Microsoft has a immense three hundred and sixty five days forward for Xbox because it marks its 25-three hundred and sixty five days milestone. After the tricky determination to liberate more Xbox video games on rival consoles two years previously, 2026 is a likelihood to refocus on the platform and celebrate a pair of of Xbox’s largest franchises. It’s also an opportunity for Microsoft to define its vision for the model forward for Xbox, after months of bewilderment from followers and plummeting Xbox hardware sales.
Xbox kicked off 2026 with its annual Developer Advise closing month, a preview of a pair of of the video games it’s publishing this three hundred and sixty five days. Microsoft is lining up its “four horsemen” for 2026: Forza, Halo, Fantasy, and Gears of Battle. These franchises possess been the motive force in the serve of Microsoft’s possess Xbox video games steady thru the final 25 years, and I’m told there’s a immense effort internally to kind obvious all four video games debut on time this three hundred and sixty five days.
Forza Horizon 6 is first up on Could per chance also 19th, and sources at Microsoft give an explanation for me that Halo: Campaign Developed is tentatively concentrated on liberate over the summer season. Microsoft is planning to liberate Fantasy in the autumn, with Gears of Battle: E-Day also scheduled for the second half of 2026. I model Microsoft has an very unbiased steady thought of when each could well moreover mute launch, on the different hand it’s also alive to to guide clear of being too finish to Gigantic Theft Auto VI’s November 19th date. Rockstar’s stylish day Vice Metropolis could well moreover mute creep further, nevertheless Desire-Two launched this week that advertising for Gigantic Theft Auto VI is thanks to originate in the summer season.
Outdoors of the immense four, I model Double Supreme is also on the level of launch its unusual Kiln sport in April. Bethesda is also working on unusual sigh material for Starfield that seems to be to be location to debut soon. I wouldn’t be taken aback if we also hear a pair of PS5 version of Starfield, years after it turn out to be as soon as first rumored. Don’t be taken aback if any of these sport dates creep or trade — such is the reality of online sport pattern.
Blizzard is also celebrating 35 years, with a collection of showcases for World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Diablo. Overwatch 2 is now serve to being factual Overwatch, and there are plans for 10 unusual heroes over the route of the three hundred and sixty five days, unusual maps, and more.
Fallout followers are also determined for news regarding the Fallout three remaster we heard about in FTC documents from 2023, or news of a Fallout: New Vegas remaster. The Fallout season 2 TV model finale debuted on Tuesday, and plenty followers had been hoping a countdown web location turn out to be as soon as hinting at a Fallout three remaster. The game is mute in full of life pattern, and I model Bethesda is alive to to kind obvious it’s in addition polished as the surprise liberate of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered closing three hundred and sixty five days.
Beyond Xbox video games, 2026 is also a necessary three hundred and sixty five days for Microsoft’s Xbox hardware and plan platforms. The liberate of the Xbox Ally handhelds from Asus closing three hundred and sixty five days marked a weird effort to elevate Windows and Xbox nearer collectively. This model of third-event devices now seems to be cherish the model forward for Xbox hardware and plan.
Microsoft is working on several improvements to the Xbox “burly display trip” that powers the Xbox Ally devices. An Automatic Neat Resolution (Auto SR) characteristic, which uses an NPU to upscale video games, is determined to debut in the arriving months for the Xbox Ally X. Microsoft is also planning to make exhaust of the NPU at some level of the Xbox Ally X to launch a weird spotlight reel characteristic that uses AI devices to routinely capture gameplay and kind it uncomplicated to fragment the footage on social media.
An improved Xbox PC UI is also being developed. It’s in step with the modifications Microsoft has been checking out in the unusual desktop mode for Xbox Cloud Gaming. It parts a floating Xbox recordsdata interface and mushy animations, and I question to gaze this UI unified all over Xbox consoles, PC, and cloud.
We’ll doubtlessly hear more about Xbox PC plans and further hints at the direction of Xbox consoles at the Recreation Developers Convention (GDC) next month. Microsoft has passe GDC in the previous to component key developer modifications to Xbox, along with next-gen Xbox pattern plans. Whereas I’m now not attempting forward to to hear burly small print regarding the next Xbox, I’d question the many sessions will shed further light on the plans to merge Xbox and Windows, along with more of Microsoft’s AI work in gaming.
