By Where will Halo, Gears, Fable & Forza be positioned?
With Halo: Campaign Evolved finally being revealed after numerous speculations, we now have four substantial confirmed launches from Xbox Game Studios for 2026 – a fresh Halo, a new Gears, a new Fable, and a new Forza Horizon.
The upcoming year appears poised to be monumental for Xbox, particularly as the brand will be commemorating its 25th anniversary, but it’s also going to be hectic for third-party developers… especially regarding Rockstar Games’ GTA 6.
No matter how solid Xbox’s first-party roster might be, Microsoft will undoubtedly aim to evade contention with the launch of the next Grand Theft Auto, which is presently slated for a May 2026 debut. However, it might still undergo another postponement…
So, what’s the strategy if you’re Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond in this situation? It hinges on when each game will be prepared, but one might assume that at least one of these titles (possibly Forza Horizon 6?) will need to arrive in the early part of the year, while others like Fable and Gears of War: E-Day might have to be postponed until the bustling holiday season.
If GTA 6 does get postponed to October, it could complicate matters. Xbox provided us with three first-party titles in October 2025 alone, with Black Ops 7 arriving in early November, which indicates that it’s a period that suits Microsoft well. November 15th, 2026, will also mark the precise date of the brand’s 25th anniversary, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they withheld a major release for that occasion.
Taking all of this into account, it is reasonable that none of these significant four games have been scheduled just yet, but that may transform in January if the annual Xbox Developer Direct occurs as anticipated. Until then, we would love to hear what you believe Xbox should do regarding timeline planning for next year – which of these games ought to arrive in which months?
Share your opinions on Xbox’s 2026 release schedule in the comments section below.
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, where he dedicates his time to covering the largest narratives in the realm of Xbox and beyond.