How to Watch Xbox Developer Direct 2026 and What to Expect

Xbox is hosting its annual Developer Direct today, spotlighting three games that are slated to release this year. The installment of the live-streamed presentation focuses on Playground Games’ Fable and Forza Horizon 6, as well as Game Freak’s Beast of Reincarnation.

The Xbox Developer Direct is the chance to hear from a select group of developers as they not only give new looks at their upcoming games but do so with a human touch. While unveiling new trailers and in many cases, peaking at gameplay, the Developer Direct is bolstered by the developers themselves speaking throughout.

Playground Games is entering 2026 with a bit of a one-two punch. The long-awaited Fable is expected to be given the stage as the studio hopefully unpacks everything from story to gameplay mechanics to the scope of this entry in the legacy IP from Xbox. Fable has been a core pillar for the Xbox brand since 2004, but was relegated to the shadows when Lionhead Studios was closed in 2016.

Playground Games then stepped in soon after to reboot the series with a formal reveal in 2020. Despite having a number of trailers, there is still a lot of mystery surrounding Fable. Hopefully, the Xbox Developer Direct will answer the lingering questions fans have about the game and provide details on when to expect its release.

Following Fable, Playground Games is also discussing Forza Horizon 6, its second game in development. This was previously revealed during Tokyo Game Show, primarily because the arcade racing-sim is set in Japan. The game will be a love letter to the country’s culture and diverse locations, including  Mount Fuji, Hokkaido and Tokyo. A trailer for Forza Horizon 6 was released earlier, but we still don’t have a firm release date, so hopefully, Playground Games can shed some light on that.

Rounding out the trio is Pokémon developer Game Freak, showing off Beast of Reincarnation. Revealed during the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase, Beast of Reincarnation is a combat-focused RPG following Emma the Sealer and her stray dog Koo. Exploring a post-apocalyptic Japan, the duo fight creatures using a combat system compared to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and NieR: Automata. Beast of Reincarnation is also slated for 2026 with no firm date set.

Xbox’s Developer Direct has also been home to surprise shadow drops like Hi-Fi Rush from Tango Gameworks. While only three games have been confirmed to be a part of the show, there has been a precedent set that a surprise reveal could be made during the show.

The Xbox Developer Direct starts at 1 PM ET/10 AM PT. It’ll be available to watch on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook. On YouTube, Xbox’s stream is being broadcast in 4K at 60fps.