Everything announced at Xbox Games Showcase 2026

Xbox is attempting a reinvention in an era of Microsoft dysfunction

Xbox isn't entering this year's showcase season on a high note. Microsoft hasn't earned itself much good will in recent years: It's only recently started to question its strategic vision of simply shoving Copilot everywhere it can. After buying out a considerable portion of the games industry, it has little to show for it beyond widespread layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations.

And as a result of the company's partnership with the Israeli military amidst its continuing genocidal campaign in Palestine—a partnership that has provoked public scrutiny, internal protest, and executive firings—Microsoft and its gaming products remain prominent targets of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.

Following Phil Spencer's departure in February, new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has said Microsoft's gaming division will pursue "a renewed commitment to Xbox." Theoretically, this summer's showcase will offer our first sense of what we're meant to expect from that recommitment.

What games can we expect to see?

Our only confirmed inclusion in the lineup is Gear of War E-Day, which is getting its own "E-Day Direct" following the primary Xbox livestream. Otherwise, here are some educated guesses:

• State of Decay 3 has been at prior Xbox showcases, and recently started closed alpha playtests after a lengthy marketing hiatus. If it's playable for alpha testers, it wouldn't be surprising to see it today.
• Halo: Campaign Evolved—the remake of the original Halo's story mode—is scheduled for a launch later this year, so some kind of Master Chief presence seems likely.
• Despite its recently-announced delay out of the GTA 6 gravity well, Fable is a safe bet.
• Call of Duty: There's a new one coming out. It's Call of Duty. It would be weirder if it wasn't present.
• InXile's action RPG Clockwork Revolution has made an appearance at two previous Xbox summer showcases and is still waiting for a release date.
• Marvel's Blade reportedly went into full production at Arkane Lyon in 2024, and frankly, I think it'd be very funny to steal some of Wolverine's thunder.
• Persona: Atlus has recently been making an effort to purge evidence of an alleged Persona 6 leak, and we got a glimpse at Persona 4 Revive at last year's Xbox showcase. It's a strong contender.

You'll notice I didn't mention Elder Scrolls 6. That's because I'm convinced Elder Scrolls 6 won't launch until sometime in the 2030s.

This throbbing crimson unspace is an Xbox

On X yesterday, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma shared a glimpse at the in-person venue for this year's showcase, and it's... certainly colorful. And vaguely threatening.

Xbox is "looking at" the exclusivity question

In October 2025, it seemed the console wars were entering an armistice. Then-Xbox president Sarah Bond called the notion of Microsoft-exclusive game releases "antiquated." Shortly thereafter we were told that Master Chief would be appearing on PlayStations in the near future.

Now, it seems, exclusivity might be back on the menu. While current Xbox chief Matt Booty said last month that other platforms' logos would appear in the Xbox Games Showcase, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma now seems to be backing away from multiplatform availability, saying in a recent interview that "in order to be a platform, you must have exclusive content and services. And so, we're looking at that very closely."

It'll be worth watching just how exclusive today's showings will be.

It's time for marketing

The Xbox Games Showcase is now live.

Gears of War: E-Day reveals Marcus Fenix was always wearing that bandana, is launching in October

The showcase kicked off with a gameplay demo from Gears of War: E-Day, indicating that these guys were—inexplicably—always shaped like this, even in the stages of the war against the Locust that were evidently fought inside grocery stores.

Gears of War: E-day launches on October 6. There'll be a deep-dive stream following the Xbox showcase.

Fable's coming in February

Fable was recently delayed out of 2026 to dodge the GTA 6 blast radius, but Xbox just put a proper date on it. It's coming February 23, 2027.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is launching in July with new missions

The Halo 1 remaster is coming July 28, 2026, and it sounds like it'll have three new Master Chief/Sgt. Johnson buddy cop missions.

The next Plague Tale game has a surprising amount of knife fights

Asobo Studios brought some gameplay from Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, a prequel with an apparent strong emphasis on carving into guys. It's coming sometime later in 2026.

Persona 4 Revival doesn't let Yosuke say bad words, is coming in February 2027

Seems like all the recent Persona noise wasn't for nothing. Persona 4 Revival is coming February 18, 2027—but I couldn't help but notice that the remaster has softened Yosuke's "asshole" to a pitiful "jerk." They've taken so much from us.

State of Decay 3 still exists, is coming in 2027

It spent some time out of the spotlight, but the sequel to the sandbox-y zombie survival sim series is arriving sometime next year.

Sea of Thieves is getting game customization tools in June

Rare's pirate game is going to be releasing a set of game customization options, letting players spawn enemies and objects, use more elaborate camera angles, and create new game modes. It's coming June 18.

