Well, there's one thing I can say for sure about being an “Xbox Guy” at IGN: there's never a dull moment. Of course it is is often annoying, depressing, strangeand sometimes shocking. But it's almost never boring. This is how 2025 passed for Xbox. When I looked back annual version of this columnI discovered that many of my predictions were correct, but some were wrong, and some I could never predicted. So, as I look ahead to Xbox 2026, I'll again be expecting the unexpected, but I'll also be diving into everything we can reasonably assume about what could be the last full calendar year of the Xbox Series generation before Microsoft appears to be gearing up for release. console/PC hybrid.
The fact is that a month ago this article would have been much easier to write. We'd be talking about Microsoft's Big Four – Halo, Gears of War, Fable and Forza – returning in the same year for the first time in over a decade (!) to introduce the biggest and perhaps best Xbox lineup since the Xbox 360. But then Galactus, aka Grand Theft Auto 6, came along and devoured everything in its path, just as it always did. deferred from May to November 2026, and now, essentially, November onwards—the key fourth-quarter holiday shopping window of each year—will be left entirely to its own devices. Any game company executive who voluntarily releases a game close to GTA 6 should be fired and institutionalized. This is not just a bad idea, it is business suicide.
Clash of the Titans
And yes, this will affect almost every major publisher to some degree; Sony has the long-awaited “Wolverine” from Marvel. planned for the Fall and Nintendo… well, maybe Nintendo is the exception to the Grand Theft Auto rule. But Microsoft is potentially most concerned about Rockstar's shifting schedule. Halo: Campaign Progression will surely release right in time for Halo's 25th anniversary on November 15th. Oops. Meanwhile, Gears of War: Electron Day was almost certainly planned for the fall (namely, none of the five main Gears games were ever released outside of the fall season), Fablethe long-awaited revival was likely planned for the holiday season after the Playground Games. deferred this, and Forza Horizon 6? Well, I would bet that this game will come out sooner rather than later because the Forza Horizon game doesn't need a big PR campaign or marketing campaign. It's such a powerful franchise with an impeccable reputation that all fans should know where it's set (Japan), what new cars are in it (TBD), and how soon they can play it. Once upon a time there was Forza Horizon 6. announced at the Tokyo Game Show in late September, I thought it would probably be out within six months. And I still think so.
What about Call of Duty for 2026, which an alternate development timeline for the franchise suggests is likely Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 4? Historically, Activision's annual behemoth always arrives in the two weeks between the last week of October and the first week of November. Considering how much Call of Duty and GTA overlap in the Venn diagram of casual gamers who only buy a couple of games a year, which one do you think these people would choose if they could only afford to buy one of them (especially considering that each would likely cost V least 80 US dollars)? I know which one I will choose…
Step forward or retreat?
In fact, what will happen to all of Microsoft's supposed big plans for the fall now that Rockstar has planted its flag on November 19th? The short answer is that I'm not sure that all five of the biggest Xbox games from developers will be able to release in 2026. In any case, if Microsoft wants to make money on them. The good news is that all of these games have a great chance of becoming fantastic games that will receive acclaim from critics and fans alike. Microsoft just needs to make sure they don't get crushed like bugs by feet the size of Godzilla from Grand Theft Auto 6. It's reasonable to expect one or both of Fable and Gears of War: E-Day to move into the first half of 2027, while I'd bet Call of Duty will be pushed as far out as possible – mid-October might be as far ahead as they can get it out without crushing all of its developers to death. And if Forza Horizon 6 isn't already scheduled for the first half of 2026 (and again, I'm sure it is), I'm guessing there will be a new plan somewhere around August.
And that's not all. Decay state 3, Clockwork RevolutionAnd OD by Hideo Kojima They seem to be a little behind next year, but there's one lesser-known game that could stand alongside everything coming to Xbox: a promising potential pixel art masterpiece. Replaced. The debut game from Sad Cat Studios will finally become an Xbox exclusive in 2026. I played thisand that makes my Spidey Sense something truly special – perhaps a generation-defining indie game, much like Limbo and Braid were for the Xbox 360 and Inside was for the Xbox One.
The cavalry has arrived
However, no matter exactly when each of Xbox's blockbusters releases, Xbox's Big Four can't line up to land at a more opportune time because Xbox's brand image is shattered. Repeated mass layoffs. Game cancellations. Closing of the studio. Halo is heading to PS5, which has been the biggest, clearest white flag Microsoft has waved to tell gamers, “It's okay, you don't need an Xbox; you can play any of our games on other platforms if you want.” It was the Covenant energy sword that pierced the heart of longtime Xbox fans.
All Xbox gamers ever wanted was a constant stream of amazing games like Sony's. It would seem that we finally got what we wanted: in the last 12 months, Xbox has released Black Ops 6 and 7, STALKER 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, South of Midnight, Flight Simulator 2024, Doom: The Dark Ages, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black and Ninja Gaiden 4, Gears of War Reloaded, The Outer Worlds 2 and The Elder Scrolls. IV: Oblivion Remastered – but not without the monkey twisting its paw in the process.
Split personality
So, as we look to the future and expect Xbox in 2026, the software shines brighter than ever. The hardware… well, rumors of a next-gen Xbox/PC hybrid flying fast and furious, so could this mean an official announcement at the 2026 Xbox Showcase in June, followed by a fall 2027 release? What about the platform? I'm not sure what, if anything, can be done to revive interest in this.
So what does it mean that Xbox will be entering year six of the Series X|S generation? Paradoxically, the situation is now both better and worse than ever, for all the reasons I have already discussed. There are no more exclusives, but there are a lot of great games. Hardware more more expensive than it was at launch, but there is pretty cute laptop computer Now. The life of an Xbox fan is both wonderful and terrible, and I'm not sure I can describe it better than this.
Ryan McCaffrey is the executive editor of IGN Previews and host of the weekly Xbox IGN show. Podcast Unblockedas well as our monthly interview show, IGN without filter. He's a North Jersey guy, so it's Taylor Ham, not Pork Loaf. Chat with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
