large number of games – Developer Directs tend to instead offer deeper dives on a smaller selection of games.
This year developer Playground Studios will be the main focus, with two of its games – Forza Motorsport 6 and Fable – among those being shown in detail.
The Xbox Developer Direct will be broadcast globally at the following time:
- US (Pacific) – 10am on Thursday, January 22
- US (Eastern) – 1pm on Thursday, January 22
- UK (GMT) – 6pm on Thursday, January 22
- Japan – 3am on Friday, January 23
- Australia – 5am on Friday, January 23
You can watch the Xbox Developer Direct either through the stream embedded at the top of this page, on the official Xbox YouTube channel.
Xbox Developer Direct 2026: What do we know so far?
Xbox has already confirmed three of the games that will be shown during the Developer Direct.
Forza Horizon is considered by many to be the best series in Xbox’s modern era, so anticipation is building for the next entry, Forza Horizon 6.
Other than the fact it’s coming to Japan and a leak seemingly confirming a May release date, not a lot has been seen of the game, but developer Playground Games promises a “deep dive into a very first look at gameplay, including reveals of new features, and how Japan comes to life in this stunning new instalment”.
It’s been a busy time for Playground Games, because it’s also working on the long-anticipated next chapter in the Fable series, coming 16 years after the last main entry, Fable 3.
Again, despite having been in development for a long time, not a lot has been seen of Fable beyond some cinematic trailers and very brief glimpses of gameplay.
Xbox has confirmed, however, that the Developer Direct will feature “a first look at some stunning new gameplay”, adding that “devs from the Playground team will unveil the magic and mischief that awaits players in this fresh new beginning for the franchise”.
We’ve also been promised a look at Beast of Reincarnation, the upcoming action RPG from Game Freak, the studio best known for the Pokémon series.
“For the first time, Game Freak will reveal details of our protagonist Emma’s innovative plant manipulation actions and gameplay with her canine companion, Koo,” Xbox says.
That’s all that’s been officially confirmed, but VGC understands there will be at least one more unannounced fourth game, a smaller-scale original game from one of Xbox Game Studios’ first-party developers.
Whether there’s anything else beyond that isn’t clear, but remember Developer Directs only focus on a handful of games, so there’s every chance that four will be the total.
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