We obtained’t be seeing a next-gen Xbox liberate this three hundred and sixty five days, though. AMD CEO Lisa Su hinted this week that Microsoft could well moreover launch its next-gen Xbox in 2027. “Vogue of Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox, featuring an AMD semi-customized SoC, is progressing well to provide a boost to a launch in 2027,” acknowledged Su in an earnings call on Tuesday. Microsoft has fully vaguely teased its next-gen Xbox plans to this level, and I’m hoping that a bigger teaser is determined for later this three hundred and sixty five days.
Xbox followers will accept a weird controller this three hundred and sixty five days, though. I’m listening to that Microsoft has greenlit next-gen Xbox controllers that embody Wi-Fi connectivity to lower Xbox Cloud Gaming latency. A peculiar Xbox controller turn out to be as soon as in the origin planned for 2024, alongside a canceled Xbox Assortment X refresh. Windows Central also expects an Xbox Elite Controller Assortment three debut in 2026, which would align with a rollout of next-gen Xbox controllers.
New Xbox controllers that join straight to Xbox Cloud Gaming could well moreover help boost Microsoft’s Recreation Cross numbers and complement plans for free advert-supported accept steady of entry to to cloud video games. I model Microsoft is getting finish to checking out free Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming with Xbox Insiders, forward of a broader rollout this three hundred and sixty five days.
Whereas the free Xbox Cloud Gaming obtained’t be a weird Recreation Cross tier, sources give an explanation for me Microsoft is in the early stages of exploring ways to expand its Recreation Cross subscription lineup. After a Recreation Cross Closing mark hike in October, I model that Microsoft is having a look at ways to bundle third-event services with Recreation Cross subscriptions and potentially even merge Xbox Recreation Cross Top rate and PC Recreation Cross collectively. I wouldn’t question to gaze any main modifications to Recreation Cross this three hundred and sixty five days, though.
Microsoft already added PC video games to its reasonably a lot of Xbox Recreation Cross subscriptions in October, with the devoted PC Recreation Cross subscription rising by with regards to forty p.c to duvet the mark of day one releases. Microsoft is mute seeing boost in PC Recreation Cross subscriptions, on the different hand it desires to sure up its fragmented subscription choices if the model forward for Xbox consoles is PC.
All of the Xbox platform modifications and tension on immense sport releases add as a lot as a necessary three hundred and sixty five days for Xbox because it marks its 25-three hundred and sixty five days anniversary. I’m absolutely hoping that by the spoil of the three hundred and sixty five days we’ll possess a significantly higher thought of Microsoft’s vision for the next 25 years of Xbox.
- Microsoft is experimenting with a top menu bar for Windows eleven. Microsoft’s PowerToys team is contemplating building a top menu bar for Windows eleven, well-known cherish Linux, macOS, or older variations of Windows. The menu bar is de facto a dock for Microsoft’s Explain Palette PowerToy, and can provide speedy accept steady of entry to to tools, monitoring of machine sources, and a long way more. You’ll be in a location to location this dock at the tip, left, steady, or bottom edge of a display, which already makes it more versatile than the Windows eleven Commence up menu. We’re now ready to gaze if Microsoft goes forward and fully builds this dock or now not.
- Jeffrey Epstein turn out to be as soon as completely banned from Xbox Are living. Microsoft booted Jeffrey Epstein from its online gaming platform in 2013. It turn out to be as soon as section of a ban wave of registered intercourse offenders. It’s now unsure if Epstein ever played Xbox, and the leisure of the so-known as Epstein recordsdata don’t present a long way more about Epstein’s Xbox habits.
- Mature Windows eight boss recruited Epstein to help negotiate his messy Microsoft exit. No longer fully did the Epstein recordsdata present an Xbox ban for Epstein and claims that Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates allegedly reduced in dimension an STD, they also appear to model how frail Windows eight boss Steven Sinofsky recruited Epstein to barter his messy exit from Microsoft. The emails appear to model that Sinofsky repeatedly sought Epstein’s recommendation as he negotiated his surprise exit from Microsoft in November 2012, forwarding emails to him in with regards to real time as talks stepped forward. Sinofsky also seems to be to be to possess forwarded a confidential electronic mail between Microsoft executives to Epstein in July 2013 that small print the disorders around the launch of Surface, warning that the Surface RT tablet turn out to be as soon as “about to catastrophically fail in a extraordinarily public formulation.”
- Microsoft says it’s building an app retailer for AI sigh material licensing. Microsoft is making a weird Publisher Command Marketplace (PCM), a licensing hub that can moreover kind it more uncomplicated for AI firms to pay for “top rate” sigh material. Microsoft says it’s been codesigning PCM with firms along with Verge guardian Vox Media, The Connected Press, Condé Nast, Of us, and others. It’s absolutely an enchancment over scraping and ingesting sigh material into AI devices with out rate, nevertheless The New York Times is mute in the heart of a copyright lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, claiming that the firms constructed their AI devices by “copying and the exhaust of hundreds and hundreds” of the publication’s articles.
