This is intended as a quick recap of everything that happened at the Xbox Showcase. I’ll add in my opinions and more info when I get the time, so expect this to change a little.
Gears of War: E-Day opened the show and is Xbox console exclusive
Xbox started big by showing Gears of War: E-Day, the prequel set during the Locust’s first emergence. The trailer dropped us into the chaos of E-Day itself, with civilians, soldiers and whole streets being torn apart as the world learns the hard way that subterranean nightmare lads are not great neighbours.
The really important bit, though, is the business side: Gears of War: E-Day is launching as an Xbox console exclusive. That means Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass and Xbox Play Anywhere, but no PlayStation 5 version.
Release date: October 6, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Extra: Pre-orders include access to the Gears of War: E-Day Open Beta beginning August 6, 2026
Fable finally has a date
Playground Games’ long-awaited Fable returned with a new trailer and a proper release date. The showcase introduced Isabel, the Hero of Wraithmarsh, played by Hayley Atwell. The trailer also teased the return of Jack of Blades, because apparently Albion wasn’t already cursed enough.
Release date: February 23, 2027
Early access: February 18, 2027 with the Premium Edition
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, PS5 cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Halo: Campaign Evolved launches in July
Halo: Campaign Evolved, the Unreal Engine 5 remake/reimagining of Halo: Combat Evolved’s campaign, got a July release date. The trailer focused on Operation: METEORITE, three new prequel missions featuring Master Chief and Sgt. Johnson.
This is also one of the weirdest signs of modern Xbox: a remake of the original Halo is coming to PlayStation. Somewhere, a 2001 forum warrior just felt a disturbance in the force. Meanwhile, Gears of War is going back to being an Xbox exclusive. What a world we live in.
Release date: July 28, 2026
Early access: July 23, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Steam, PlayStation, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy arrives in August
Asobo’s next game in the Plague Tale universe got a new gameplay showing and a release date. Set 15 years before the first game, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy follows Sophia on a mysterious island filled with ancient myths, secrets and, presumably, a legally worrying amount of rats.
Release date: August 27, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Persona 4 Revival got a release date
Atlus showed Persona 4 Revival, a full reimagining of the beloved RPG. It is bringing Inaba back with updated visuals, modernised gameplay and quality-of-life improvements.
Release date: February 18, 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
State of Decay 3 finally showed gameplay
After years of waiting, Undead Labs brought State of Decay 3 back with its first proper gameplay trailer. The game remains focused on surviving the zombie apocalypse by building settlements, managing communities, and dealing with all the usual undead nonsense that makes home ownership even more stressful.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, with PS5 also reported
Sea of Thieves Season 20 adds Custom Seas
Rare showed off Sea of Thieves Season 20, which introduces Custom Seas. These let players create their own custom rulesets, set up their own events, and generally become the sort of pirate bureaucrat the high seas never asked for.
Release date: June 18, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, Battle.net, and existing supported platforms
Metro 2039 got a gameplay reveal
4A Games returned with Metro 2039, showing off a first gameplay trailer set in the post-apocalyptic Moscow tunnels. It looked bleak, grimy, violent and horrible, which is to say: yep, that’s Metro.
Release window: February 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere
Bad Magpie was announced
Bad Magpie is the debut game from Milktooth, starring a troublesome one-winged magpie causing chaos in a stylised world. It has strong Untitled Goose Game energy, except with more arson and probably more emotional damage.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember was revealed
Team Ninja announced Wo Long 2: Wings of Ember, a sequel to Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. The game is set after the first title and once again mixes Chinese martial arts, historical fantasy and demon-smacking.
Release window: Early 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Extra: Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty joined Xbox Game Pass today
Senua was announced
Ninja Theory revealed Senua, a new action-adventure game set in the Hellblade universe. Rather than simply being Hellblade 3 in name, this looks like a more action-focused evolution of the series, with Senua trapped between life and death in a fractured vision of purgatory.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Fallout 76: Infestations is available now
Bethesda showed the free Infestations update for Fallout 76, bringing new dangers to Appalachia and introducing fresh loot, 4-Star Legendary weapon and armour mods, and a new season called Appalachia Under Siege.
Release date: Available now
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, and existing supported platforms
DOOM: The Dark Ages is getting Revelations DLC
DOOM: The Dark Ages is getting a new campaign expansion called Revelations. It sends the Slayer into purgatory, adds new levels, new demons, deeper puzzles and a new Chain Spear weapon.
