January has come around once more with the turn of another new year, and for Xbox fans, it’s an exciting time. That’s because this month is home to the 2026 edition of Microsoft’s annual Xbox Developer Direct showcase.
Compared to other big-name gaming presentations like The Game Awards, Summer Game Fest, and the Xbox Games Showcase, the Xbox Developer Direct is a smaller show focused entirely on a few games coming to Xbox systems, PC, and Xbox Game Pass later in the year.
How to watch the Xbox Developer Direct 2026
As revealed by Microsoft and Xbox on Thursday morning, the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 showcase is scheduled to begin on January 22 at 1 PM ET (10 AM PT). The presentation will be livestreamed across various Microsoft and Bethesda channels on YouTube and Twitch, including the following:
You’ll also have the option of watching the show through Valve’s PC gaming platform Steam, as well as Microsoft and Bethesda channels on region-specific platforms.
In terms of length, the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 is expected to run about 45 minutes or so, though it could be a bit shorter or longer depending on what Microsoft and its partners have to show, like the length of its deep dive on Fable. This is significantly shorter than bigger presentations like the Xbox Games Showcase that comes in the summer, reflecting the more focused nature of the show.
Assuming this year’s presentation offers the same options as 2025’s, English closed captioning will be available on the primary YouTube stream, with other languages available on regional channels.
Last year, there were options for Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Czech, French, Canadian French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
FAQ
When does the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 start?
The Xbox Developer Direct 2026 show is scheduled to begin on January 22 at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM GMT.
How long is the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 show?
While we don’t have exact details about how long the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 show will be, it’s expected to run for about 45 minutes based on how previous iterations of the presentation have gone.
What should you expect from the Xbox Developer Direct 2026?
Every game shown during the Xbox Developer Direct 2026 will be available to play on Xbox systems, PC, and Xbox Game Pass. We know we’re getting a look at Playground Games’ Fable and Forza Horizon 6, along with Game Freak’s Beast of Incarnation. If there’s a fourth game like previous versions of the showcase, we could see Gears of War: E-Day or Halo: Campaign Evolved too.
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