- Call of Responsibility tries to block XIM and Cronus cheaters again. Activision is attempting to crack down on third-event hardware dishonest devices in Call of Responsibility again. Gadgets cherish XIM, Cronus Zen, and ReaSnow S1 can enable unfair advantages that exploit plot serve, and now Activision is introducing unusual detections to ban the devices. Activision tried to detect the devices in the previous, on the different hand it’s now switching its detection plan to take care of player inputs, moderately than strive to detect devices which will doubtless be designed to be hidden. The unusual detections will hump live with season 2 of Call of Responsibility: Sunless Ops 7 this week.
- Google Cloud’s buyer chief returns to Microsoft as head of safety. In a surprise switch, Microsoft launched a weird head of safety this week. Hayete Gallot, who left Microsoft in October 2024 to alter into the president of Google Cloud’s buyer trip, is returning to the plan huge as the federal government vice president of safety, reporting straight to CEO Satya Nadella. This leaves Charlie Bell, Microsoft’s frail safety chief, in a weird role at the company. Whereas Bell and Nadella yell this switch turn out to be as soon as planned, Microsoft’s safety file over Bell’s four years guilty speaks for itself. In 2024, the Cyber Security Overview Board concluded that “Microsoft’s safety culture turn out to be as soon as insufficient and requires an overhaul,” after a collection of high-profile safety disorders. Microsoft has been serious about cybersecurity ever since, in a present to select serve trust.
- GitHub provides Claude and Codex AI coding brokers. GitHub is making Claude by Anthropic and OpenAI’s Codex AI coding brokers straight available inner GitHub this week. A peculiar public preview provides Claude and Codex to GitHub, GitHub Cell, and Visual Studio Code, for users with a Copilot Pro Plus or Copilot Project subscription. GitHub is an increasing number of embracing a pair of AI devices to construct its Copilot offering. Developers are already in a location to accept steady of entry to devices from Anthropic, Google, xAI, and OpenAI in GitHub Copilot, so integrating in rival AI coding brokers feels cherish a natural next step.
- Windows eleven testers can now compare out constructed-in Sysmon. Microsoft launched at Ignite in November that it turn out to be as soon as planning to add Sysmon into Windows, and now Windows Insiders can test this integration. Sysmon turn out to be as soon as first launched in 2014 as a utility for safety prognosis into the Windows Match Log, and adding it to Windows will kind it more uncomplicated for safety teams to detect and acknowledge to threats.
- Interior Xbox, a sport studio is attempting to reinvent itself. Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier takes an inner look at Microsoft-owned Obsidian Entertainment this week, profiling the prolific Xbox sport developer. Studio head Feargus Urquhart unearths that Obsidian is attempting to lower sport pattern timelines to three or four years per title, as a change of the higher than six years it took to ship Avowed and The Outer Worlds 2. Urquhart also seems to be to be to acknowledge Microsoft’s aggressive 30 p.c profit margins for video games and hopes Microsoft will mute fund riskier tasks and accept that “per chance the put we are going to doubtless be from a profitability standpoint isn’t going to be 30 p.c.”
- Nvidia is investigating PC gaming disorders with Microsoft’s most up-to-date Windows update. The continuing saga of the January 2026 Windows eleven update isn’t slowing down. After shutdown disorders, Dropbox crashes, and boot failures, Nvidia now says shadow artifacts in video games cherish Forza Horizon 5 could well moreover very well be linked to the January 2026 update. “Even supposing it started after a Windows eleven update, we are having a look into it,” says Manuel Guzman, a plan QA at Nvidia. “As a long way as I know, the fully formulation to resolve it seems to be to be to be uninstalling KB5074109.”
- Xbox fulfillment redesign observed in Xbox Cloud Gaming UI refresh. Microsoft seems to be to be to be redesigning its Xbox achievements machine. Xbox followers possess observed a weird fulfillment plot at some level of the Xbox Cloud Gaming overhaul. Rare achievements possess an updated crimson diamond icon, and traditional ones possess a weird trophy surrounded by a wreath. It’s now unsure if this same plot will seem on Xbox consoles anytime soon, though.
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Correction, February fifth: Removed mention of special version consoles as they’re now not at risk of launch this three hundred and sixty five days.