Metro 2039 is reemerging from the tunnels in February 2027

The next Metro game got a gameplay reveal, showing off a bit more of the game's action and tone, as the player aims to kill the Fuhrer—the first Spartan, gone fascist. It's coming in February 2027.

Team Ninja's got another Wo Long on the way in 2027

Nioh 3 was a mere four months ago, but Koei Tecmo refuses to stop making demonslaying action games in East Asian alt-histories. Wo Long 2 is coming "in early 2027."

Senua returns in Senua in 2027, still seems to be having a bad time

Ninja Theory's tragic celtic warrior heroine is starring in a new action game, and I'm sorry to report that her circumstances still seem less than ideal. Senua is coming in 2027.

Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations is an upcoming DLC where hell is cold now

Bethesda brought some new Doom material. Eternal's getting a story DLC this summer, pitting the Doom Slayer against yet another demon horde in a markedly colder part of hell. Doom: The Dark Ages - Revelations lands on July 7.

There's a new Crazy Taxi coming to heal our broken and divided society

If anything can bring peace in our age of global unrest, it's delivering passengers to glowing checkpoints at untenable speeds. Crazy Taxi: World Tour is coming in 2027.

UPDATE: I've since been informed that Sega used generative AI for the development of Crazy Taxi: World Tour. This planet's wounds will never heal.

Minecraft Dungeons 2 launches in September

It's Minecraft's more sword-centric sibling. And the sequel got its release date. It'll be available on September 29, 2026.

Magicians: The Devil's Deal proves you should never trust an illusionist

Focus Entertainment is publishing a particularly Bioshock-ish "narrative FPS" starring a magician who unwisely entered into a pact with the devil. My advice is to not do that. It's launching in 2027.

Napoleonic first-person soulslike Valor Mortis launches September 24, does in fact have Napoleon in it

Shockingly, the little fellow who attempted to conquer a sizable portion of Europe doesn't seem like a good dude. Valor Mortis launches on September 24, 2026.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse launches in October—or "peak vampire season," as it's commonly known

Should mean there will be plenty of skeletons and such around to whip. Castlevania: Belmont's Curse hits on October 15, 2026.

Vivarium is a game about going Ghibli-mode

Studio Moonflower has some clear inspirations for its summertime life-sim. It's coming in 2027.

Persona 6 is real and that's basically all we get

Seems like those recent alleged leaks weren't just alleged. Persona 6 got a reveal teaser—but it doesn't tell us much. Seems, spooky, though.

Oh hey, there's a new Spyro coming

Spyro: A Realm Beyond is "Spyro’s boldest evolution yet," according to the description of its announcement trailer. It only features a brief glimpse of gameplay, but it certainly looks more open that previous Spyros. Spyri? No release window yet, though.

Clockwork Revolution's moustaches are as prominent as its Steampunk setting would suggest, still doesn't have a release date

InXile's first-person steampunk RPG makes its third Xbox Games Showcase appearance with an overview of its cast of NPCs. There's a lot of silly headwear. And a robot you can threaten to shoot. And, evidently, time travel.

We're still waiting on its specific release date, but inXile says it's coming in 2027.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4's DMZ revival really seems to think it's cool if you talk like a Call of Duty guy

The showcase closed out with a five-minute Modern Warfare 4 DMZ gameplay demo, in which a squad of guys perform their best prolonged Tactical Operator Roleplay. You, too, can tell your friends "negative" when you just mean "no" when Modern Warfare 4 launches in October.

And that's a wrap! Unless you want to watch an Gears of War: E-Day deep dive.

That's it for the main Xbox showcase, but now it's moved into the Gears of War: E-Day-devoted part of the program. Perhaps we'll finally learn why those guys all have the silhouette of a cinderblock.

A few other loose ends and updates from the showcase:

• Milktooth announced Bad Magpie, "a small, densely packed, non-linear open world full of things to peck, steal, combine, and meddle with."
• Doomsday cult simulator Join Us is launching in March 2027
• This fall, Age of Empires 4 is getting another expansion called Raiders of the North. It's called that because there are vikings in it. They raid and they are from the north.
• The Elder Scrolls Online's first season sees the return of the Thieves Guild.
• Fallout 76 is dropping a free Infestations update today, adding "'infested' areas across the map teeming with high-level foes and high-level loot, including new 4-Star Legendary weapons and armor mods."
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024's World Update 22 brings overhauled visuals to the USA's national parks on July 4.
• Where Winds Meet is getting a new map in its Hidden Mountain expansion in July.