Release date: July 7, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Battle.net, and existing supported platforms
Crazy Taxi: World Tour brings back Sega’s arcade classic
Sega’s Crazy Taxi is back with Crazy Taxi: World Tour. The trailer was set to The Offspring’s “All I Want,” because subtlety is for cowards and speed limits are merely suggestions.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Play Anywhere
Age of Empires IV: Raiders of the North was announced
Age of Empires IV is getting a new expansion called Raiders of the North. It adds the Vikings and Scots as new civilisations, along with new masteries, music, voice work, units, buildings, missions and biomes.
Release window: Fall 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Minecraft Dungeons II arrives in September
Mojang revealed Minecraft Dungeons II, a new hack-and-slash adventure with new environments, tougher enemies, more character customisation and a new threat to the Overworld.
Release date: September 29, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2 reported
Magicians: The Devil’s Deal was revealed
Magicians: The Devil’s Deal is a narrative-driven first-person action game set in Theatreland, a twisted version of Victorian London where stage magic becomes terrifyingly real. Players take on the role of Jacob, a fallen magician bound by a pact with the Devil.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Valor Mortis launches in September
Valor Mortis is a first-person action-Soulslike set in a twisted version of the Napoleonic Wars. The latest trailer also revealed Vincent Cassel as the voice of Napoleon Bonaparte, because if you are going to make undead Napoleon weirdness, you may as well commit.
Release date: September 24, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
The Elder Scrolls Online returns to the Thieves Guild
The Elder Scrolls Online’s Season One arrives in July and includes a new Thieves Guild storyline, high seas content, Sheogorath, new challenges and rewards. ESO is also now available with PC Game Pass.
Release date: July 8, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, and existing supported platforms
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 adds US National Parks
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 is getting World Update 22: US National Parks, adding over 30 US national parks. Later this Fall, the sim will also add National Championship Air Races.
Release date: World Update 22 available now; air races later in Fall 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Where Winds Meet is available on Xbox today
The free-to-play wuxia open-world ARPG Where Winds Meet launched on Xbox today. The trailer also teased its next major expansion, Hidden Mountain.
Release date: Available now on Xbox
Expansion: Hidden Mountain arrives July 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere
Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse arrives in October
Konami, Evil Empire and Motion Twin showed Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, a new 2D action-exploration game set 23 years after Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse. The game stars Rose Belmont, daughter of Trevor, and blends classic Castlevania structure with modern movement and tarot-based Arcana skills.
Release date: October 15, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Xbox Play Anywhere, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Steam
Vivarium was announced
Vivarium is a life-sim adventure inspired by classic cel-drawn anime. Developed by Studio Meadowflower and published by Serenity Forge, it features slice-of-life gameplay, a dynamic time system and a strange terrarium world full of peculiar residents.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Persona 6 was finally announced
Atlus officially revealed Persona 6 with a teaser trailer. There was no release date, but the announcement alone is enough to make the internet behave normally and sensibly for at least four seconds before exploding into frame-by-frame analysis.
Release date: TBA
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, with PS5 and PC also reported
Spyro: A Realm Beyond brings back the purple dragon
Toys for Bob revealed Spyro: A Realm Beyond, the first completely original Spyro game in almost 20 years. The game features a new world, expanded exploration and true dragon flight, letting players freely soar through environments. Tom Kenny is also returning as the voice of Spyro.
Release window: Spring 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC
Clockwork Revolution is also Xbox console exclusive
InXile’s Clockwork Revolution returned with a new trailer showing more of its time-bending steampunk RPG world. The trailer introduced Morgan’s gang, the Rotten Row Hooligans, and showed off more of Lady Ironwood, the Chronometer, and the consequences of rewriting history.
The big news is that Clockwork Revolution, like Gears of War: E-Day, is an Xbox console exclusive. Again, not timed. Proper exclusive.
Release window: 2027
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, cloud, Game Pass, Xbox Play Anywhere
Console status: Xbox console exclusive
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 showed off DMZ
Infinity Ward showed off the new DMZ experience in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. This extraction-style mode sends players into a hostile conflict zone where they can loot, fight, negotiate, betray and extract with whatever they can carry.
Release date: October 23, 2026
Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC and Nintendo Switch 2
Note: Not coming to Xbox One or PS4
Xbox revealed 25th anniversary hardware
Xbox also revealed its 25th anniversary hardware: the Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition and Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition. Both are inspired by the original Xbox, complete with translucent green styling and classic design nods.
Release window: November 2026
Platforms: Your shelf, probably. Also your wallet’s grave.
